Desert Spa Twist: La Casa del Zorro's Cool Stones

The Borrego Springs hotspot keeps it chill on warm summer days.

A CHILL SPIN ON A BODYWORK CLASSIC: If you asked a resort maven, the sort of traveler who has a penchant for spots with lots of sunshine and three-digit temperatures come summertime, where to best keep cool, they'd offer up some excellent answers. "The pool" would probably be the first thing they'd suggest, or "your suite for a nap" (ahhh, a fine way to meet a toasty July day) or "enjoying a cocktail with extra ice in the lobby" might be another response. But few experienced hotel guests would proffer the on-site spa's stone massage, because, well, stone massages are very not-cold, by nature. Even if you've never had one, you know the words that are used to describe the experiencing: warming, warmth, heat, melt. The smooth stones are placed along the guest's back and bingo: muscle relief. But taking a different tack when you're a resort in one of California's famous deserts is a quirky, fun, and, yes, even sensible plan, which is just what La Casa del Zorro is doing for the summer of 2015. Rather than placing stones of a caliente nature on clients, they're chilling the rocks for the Cool Comfort experience. Same idea of stones delivering some temperature-based soothing, but rather than your personal mercury heading upwards, you'll chill right out, in body (your busy mind, fingers crossed, will soon follow).

COOL COMFORT... involves a few tantalizing components. Clients receive "a customized, 50-minute facial with an aloe mask and a soothing 50-minute massage incorporating chilled natural stones." The "limited addition" to the spa's menu is priced at $185. Other warm-weather-perfect choices, from a Summer Mani/Pedi (look for a green tea soak) and a Replenish and Refresh multi-part experience, are discounted for the season. If you're doing the desert when the sun is high and the afternoons bring a few beads of sweat, gorgeous clouds, and promises of great sunsets, consider your resort cool-offs: cocktails, pools, naps, and a cooling stone massage. But will you ever head back to the city? (Probably, yes, of course, but with dreams of your next visit.)

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