Top photo courtesy of Pechanga Resort Casino.

Start your wine country weekend off right with a morning at the spa. The Temecula community is serious about self-care, with hair and salons, beauty lounges, and med-spas seemingly on every corner. There’s even a salt cave tucked into a strip mall not far from wine country. But for a transporting experience choose one of these three resort-style spas that are could make for a weekend getaway all on their own.

The GrapeSeed Spa

The GrapeSeed Spa at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa is the only spa in wine country. It sits close to the resort bungalows and adjacent to a small vineyard. The spa is charming, with a heated saltwater outdoor pool and cabanas, separate indoor sauna and outdoor whirlpool for men and women, and indoor and outdoor relaxation areas. It can be very peaceful, especially first thing in the morning. 

Services are performed by experienced aestheticians and include nail care, facial, massage, and body treatments. Every service includes a glass of South Coast wine, and all-day access to the entire spa, even if you are not staying at the resort. The spa is lovely, if a little dated and worn in places, but you won’t really notice that when you’re sipping a glass of bubbly by the pool with birds chirping in the vineyard nearby or enjoying a relaxation massage. Light lunch options are available by the pool.

Spa Pechanga

Hallway and treatment room photos courtesy of Pechanga Resort Casino.

The spa at Pechanga Resort Casino is the most luxurious of the three on this page. No matter what I tell you, it’s going to be nicer than your expectations. It’s also the largest of the three spas, and requires a good sense of direction to successfully navigate all of the amenities, but the well-trained staff will take good care of you and guide you on your way if needed. There’s a dramatic entryway that separates the men’s and women’s dressing rooms, a grand spiral staircase that leads to the upstairs treatment rooms, and water features and native art installations in every direction. Warm colors and textures create a feeling of tranquility even at this grand scale.

Amenities abound at Spa Pechanga. The upstairs waiting room with floor to ceiling windows that overlook the golf course and spa pool. It also has a bar filled with healthy snacks and fresh fruit. At designated hours, attends appearing offering delicious shots of wellness drinks. There is a quiet room attached to each locker room and multiple outdoor lounge areas including the gorgeous spa pool which is separate from the large casino resort pool and has beautiful mountain views. Luxury cabanas are available for rent as well. Light lunch fare is also available for purchase, though you have to track down an attendant to order it for you. 

Like GrapeSeed, treatments include nail care, facials and body treatments, and massages. There are also extravagant native offerings like the Journey of the Payomkawichum Massage which includes a 20 minute immersive soundscape guided meditation followed by an 80 minute full-body massage. All native treatments include a glass of sparkling wine. The nail salon has its own entrance and is large enough for a few friends to enjoy pedicures at the same time. 

Murrieta Hot Springs

Spa desk photo by Murrieta Hot Springs

Murrieta Hot Springs is a historic resort with both family and adult-only cabanas and pools, clay “baths”, contrast pools, sauna, and a separate spa for face, body, and massage treatments. As an entire facility dedicated to wellness, they offer regular yoga, fitness, and wellness classes as well. It’s a sprawling resort with a hotel and restaurant, but day passes are available that give you access to all of the hot spring amenities including the wellness classes, and day passes are included with all spa treatments.

The hot springs dates back to the early 1900s, and while much of it has been updated, there are some areas that are sorely in need of renovation (like the women’s locker room with no room for benches to put on your shoes) and it can feel more like a human spa factory than a relaxing experience when you’re queuing up for entry on a busy holiday. Still, once inside it’s strikingly beautiful by the springs, the thermal pools genuinely are soothing, and the place is unlike anything else in Southern California. For the most relaxing experience at the pools, visit in the evening or first thing in the morning on a weekday if you’re able. 

For a more intimate experience, the spa at the resort scales the vast complex down to a much more personal level. There are complementary thermal pools in an area just for spa guests and it’s here where the wellness intent feels more meaningful. There are facial, massage, and body treatments, but no nail services like the other two. There are complementary day passes available for the rest of the hot springs with all spa treatments.

Spa Hours

Monday – Thursday | 9 am – 7 pm
Friday – Sunday | 9 am – 9 pm

www.murrieta-hotsprings.com