Experience Ultimate Relaxation: Discover Paradise in Palm Springs
By Dara Kaplan
Every year January comes and if you’re like most of us, you start to struggle to keep up with your yearly New Year’s resolutions as soon as February rolls around. For most, it includes some version of being healthy, whether it is cleaning up your diet, practicing good mental health routines or getting into the gym more often. And again, if you are like most of us, you stick with it for the first months and then life gets busy, and you fall off and that is because we don’t have the root understanding of easy and intuitively living with health and longevity as the goal. When the switch is activated from superficial “health” to a quest of true health for longevity, you understand the long game and the routines that go along with it. It no longer is a chore to stick to your resolutions but a valuable way of life.
In my never-ending search for ultimate health and the amorphous buzzword of the year, longevity, I stumbled upon We Care Spa. I was told it “Was an experience like no other”, it was “the retreat of the stars” and I “would leave a new woman”. Yes, yes, and yes! I was sold, especially after peeking at all the celebrities that were recently on property. Then I was told it was a seven-day liquid fast. Cue my jaw hitting the floor! However, being the self-acclaimed guinea pig for anything to do with health, I signed up, in trepidatious manner.
I landed at Palm Springs Airport with my two girlfriends that I sold on the experience as well. I quietly hoped I would leave with the two women still my friends after they went through the seven-day fast. Long story short, we are still friends.
We were officially on our way, having followed the instructions for the pre-fast, olive oil shots and prune juice to prime our systems. We drove along a dusty road and appeared in front of an ominous gate that mechanically opened to greet us. Once we crossed the threshold, the magical oasis of health unfurled in front of us, and all worry melted away.
Meet We Care Spa, an absolutely idyllic 20-acre Sanctuary tucked into the mountains in Desert Hot Springs, California. Consider We Care Spa as the handbook to health, forget having to stick to resolutions, here you will understand how mind body and spirit interact to provide a sense of Zen and tranquility which underpin the meaning of health. You can choose from a 3 day, 5 day or 7 day experience which includes luxurious private villas with uninterrupted desert vistas that provide a spectacular indoor-outdoor experience, 40+ spa treatments, daily nutrition and yoga classes, evening sound baths, and weekly fire ceremonies.
The 28 luxury villas are spread across an expanse and rich landscape of bougainvillea, lemon groves, statues of Hindu and Buddhist symbols, large crystals, shaded meditation gardens, floating swings, and walking paths. The property features two beautiful pools perfect for lounging, a juice bar, a gym, an outdoor infrared sauna, and steam room. The property leaves nothing out, and you certainly will never be without something to do. However, rest and relaxation are the goal, therefore I certainly took some forced downtime to read, meditate and lounge.
Okay, so let’s de-mystify the fast as I know that is what is the most intimidating part, it was for me, but once understood, it was a lot less so. The We Care Cleanse features a nutritious liquid fast with teas, pressed juices, shakes, and soups, with supplements. You are ingesting nutrients almost every hour, which leads to you never feeling hunger pains, if anything, you may need a break from drinking so much! And the health benefits? ENDLESS! Allowing a break from digesting solid foods, allows the body energy to combat toxins, sick cells, and stress. The break from traditional meals also encourages healthier coping skills like breath-work, meditation, and mindfulness to reset emotional blockages and poor diets.
We Care Spa’s program is based on the convergence between ancient modalities and modern healing so while you are going through this revitalizing detox, you are in back-to-back educational classes, spiritual appointments and spa treatments. The Spa treatment offerings are vast, which have been mostly created by Susan Belen, the original founder, whom you can still find walking the paths on property.
The treatments range from System Recovery Treatments with a castor oil body wrap, Magnesium Wraps, Crystal Craniosacral Massages, and scrubs to colon hydrotherapy, nutritional guidance, shamanic healing, cupping, hypnosis, reiki, and many more.
The philosophy behind the founder’s vision for a healthy lifestyle is all encompassing of breath-work, meditation and yoga, diet, and conducting a weekly or quarterly fasting protocol, essentially, a holistic approach of mind, body, and spirit with a healthy dose of socialization.
One of the most unexpected joys of the way that We Care Spa is created and set up is the sense of community and friendships you make with the other guests. You can spend as much time alone or with people as you choose. Soup time becomes a very much welcomed time of the day, and most attendees gather in the lobby to share their days, tips and tricks to making the soups as gourmet as possible. One of my friends I brought with me turned into a venerable Jean-George of sorts with her daily soup concoctions that drew quite the request list.
At the end of our week, we felt clear, energized, and revitalized, and I am happy to say, my friends still considered me a friend after selling them on a week of no solid food. They even thanked me for bringing them along, phew. So, would I recommend this to all? A wholehearted yes is the answer. There is something that everyone can learn and take home from this holistic lifestyle approach to health, whether it is one tip and trick you learned from a class or a whole new way of living. The choice is yours.
Retreat options start at $2,019+ for two nights, $5,049+ for five nights, and $6,149+ for seven nights. Treatments may be booked online at WeCareSpa.com or by calling 1-800-888-2523.
