A Little R & R At the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Four weeks ago (today), I had a baby.  It’s been a long four weeks, but I’m finally starting to feel like some version of myself (minus several days weeks of sleep).

Last week, I did something I haven’t done in a very long time.  I joined my fellow OC Family bloggers at the Pacific Waters Spa and spent the evening relaxing (shocking right?).  Located at one of the most beautiful resorts in Orange County, the Pacific Waters Spa spans 20,000 square feet and offers products and services “extracted directly from the earth and sea using organic elements like mud, algae, plant minerals, fruits, seaweed and purified seawater.” Apart from the treatment options (which are fabulous), locals can make a day of it relishing in the sauna, steam, waterfall showers, private whirlpools, oudoor relaxation areas, state-of-the-art fitness center, and cutting-edge salon.  If you don’t want to receive treatments (shocking!), then you can still enjoy a day at the spa for $35.

My husband and I don’t spend a lot of money on “stuff” and would much rather use that money towards our children, travel, and experiences.  Going to the spa to get a facial and a massage used to be a regular activity for me. Now that I have children, it’s a bit more difficult to get out and away for a time to pamper myself.  But it’s still so important. Just a couple of hours away is enough to rejuvenate me.

Staycations are very popular these days, particularly for families with young children.  While the Hyatt is less than 30 minutes from where we live, it feels far away enough from home to be idyllic.  The resort itself is spectacular, and surprisingly family-friendly.  And with the beach literally across the street you could bring the children for a weekend getaway.

We each received three mini spa treatments including a facial, massage, and hand treatment.  We were treated so impeccably well that I think this was the best blogger event I’ve been to yet!  The staff also showed us a few DIY home spa treatments.  What’s great about the “recipes” is that most of the ingredients can be found at your grocery store.  Here are two of my favorites:

Mocha Latte Wrap

2 Tbsp ground coffee

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

3 Tbsp coconut buter

Plastic Wrap

Mix food ingredients in a small bowl.  Apply in light circular motion on desired area.  Wrap area lightly in plastic wrap for approximately 10 minutes.  Remove plastic wrap and rinse treated area thoroughly in warm shower.

Inside-Out Scrub

1 cup cornmeal

2 teabags of green tea

1/2 cup flax seed oil

1 tsp grated fresh ginger root (or 3 drops ginger oil)

Place cornmeal in medium bowl.  Open teabags into cornmeal.  Add fresh ginger root (or ginger oil) to mixture.  Pour flax seed oil to mixture while stirring ingredients.  Apply scrub mixture to desired areas using light circular motion.  Rinse skin thoroughly in warm shower.

If you’re in Southern California (or planning to make a trip out here this year), the resort has a ton of great offers going on right now.  With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I know hubby and I won’t be afforded the luxury of a babysitter.  If you find yourself in our situation, be sure to check out their Romancing the Family package.  For $295 (starting price), your stay includes one night of accommodations, free Camp Hyatt (up to 2 kids), 20% off dinner at The Californian, 20% off services and products at Pacific Waters Spa, in-room champagne, and cookies/milk for the kids.  This package is available from February 12 through March 2, 2010.  Camp Hyatt is the resort’s supervised activity program for children ages 3-12 years old.

The more I read about the resort, the more I’m impressed with it’s family-friendly features.  Not only is it difficult for us to obtain quality childcare for our two children, we don’t really want to leave them when we go on vacation.  Family-friendly hotels are a must with 2 littles!  Camp Hyatt is a program that invites children to participate in age-specific activities under supervised instruction.  Camp Hyatt Beach Club (for children ages 3-7) offers children the opportunity to take part in games, arts & crafts, and more.  Some of the fun activities include making shell necklaces, creating beach sand art, building sand castles and roasting s’mores.  The SophistiKids program (for children ages 8-12) offers children a variety of games, crafts, and water recreation.  Activities include kite building, aquarium creation, pool and beach play and even spa treatments (manicures, pedicures, teen clean facials).  I should note that the spa treatments are not included in the Camp Hyatt registration fee.  Camp Hyatt registration includes a snack with an optional lunch or dinner service.  Counselors are First Aid and CPR trained and certified.  Sessions range in price from $45.00 to $80.00.

For more information about the Pacific Waters Spa or the resort, check out their site.  You can also follow them on Twitter or Facebook (If you follow them, would you mind mentioning I referred you?).  And if you do, you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off a 60 minute treatment.

I did not receive compensation for this post.  I joined several bloggers for a spa evening at the resort, courtesy of the company.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.

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