Arroyo Grande, CA Spa and Massage

Spa Escape lives up to its name six days a week. And not only because of its well-hidden location—it’s tucked behind a nondescript, two-story home—but also because of the relaxing skin and body treatments it provides. In a private treatment room filled with flickering candles, clients can be found resting atop memory-foam tables as trained therapists work out aches and pains with more than eight massage modalities and Epicuren Discovery lotions. Aestheticians also rely on Epicuren's enzyme-rich products to enhance treatments, such as the pumpkin-apple-spice peel, which exfoliates dead skin cells with an acidic formula and attracts scarecrows with an aromatic smell. Skilled cosmetologists also enhance appearances through traditional make-up applications.

While alchemists never managed to transmute lead into gold, Geneva De la Rouge may be considered a modern alchemist. She uses her knowledge of the aesthetic elements—essential oils, nutrient-rich clay, and other natural ingredients—to transform skin from looking timeworn to youthful. Geneva customizes her elixirs to suit a wide range of skin types, which she differentiates by using the five elements of Chinese medicine as a guide. For each of these elements, such as fire—which is responsible for blotchy red skin—Geneva employs the elemental opposite, balancing dry skin with moisture, sallow skin with nutrients, and irritated skin with a fire extinguisher.

At her eponymous spa, skincare expert Colleen Elizabeth takes a holistic approach to beauty, favoring long-term solutions over one-time treatments. Her recommendations during a complimentary consultation can range from minor changes to an at-home skincare regimen to a series of medical-grade services at the spa. Either way, clients will be in good hands. Colleen Elizabeth personally selects all of her spa's skincare products from top-quality lines such as GloMinerals and Ayur-Medic, and many others are custom-made, like the stamps doctors use to give each newborn baby its fingerprints. In-spa services include advanced treatments such as electrotherapy facials and full-body chemical peels, as well as standard facials, plus makeup, waxing, and massages. Relaxing therapies can come to you during on-location spa parties that allow clients to enjoy staffers' expertise in their own living rooms.

Jacquelyn L. Sugich L.Ac. began her career with the single goal of healing people without resorting to drugs. She enrolled in Santa Barbara College Of Oriental Medicine and studied ancient modalities in China as she worked toward a master's of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. After graduating in 2006, she started her practice and went straight to work.

Today, she follows the guiding principle of Chinese medical theory, the cornerstone of which is prevention. She fights off stress and eases muscular tension with her signature massages, and uses hair-thin acupuncture needles to unleash endorphins and reduce anxiety, abdominal pain, and balloon-animal populations. Though these acupuncture sessions are her specialty, they generally make up just one spoke in the wheel of customized, holistic treatment plans that incorporate multiple approaches, including diet and Chinese herbal remedies.

At Treat, aestheticians employ the skincare boutique's large assortment of all-natural and difficult-to-find products to rejuvenate clients' bodies and minds. To combat signs of aging, aestheticians nourish skin during all-natural facials using formulas from a choice of five different lines, including Darphin, Éminence Organic Skin Care, and Arcona. When patrons enter the store for waxing, tinting services, or a relaxing Swedish massage, they are greeted with scents such as the lily and jasmine home fragrances by kai, each reminiscent of a morning walk through the garden or a leisurely childhood as a Cabbage Patch Kid.