travel
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO LET GO
by joel martens
HEAVEN IN THE TEMESCAL VALLEY When was the last time you were relaxed enough and felt free enough to spend a day just
GLEN IVY HOT SPRINGS
floating in a pool, lolling in a warm spa or quite literally rolling around in some rejuvenative mud? I bet, like it was for me, it’s been ages… The shimmering oasis that is Glen Ivy Hot Springs is just a stone’s throw away from every major metropolitan city in Southern California: Scarcely over two hours from San Diego and just under from L.A. and Long Beach. Tucked away in Riverside County’s Temescal Valley, surrounded by the Santa Ana Mountains National Preserve, Glen Ivy has operated in the area since March of 1977. History tells us though, the first commercial use of the area’s naturally- occurring mineral springs can be traced to 1860, revealing a more than 150-year history in the pleasures of, as they say, “nature, water and exercise, good food and camaraderie with others.”
Recently acquired by the GOCO Hospital-
ity organization, the 20-acre hot springs and spa features spacious outdoor pools, lush gardens, the famed mineral soak, California’s only therapeutic red clay mineral bath, aptly named “Club Mud,” Glen Ivy’s Grotto where you’re literally painted neck-to-toe with a warm aloe vera, coconut oil, eucalyptus and lavender masque, numerous facial and nail treatments, and the Ivy Kitchen where you can enjoy delicious healthy spa cuisine prepared by Glen Ivy’s executive chef. Treatment locations include the Spa Salon, Massage Village, or the South Massage area at which you can enjoy an extensive menu of treatments and therapies highlighting exquisite European products from Glen Ivy’s internationally- renown Comfort Zone brand. I was excited to partake, having heard friends rave
about the hot springs and spa for years…one of the main touts being its affordability. We were greeted by one of the staff members on arrival who adroitly offered a brief history of the property, a quick rundown of the spa’s layout, restaurants, shopping, therapeutic pools and mineral baths (there are nineteen) and the many spa services offered. Hint: Go online beforehand and investigate all the
spa treatments and book before you go to guarantee yourself a spot.
After a quick check in and a tour of the facility, we landed at the entry to the Bath House Zone. The space offering plenty of room to change and prep for your day there, with plentiful lockers as well as showers, a hot tub, sauna and restrooms. Hint:Bring a swimsuit or pair of trunks you don’t
mind getting mud on... I would definitely stay away from anything white! We made it a goal in the early part of the morning
to test out the resort’s 19 baths and pools. The Heal- ing and Therapy Zone became a fast favorite with its saunas, cold and hot cycle pools, saline (Epsom salt) pool and mineral baths. Though the sulfuric smell was a little off-putting at first, I especially enjoyed the mineral baths. The lounge pool was the perfect place to enjoy a lazy hour or so aboard a comfy pool float, indulging in one of their sumptuous cocktails. A memorable moment to be sure was Glen Ivy’s
magical Mud Zone. Where else can one roll around in slick mud, releasing your inner 10-year-old and get away with it? We laughed like school kids as we covered ourselves with California red clay, infused with Glen Ivy’s mineral water. It took me back to my early summers along the Siskiwit River in Northern Wisconsin, where we’d spend summer days rolling about in its gooey red clay banks and then dive in the river to rinse off.
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RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2018
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