Palo Alto spa offers packages for wedding parties

By Sara Ballenger, Town Crier Staff Writer

A wedding can be a stressful endeavor for both the bride and the groom. Luckily, Destino Spa offers many ways to melt the couple’s troubles away.

The spa’s motto says it all: “A journey to take.” While the spa has an Asian-inspired theme in its d/cor and in its philosophy, it offers a serene getaway right in Palo Alto.

“As soon as clients come in, we want them to be totally relaxed,” said spa owner Christine Rivera. “From the very beginning through to the end of the experience, I want it to be a memorable one.”

The spa, which opened in March, has seven treatment rooms. The rooms, decorated in peaceful colors, warm lighting and fountains, each have a distinct purpose. Some rooms are used by aestheticians, who give facials, microdermabrasion treatments, waxing as well as other procedures. Other rooms are used for massage therapy, including Swedish massage, warm stone massage, shiatsu and Thai massage.

Two of the massage rooms include steam showers, where clients can shower between treatments or take in steam and aromatherapy scents while cleansing their skin. One of the steam showers is wheelchair accessible.

There is also an eight-jet Jacuzzi tub for clients to savor either the spa’s “Solitude Soak,” a candlelight experience, or a soak complete with a scalp and neck massage and a facial mask. The spa also offers body polishes, or whole body exfoliation treatments; foot baths and treatments; and body wraps, which are like facial masks but for the whole body.

The spa offers brides the “Bridal Bliss” package, a full body massage and a steam bath.

“This is very popular with brides,” Rivera said. “We exfoliate their skin from head to toe. It eliminates stress and leaves their skin silky smooth and glowing.”

Rivera said she and her staff can customize packages to fit a client’s need. “We ask a client what their goal is and what they want to achieve,” Rivera said.

Rivera and her team give complimentary consultations as to what type of treatment is best for a client’s body and skin type. Rivera and her staff will happily go the extra mile. “It’s all about the details,” Rivera said.

Rivera has a bridal party of 12 women booked in September.

“All seven of the rooms are booked back-to-back,” Rivera said. “We will have champagne, hors d’oeuvres, a catered lunch and day care for the children. My job is to make sure everything goes smoothly and the women have a continuous journey through the spa.”

Once the bride has finished with her spa treatment, she doesn’t have to go far to complete her wedding day glow.

“We work with Hair International and they can come here and do updos for the bride; as well as makeup artists from Bloomingdale’s who use the Paula Dorf makeup line who can come and do makeup. We can have every touch catered to the couple.”

The groom doesn’t have to feel left out of the spa experience. Destino, whose clientele is 30 percent male, offers the “Men’s Journey” facial, which is a facial specifically catering to men’s skin.

“For the groom, I would also recommend the ‘Body Harmony’ package,” Rivera said, “which is a ‘Solitude Soak’ and a full body massage of any duration.”

Rivera recommends bridal parties book at least one month in advance and for smaller groups, a few days in advance.

“We can work with budgets,” Rivera said. “If it’s just a bride and her mom, we can make it very special for them. I want this to work with everyone’s budgets. I try not to say no, but what can we do. We only have one body and one mind, and we need to take care of and nourish it - to experience serenity.”

Destino Spa is located at 4335 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. For more information, logon to www.destinospa.net or call 947-0203.