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I'M RUMBLING DOWN the dirt entryway to Las Rocas Resort & Spa in Baja California. Perched on a rocky Rosarito bluff, the property’s white stucco buildings convey a Mediterranean look, carried through to the adjacent spa. It’s a modest but comfortable space, with a welcoming staff who immediately make you feel like familia. The treatment menu utilizes the Baja-based organic skincare line Spacifico. I opt for the 50-minute fusion massage, which includes deep-tissue work and use of heated rocks. A eucalyptus compress adds an aromatherapeutic element to the mix. Natural light pours into the room from large windows overlooking the craggy shoreline directly below. Though the women’s locker room more closely resembles a closet, and there’s a shaky sense of privacy in the largely coed space, the quality of my massage——especially at this price ($60 is a steal)——justifies the trip across the border. You’ll want to fuel up with a lobster lunch in the neighboring village of Puerto Nuevo before heading back north. (011-52-661-612-2143; lasrocas.com.)

TAKE THE HIGHWAY——or the cays——and dock yourself at Sea Spa, Loews Coronado Bay Resort’s island retreat. Airy, stylish and upscale, the 12,000-square-foot spa’s every aspect is inspired by its waterfront location. A fragrant sea breeze rustles through the palms on the spa patio, where a client is receiving a shiatsu massage in a pool. It’s called a watsu massage, and Sea Spa is one of the few places in Southern California where it’s performed. I take the plunge into a Vichy rain shower. It begins with a gentle citrus exfoliation scrub to buff away dead skin cells. Then, five shower heads positioned over the length of the plastic-covered massage table drench the entire body (except the face) for a good 15 minutes. The stream of water has enough pressure to gently massage the skin, but not so much that you feel pelted by the stream (you can dismiss those Chinese water torture scenarios). A total-body Swedish massage adds the final pampering touch. (619-424-4000; loewshotels.com.)

A SHORT DRIVE up the coast is sprawling, hacienda-style ranch property Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa. Just a few years old, it has a luxurious 9,000- square-foot spa. A highlight of the spa’s offerings——which include a variety of massages, facials, botanical body wraps and scrubs——is the outdoor massage in a private garden. There’s a spring chill in the air this day, so I head indoors for one of the spa’s signature botanical treatments using natural, organic products. The sweet red rose hydrating treatment is an 80-minute “facial for your body” and uses a blend of rose hips, rose, vitamin C and honey. The process begins with a dry brush massage (about as scratchy as it sounds), followed by application of the thick rose masque. Then I’m wrapped in a plastic sheet, towels and a space blanket to let the pink goo do its thing. I emerge 20 minutes later from the cocoon, step into the in-room shower for a quick rinse, and then I’m back on the treatment table for a soothing full-body massage. Leaving the chic East–meets–Wild West spa lounge, I decide ranch life suits me just fine. (858-550-1000; estancialajolla.com.)

FIVE MINUTES AWAY, I’m at The Lodge at Torrey Pines (and still a stone’s throw from the Pacific). Soaking up The Spa at Torrey Pines atmosphere (think American Craftsman meets Art Deco) while warming by a crackling fire, I feel like a 1940s starlet. Elegant in its simplicity, the 9,500-square-foot facility features three lounges, dry saunas, herbal-infused steam rooms (soothing music drowns out the hissing steam) and aromatherapy inhalation rooms. The spa features marine- and botanical-based treatments and products that reflect its coastal La Jolla perch and adjacency to the Torrey Pines State Reserve——though the surrounding marble and mosaic tile transports guests to the glamour of a Hearst Castle boudoir. I’ve signed up for the 80-minute Torrey Pines Cobble Stone massage, the spa’s signature treatment in which both cool and warm basalt stones are used in a full-body massage using Swedish technique. The stones, representing yin and yang energy, are placed strategically along energy centers of the body for a rejuvenating effect. My therapist applies a sage-and lemongrass-infused oil before running smooth stones across tense muscles in broad, swirling motions, sending a swath of radiating heat deep into each fiber. (858-777-6690; spatorreypines.com.)

DON’T MIND the northbound traffic on Highway 101 heading into Del Mar village——it’s a small price to pay for the big-time pampering in store for you at L’Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa. Just prior to my visit, Barbara Streisand spent a week here, indulging in daily spa treatments; Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyra Banks are among other recent celeb guests. L’Auberge caters to that level of Hollywood celebrity with its popular 105-minute signature treatment, Chardonnay Vitalite. The “vinotherapy” treatment is a body scrub, wrap and massage using crushed Chardonnay grape seeds from Burgundy, France. The grape contains antioxidants seven times more potent than vitamin A, making it a powerful anti-aging treatment. The Chardonnay Glow scrub uses ground walnuts and sugar to exfoliate my skin, before I’m enveloped in six layers of steaming towels infused with the scent of Chardonnay grape, grapefruit and pomegranate. After a quick shower using a silky body cleanser——also incorporating the Chardonnay grape——the treatment ends with a 50-minute full-body massage. Pair a spa-cuisine lunch at the resort’s J. Taylor’s Restaurant with——what else——a glass of crisp Chardonnay. (858-793-6493; laubergedelmar.com.)

GOLF AND TENNIS ENTHUSIASTS visit in droves, but La Costa Resort & Spa has an equally loyal following among spa-goers. Reflective of the property’s Spanish mission–style design, the spa is a maze of treatment rooms, lounges, outdoor courtyards with trickling fountains and pools. I arrive expecting to stay only the duration of my massage appointment and end up spending the entire afternoon. “Agua de la Vida,” complimentary with most spa services, is a series of water elements intended to enhance the spa “journey”——an exfoliating scrub followed by a dip in the whirlpool or under a waterfall, or a visit to the steam room or spa courtyard pool. My massage therapist begins by asking my “intention” in visiting the spa: to be inspired, indulged or invigorated. I decide to indulge my inner spa diva. My therapist chooses an aromatherapy oil to match my intention——a spicy lavender, patchouli and clary sage blend——and performs an eye-watering deep-tissue massage. I tune in to subtle ambient sounds——wind rustling through the citrus trees, chirping birds and a cascading Roman waterfall just outside the window. Afterward, sipping rosemary-mint water, I realize I didn’t have to choose an intention; all three just kind of happened. (760-931-7570; lacosta.com.)

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