Self • February 20, 2025
Cara
A Spa Day at The Montage Laguna Beach
We Did it All!
A spa service at a resort is certainly a luxury. When I made my plans to visit Karen in Laguna, a spa day was certainly one of the first things we talked about, considering The Montage was right there and who can resist a beautiful resort on the ocean with an award-winning spa? Not us. We knew that we would make a day of it, even if we just had one service each booked.
Weeks before I arrived, we studied the extensive spa menu like kids in a candy shop. So much to choose from. Karen decided on a custom massage, while I went with a “Sapphire Oxylight Facial”. I wasn’t quite sure what that was but it basically sounded like the “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink facial” - my kind of treatment. We booked online and counted down the days until our appointment.
Now, the services at these resort spas tend to be pricey; it certainly is a once a year kind of thing (twice if you’re lucky). Karen and I took a walk over the day before our official spa day to get the lay of the land so we would best know how to spend our time the next day. And we were so glad that we did!
We were greeted by a lovely receptionist who was full of information, not just about the spa. She gave us recommendations on shopping and dining spots - the other high priority items on our Laguna checklist. We discovered that a Stretch and Sculpt class was being offered at 10am on our spa day - a perfect way to start our day!
With that info, we knew that we would head over the next day in time for the class and that would be the official start to our treatments! We also got a glimpse of the spa pool and knew that - even though it was only in the high 60’s - we would be lunching out there. And most importantly, we confirmed that we would be able to use all the facilities before and after our treatment.
The next day we arrived in plenty of time to get situated in the locker room and head over to the class. After we stretched and sculpted with a beautiful view of the ocean, we ditched our leggings, put on our robes and headed to the sauna. Boy was it hot in there… Karen was able to sit in there a lot longer than me. I hopped out and right across the way was the steam room. I popped in and found that I liked it even better than the sauna.
After that we headed to the outdoor whirlpool. Heavenly, especially since I had just left a very cold and snowy Chicago. With the soothing sounds of the waterfall behind the whirlpool, we chatted with the other guests and just chillaxed.
Then Karen challenged me to do the cold plunge, which was right next to the whirlpool. I had never done one, but was up for the challenge. Wow, are those things cold!! I lasted all of about 10 seconds (and that’s being generous). Karen was the real winner of the day and did at least 10 minutes!! All the while doing her arm exercises! Rockstar!
It was now lunchtime. We dried off, put on our luxurious spa robes and headed out to the pool. We grabbed lounge chairs facing the ocean and just let the sun warm us up. We ordered lunch - I of course had the cheeseburger while Karen had a healthy veggie pita! We decided to just stick with sparkling water for now; we were going to wait until after our services to treat ourselves to something stronger!
It was now 2:00, time to head back inside for our treatments. As we took our places on the super comfy chaise lounges, our names were called! The time had come for us to head back for our spa services! We were all ready for 90 minutes of being pampered!
My facial was the best I had ever had - and I’ve had a few in my lifetime. There was a cool machine that had it all - diamond dermabrasion, pure oxygen, Biosonix ultrasound, microcurrents and red light therapy. My esthetician slathered sunscreen on me at the end and sent me on my way after an hour and a half (which always seems to go too quickly). Karen looked just as blissful after her massage. We enjoyed our delicious cucumber spa water while relaxing on the chaise lounges of the waiting room.
We rallied and got back to the pool area in hopes of catching the sunset at 5:20. We ordered some piña coladas (!) and just took in the beautiful sky. After the sunset, it got very chilly out there so that was our cue to go take showers and get ready for dinner!
After showering and blow drying our hair (which is not my favorite thing to do outside of my own home), we put real clothes on for the first time since 9:30 and went to explore our dining options. We settled on the main dining room and had some of the best sourdough bread of our lives - so good in fact we took some home for breakfast the next day! The food in California is just so fresh and delicious, as is the wine.
No visit to a resort is complete without a trip to the gift shop. We resisted the temptation to buy anything. It was now 7:30 and we were actually super tired from our day of spa-ing! When we asked the valet how long our car had been there, he said 10.5 hours! He was so impressed with our long stay that he gifted us Montage hats! Should we have been embarrassed?
So, the morale of the story is this: don’t be afraid to take advantage of all a resort spa has to offer. They are usually only too happy to have you enjoy your day.
Another great way to get to experience a resort is through Resortpass. If you are staying at a rental home or smaller hotel, but want to spend the day at a bigger place with more amenities, Resortpass gives you the ability to purchase a day pass to some of the nicest resorts around.