Get Treated like a Haute Shot

Glen Ivy Day Spa in Hermosa Beach is a "child" of their famous original spa in Corona with mud baths and hot springs. This day spa (there are two others: Brea and Valencia) is a lovely, relaxing facility tucked into Hermosa Pavilion, an upscale mall. Parking is free for two hours, and they even accommodate bicycles. The staff is friendly, and the space is clean and tranquil, replete with fireplace lounges, eucalyptus steam rooms, steam showers and Jacuzzis.

We were treated to Glen Ivy's 80-minute signature treatment, the Couture Facial, designed to allow guests to have their cake and eat it too. In other words, you don’t have to decide between a facial and a massage, because with the Couture Facial, you get both.

The treatment room was cozy and clean, with a pleasant trickling fountain hanging in the corner. Our therapist Kim "ultra-customized" our facial for hydration to soothe our over-dry skin. We began by breathing in a combination of essential oils: rosemary, lavender, geranium, cypress and thyme. Kim then cleansed our skin and, after that, applied a double gommage, an exfoliation treatment that rolls off of the face and takes dead skin with it. Next came a deep impurity exfoliation, and a pressure point face massage with steam. This was followed by gentle extractions and a customized masque made from black currant and pineapple. Next, Kim treated us to a blissful hot stone head, neck and shoulder massage, and then moved on to a hand and arm massage, after which she placed our hands in warm mitts that allowed the lotion to soak in. She followed this with a heavenly rubdown of our legs and feet.

We hit the steam room and drank some cucumber-infused ice water before drying off and heading down to the parking lot just before our two-hour validation was up. Perfect timing.

Review originally published 8/24/2006.