By Mary Rambin

Admittedly, I’m a spoiled gypsy travel writer.  So when I say my Saturday at The Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach California was pretty much perfect, that should make you curious as to why. I actually got out of this delicious bed early for an early workout.

Spent the morning playing a round of golf on one of two plush beachfront courses. Devoured a delicious lunch on this lovely terrace. Layed out by the pool overlooking the ocean with a surprisingly lively crowd drinking and mingling to a Jimmy Buffet cover band.

Spa-ed the rest of the day away with a soak, steam, and massage.

And dined on traditional, hand-crafted Italian food. What more could a girl want?!

I’m not the only one who touts this property as extraordinary. The Pelican won The Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards in 2010 for #1 California Golf Resort,  #2 of the “Top 100 U.S. Mainland Resorts” and #22 of the “Top 100 Best in the World.” The Spa has won the Forbes Five Star Award in 2010 and 2011. The golf courses have won so many “The Best…” awards I don’t have enough space to list them all. So, this place is legit.

The Pelican resort is what I call a “fully furnished” destination – it has everything. Anyone can find something to fall in love with, and in my opinion, it’s the ultimate vacation for a golfer with a family.

The sprawling property designed with Palladian Italian symmetry and style (that honestly seemed very Tommy Bahama to me) includes 204 bungalows and 128 stand alone villas, two golf courses constructed by Tom Fazio (clinics and all-inclusive packages available), a gigantic pool with cabanas, multiple restaurants that serve fresh pasta and olive oil produced on-site, wine tastings, a huge spa, kids’ activities for all ages, free wifi, and coaches to drive you around the meticulously landscaped, palm-tree lined streets.

Should you want to enjoy this little adult wonderland without the room rate, simply book a spa treatment or buy a day pass!  They offer weekday specials to locals who aren’t guests. Otherwise you can expect regular spa prices.

For Spa Week (October 10-16), The Spa at Pelican Hill will sweeten the deal:

• $50 for a 50-minute Amber Gold Massage
• $50 for a 50-minute Classic Cleanse Facial

In additional, they are also have other special offers in honor of Spa Week that aren’t listed spaweek.com:

• $30 for lunch at the Coliseum Pool & Grill, overlooking one of the world’s largest circular pools and the Pacific Ocean
• $25 for one-day Coliseum Pool access (a rare opportunity as pool access is usually reserved exclusively for Resort guests)
• $50 for a 50-minute Personal Training Session at The Spa’s Fitness Center (full-price regularly $76)
• $20 for an add-on Bright Eyes Facial upgrade (conducted within any facial treatment) to rehydrate the delicate eye area and soften fine lines and dark circle in the orbital area.

The Pelican Hill Resort and Spa
22701 Pelican Hill Road South
Newport Coast, California  92657
800.820.6800

Mary Rambin of MoreThanMary.com is a professional blogger and travel features writer for The Houston Chronicle. In NYC, she co-founded NonSociety and produced a weekly web series called TMI Weekly. Now she trains small businesses in the basics of social media amidst her travels all over the world.  Follow Mary on Twitter at @MaryRambin.

(Full disclosure:  A generous media rate and comped golf was provided for my stay.)

Two of our fabulous Spa Week spas were featured on NBC with Lynda Baquero last night on the 5:00 News: Spa Week’s Exclusive Skin Care Sponsors, American Laser Skincare and one of our favorite Spa Week veterans, Exhale MindBodySpa. Not in New York? No Problem! American Laser has 26 locations participating all over the country and Exhale has 12 locations! No matter where you will be during October 10 – 16, you too can take advantage of some of the most luxurious and expensive treatments for just $50 each!

American Laser is is offering these three normally pricey treatments for Spa Week: Skin Tightening Treatment, usually $528, a FotoFacial that can range anywhere from $275-$737 and the fat-fighting, cellulite busting VelaShape treatment that will normally run you about $550.

Locations: New York

• American Laser Skincare – Central Park South
• American Laser Skincare – Downtown Manhattan
• American Laser Skincare – Financial District
• American Laser Skincare – Madison Avenue
• American Laser Skincare – Meatpacking District
• American Laser Skincare – Union Square
• American Laser Skincare – Upper East Side
• American Laser Skincare – Upper West Side

California

• American Laser Skincare – Burbank
• American Laser Skincare – Long Beach
• American Laser Skincare – Pasadena
• American Laser Skincare – Santa Monica
• American Laser Skincare – Torrance
• American Laser Skincare – West Hills
• American Laser Skincare – Brea
• American Laser Skincare – Irvine
• American Laser Skincare – Santa Barbara
• American Laser Skincare – Temecula

Illinois

• American Laser Skincare – Highland Park
• American Laser Skincare – Hinsdale
• American Laser Skincare – Hoffman Estates
• American Laser Skincare – Lincoln Park
• American Laser Skincare – Naperville
• American Laser Skincare – Old Orchard
• American Laser Skincare – Tinley Park
• American Laser Skincare – Water Tower

At Exhale, you can get pampered and work up a sweat with any one of the four treatments they are offering for just $50 each:  Fight dull skin with a Customized Smart Peel tailored to your skin type with Cell-Stimulating Botanicals, normally $75, or try the Signature Pure Manicure and Pure Pedicure Package that includes Full-service Nail Therapy with Ginger-Infused Lotion, Organic Lavender Foot Scrub Exfoliation and Smoothing Organic Heel Balm which normally costs $85 or try out a 5-pack of Mind Body Classes to help transform your bod with a choice between Exhale’s Award Winning Core Fusion or Yoga Classes that will normally run you around $115.

Locations:

New York

• Exhale – Gramercy
• Exhale – Meatpacking
• Exhale – Midtown
• Exhale – Upper East Side

California

• Exhale – Santa Monica

Florida

• Exhale – Palm Beach
• Exhale – Miami

Georgia

• Exhale – Atlanta

Illinois

• Exhale – Chicago

Massachusetts

• Exhale – Back Bay
• Exhale – Battery Wharf

Texas

• Exhale – Dallas

It’s that time of year where, slowly but surely, New Yorkers begin their yearly migration back down the Long Island Expressway from The Hamptons to Manhattan, leaving the polo matches, warm sea-salt air and boatloads of sexy singles behind to rejoin the rest of working society. However, all is not lost along the way. Besides stopping for noodles and star-gazing at Philippe Jericho,  here are 7 Spa Week Spas to stop at and get pampered on your drive home from the Hamptons and back to reality.

1. Frasada Salon & Day Spa, Oceanside, NY, 516.766.7076

80 Min Manicure and Seascapes Spa Pedicure with Aromatherapy Sea Salts, AHA Callus Treatment and Marine Mask

2. Incentives Organic Spa & Salon, Babylon, NY, 631.893.3490

Organic Highlights

3. Natural Beauty Derma Spa, Babylon, NY 631.940.860

50 Min Vitamin C Anti-Aging Facial with Hyluranic Acid and Collagen Boosting Mask

4. The Blue Sapphire Spa, Port Jefferson, NY 631.509.5163

50 Min Hungarian Cocoa Back Retreat Includes Scrub, Organic Hungarian Cocoa Purifying Masque and Soothing Massage

5. The Spa at Bellport, Bellport, NY 631.286.5300

50 Min Organic Fire and Ice Facial with Spicy Oxygenating Mask and Refreshing Cool Burst to Tone and Tighten

6. Eternal, The Spa, Babylon Village, NY 631.321.4422

Oscar Ready Eyelash Package: Includes Eyelash Curling Lasting 3 Months

7. Aveda Red Bell Spa, Hicksville, NY 516.433.1517

50 Min AVEDA Fusion Hot Stone Massage with Organic Aroma Therapy

By Kristen Arnett, Green Beauty Team

In hectic cities like New York, spa go-ers are looking for a relief from the stresses of urban life.  In just about every place, not only big cities, people want to feel transported from their daily discomforts to somewhere tranquil.

Many spas are constantly searching for unique and exotic treatments from all over the world such as Bali, Hawaii, Thailand, Iceland, etc. to include in their menus.   The sensory experience of having treatments with birch branches, flowers, honey, mud, stones and other natural elements has become an incredibly popular way of creating the feeling of leaving city, if not the country, for a brief but precious time.

As spas continue to look to Mother Nature and older traditions of various cultures for healing treatments (two trends that are very popular this fall), they inevitably become more “green” in their approach. What’s interesting is to hear each spa’s reason(s) for choosing  to walk the eco path.  Some began as described above, others purely wanted to save on utilities such as water and energy, and some want to separate from the pack by offering holistic services, and others because they had an automatic desire to practice conscious methods.

As a spa-enthusiast, I am a complete pushover for pampering treatments, pools of thermal and fresh waters, and just about every type of massage available.  Since I’ve started paying more attention to the importance of incorporating natural, holistic ingredients in beauty products both personally and professionally, finding spas that share my values has become a priority.

I have this reoccurring fantasy that in some remote place an attentive farmer is carrying a straw basket in a pristine field harvesting herbs, flowers and plants that will be mixed together in a unique batch of an organic skin potion and sent to the very spa I am attending. A dreamy feeling takes over as I imagine that these fresh botanicals will renew me with the purity of air and soil in which they were grown.

Thankfully that fantasy is actually a reality in green spas all around the world. Take for instance the often-ignored state of Wisconsin, mostly known for its dairy products. It’s the home of two beautifully green facilities, the Aspira Spa and Kohler Waters Spa (participating in Spa Week this Fall!).

From the edges of a lake, on what is said to be sacred Native American land, staff from the Aspira Spa collect flowers and tree branches used in their chakra balancing treatments. Over at Kohler, the spa invested a $12,000 to create an underground piping system that would utilize the hot water from their production facility (where they make the kitchen accoutrements we are so used to seeing at Home Depot) to heat the water in their spa facility in order to save over 3.2 million gallons of water annually.

As part of the experience of feeling well-cared for and relaxed, a growing number of consumers want to know the spa they visit incorporates complete well-being from the products they use, to how the therapists approach their practice, to how eco-conscious the facility is.

A few years ago, it was difficult to locate “green” spas, but thankfully with sites like Spa Week, this rapidly growing class of spas is now much easier to find and enjoy.

International makeup artist Kristen Arnett has been immersed in the world of beauty for over 14 years, with roles ranging from product development to high-profile fashion work. As a beauty educator, she appears on television, writes articles, speaks and trains people around the globe. Now Kristen is focusing her talents and personal ethics to educating people everywhere about “Green Beauty,” and how they can choose products that are not only effective as cosmetics, but also beneficial to the skin. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GreenBeautyTeam.com, Kristen is respected in fashion circles worldwide for her skill at enhancing beauty without the need for harmful chemicals and has been featured in Whole Living Magazine, Kiwi Magazine and on Style.com, to name a few.From the runway to real life, Kristen is looking to make a positive difference in how people of all ages consider their own self-care.

You might think Spa Week is all about perfecting your skin and soothing your muscles, but many spas offer salon services, too! It’s easy to find a participating spa & salon near you – simply log on to SpaWeek.com and search by State. Then, use the drop-down menu and select hair to browse all of the spas offering $50 hair services during October 10 – 16.

In the meantime, here is a simple, noruishing Olive Oil, Mayonaise and Egg Hair Masque to do on a night-in to help soften strands and tide you over until Spa Week.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 egg yolks

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together in a bowl (be sure mayo is room temperature)
2. Apply thoroughly through your hair adding extra at the ends.
3. Twist in a lose bun and secure with a hair-tie or cover with a plastic shower cap or saran wrap.
4. Cover with a towel to keep in the heat so mixture penetrates deep into the hair shaft.
5. Leave on for at least 10-20 minutes.
6. Do NOT shampoo afterwards, just rinse out very well. Any oil that clings to your hair after you rinse it out, will continue to condition your hair until the next time you shampoo it out.

Note: For best results, use immediately after making without refrigerating first. The reason is, the fats and oil will penetrate your hair follicles better when warm as the molecules are more spread out and pliable.

Recipe originally featured on Food.com