Cal-a-Vie Health Spa: Where Power, Pause, and Purpose Meet
There are moments in life when the noise gets loud. The kind of loud that success doesn’t quiet, calendars don’t fix, and accomplishments don’t soothe. That’s when you don’t need another meeting, another strategy, or another to-do list. You need space. Sacred space.
That’s exactly what I found at Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, nestled in the rolling hills of Southern California, where French Provençal elegance meets deep, intentional wellness. But this wasn’t just a retreat for me. It was a return.
I’ve had the privilege of attending The Power Retreat twice, in partnership with Nancy Berger, founder of Start With a Good Cal, whose vision of wellness is rooted in nourishment, intention, and longevity. Together, the experience became something more than restorative. It became transformational.
Cal-a-Vie doesn’t ask you to escape your life. It invites you to reconnect with it.
From the moment you arrive, time seems to soften. The architecture feels transported from the French countryside. The air feels intentional. Every path, every meal, every movement whispers the same message: slow down so you can hear yourself again.
This award-winning wellness sanctuary is known for its personalized approach to health. Programs are not one-size-fits-all. They are thoughtfully designed to support your physical strength, mental clarity, and emotional resilience. Whether you choose a three, four, or seven-night stay, the experience unfolds like a beautifully written chapter, layered with purpose.
Days begin with movement that feels empowering rather than punishing. Over 150 fitness offerings invite you to explore yoga, Pilates, hiking, strength training, and mindful flow, all at your own pace. Workshops stretch beyond the body and into the mind, offering moments of reflection, recalibration, and honest self-inquiry.
And then there’s the food. Nourishing, elegant, and deeply satisfying.
Farm-to-table cuisine sourced from the onsite culinary garden reminds you that health and pleasure are not opposites. They belong at the same table.
The accommodations are nothing short of exquisite. Thirty-two Mediterranean-style villas offer privacy, spaciousness, and calm. Private outdoor spaces encourage quiet mornings, journaling, and moments of stillness that feel rare in everyday life.
Cal-a-Vie is also a place of play and beauty. Championship golf at the exclusive Havens Country Club. Tennis and pickleball courts that bring joy back into movement. A private vineyard producing the acclaimed Château Cal-a-Vie wines. A curated boutique filled with hand-selected French antiques and elevated wellness essentials. Even a state-of-the-art observatory that invites you to look up and remember how vast life really is.
One of the most moving spaces is the 400-year-old French chapel, a place that holds silence with reverence. Practicing yoga there felt less like exercise and more like communion with self.
The spa offerings are equally intentional. Each treatment is designed to restore balance, release stored tension, and support long-term wellbeing. You leave lighter, not just in body, but in spirit.
What made this retreat especially powerful was the intention behind it. Sharing this experience alongside Nancy Berger and a community of like-minded individuals created a container for real conversations, deep presence, and honest growth. It was a reminder that wellness isn’t a luxury. It’s a responsibility. To ourselves. To our families. To the work we are called to do.
Cal-a-Vie doesn’t promise perfection. It offers alignment.
And sometimes, alignment is the most powerful thing you can gift yourself.
Discover Cal-a-Vie Health Spa
29402 Spa Havens Way, Vista, California 92084
888-373-8773
CavInfo@cal-a-vie.com
Visit Cal-A-Vie.com
Follow along on Instagram @calaviespa and Facebook.
If you’re ready to pause with intention, reset with purpose, and step back into your life stronger than before, this is where the journey begins.
Photography By Michelle Behre