Are you a super-rich supermodel, or do you just want to feel like one? Then slip into the hushed, hidden-away spa at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco’s financial district, where the mood is Luxurious Asian Enclave. Slip off your Louboutins and sip a perfect cup of herbal tea as you arrive, calmed by the tintinnabulation of water fountains and Japanese bells.
What the spa at the Mandarin Oriental lacks in size, it more than makes up for in opulence. Its four treatment suites – there’s also a nail salon and a tea relaxation lounge – each include a private shower and changing room, and most of its treatments are exclusive to the spa. Guests are encouraged to book time rather than specific treatments, during which therapies can be custom-designed to soothe your particular soul.
What the spa at the Mandarin Oriental lacks in size, it more than makes up for in opulence. Its four treatment suites – there’s also a nail salon and a tea relaxation lounge – each include a private shower and changing room, and most of its treatments are exclusive to the spa.
The Mandarin Oriental is the only spa in Northern California to offer treatments with the luxurious Natura Bisse products from Spain. I had a facial, which smoothed away the ill effects of my six-hour flight. Bonus: On the cable car back to my hotel after the treatment, a woman leaned over and asked me what fragrance I was wearing. No fragrance, only Natura Bisse moisturizer, which I might have brought home with me were it not for the $168 price tag.
Pamela Redmond Satran
Pamela Redmond Satran is a novelist and an entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles.