Few destinations can rival the drama of arriving at Capella Pedregal, a luxury resort located at the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. As I ride up a hill past private gates that leave the bustle of Cabo San Lucas behind, I’m not prepared for what comes next: being transported through a thousand-foot tunnel cut into a stone mountain known as Pedregal.
When I emerge from the tunnel back into the midday sun, I’m stunned by a breathtaking ocean view. I am looking out from Capella Pedregal’s spacious and open arrival court onto the point where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. At the sight of the water — sparkling, blue, and incredibly inviting — I immediately feel my stressed spirit beginning to restore itself.
This healing energy is felt throughout the 66-room resort, from its private pool villas with panoramic vistas to its cliffside restaurant that rests right where the mountains meet the sea. But the property’s true centerpiece is its spa, Auriga. The star-flecked blue dome of this 12,000-square-foot sanctuary can be seen from almost any vantage point.
The spa is named after the constellation Auriga, of which Capella is the brightest star. Fittingly, the spa’s four signature journeys — New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon, and Waning Moon — look to the heavens. Each multi-step treatment takes advantage of the energies associated with a specific lunar phase: The time of the new moon fosters fresh beginnings, while that of the waxing moon is said to be good for “sowing seeds.” The full moon, as the height of the cycle, conjures fertility, while the waning moon is best suited for cleansing. Each treatment is designed to align you with the rhythms of nature and is therefore only available during its corresponding moon phase.
Just a short time after arriving, I head to the spa. On the walk to the treatment room for my scheduled Waning Moon journey, my therapist leads me outside, and the moon makes its presence felt though the sun is still shining. I hear the surf crashing on the beach, the lunar pull on the tide determining its mesmerizing rhythm. I breathe in. The sea air calms me, nourishing my spirit, and a feeling of peace begins to set in.
Related Content
As much as we'd all like to spend a few weeks on vacation at our favorite spa, often we only have a few days. With that in mind, here are some of our favorite spa weekend getaways.
Want to book a weekend getaway with the girls? Relax? Have a few spa treatments? Here are our picks for some great girlfriend getaways.
From a personal waterslide to a luxurious cabana with a butler, these hotel pools offer the ultimate in summer spa vacations.
The spas on new cruise ships are bigger and more blissful than ever. Here are five of the best ones afloat.
Looking for some quality time with her girlfriends both in the spa and on the beach, Tara Bradley embarks on the perfect weekend getaway to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
