Morro Bay, 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.

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.

For the past seven years, The B Boutique's owner, Jamie, has been traveling to Brazil in search of bikinis. Lately, she's been kicking through the sands and surf of Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana and Ipanema beaches or hanging around in São Paulo's Santos district. In these hot spots of South American beach fashion, she scopes out the latest trends, taking the best with her to hang from knotted driftwood racks at her boutique in Isla Vista. These colorful, skimpy bikinis bridge the gap between The B Boutique's retail and spa dimensions—in order to strut the bikinis with confidence, one must have a smooth, stubble-free body.

In private rooms, Jamie removes hair with a "no-scream cream" that minimizes discomfort for very sensitive skin that always cries at the end of Bambi. To give clients a midsummer glow, she mists them with Bronze Biologic's tanning solution—an organic formula derived from beet and sugar-cane extract and aloe vera. To round out her spa menu, Jamie spruces up fingers and toes with luxurious mani-pedis, submerging feet in aromatic whirlpool baths and massaging hands before lacquering nails with professional polishes.

At G'nique's Spa Services, owner, aesthetician, and massage therapist Genique Freeman guides her team with the conviction that total wellness is achieved when each patient feels beautiful, relaxed, and cared for. Freeman's staff makes a point of opening communication lines with each client, welcoming both English and Spanish speakers and discovering their patients' treatment preferences and favorite Kevin Bacon films via a simple online health-history form. Organic and wild-harvested ingredients from product lines such as De La Terre ease health concerns, and skin-purifying treatments are frequently paired with massages to heighten the therapeutic effects of both. Calm lighting and soft music welcome clients to leave their workplace stresses at the door, and a no-walk-in policy ensures patient comfort by safeguarding against overcrowding or a sudden influx of encyclopedia salesmen. Also supporting the spa's philosophy that physical and psychological health go hand in hand, G'nique's encourages veterans and their families to take respite in pampering by offering military discounts on specialty services, such as massages and facials.

Salon 463's team of seasoned aestheticians, nail technicians, and stylists work to gussy up patrons from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes via a host of lavish services. A symphony of snipping scissors and hair dryers accompanies each hair specialist during salon services ranging from color-boosting glazes to bridal updos. Aestheticians can revive faces exhausted from fielding the cheek pinches of passing grandmothers using a variety of rejuvenating skincare treatments. Nail services include anti-aging manicures, men's pedicures, and acrylic-nail repair to give hands and feet get a much-needed break.

At Salon David Escape Spa, visitors can pamper themselves with top-notch beautification services that spiff up their looks better than mime face paint. If you choose to perk up your mug, you'll get an organic herbal oregano facial ($65) that blends oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary with anti-aging extracts to deliver youthifying antioxidants and an ethereal radiance. A mane-taming haircut includes a hair consultation and expert styling from a level-III stylist ($62) to deliver a look that suits your face shape and passion for The X-Files. The 50-minute aromatherapy massage ($80) soothes tense fleshoskeletons with pure essential oils while masterfully ironing out back kinks like a moisturizer-lubed steamroller.