DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. - Cruise along Palm Drive, the main drag, dotted with fast food joints, pawn shops, and check-cashing services, and the notion of coming here for a relaxing spa getaway seems bizarre.
But dig deeper and you’ll find a variety of naturally fed mineral spring resorts, attracting the stressed from all walks of life. Located 20 minutes from glitzy Palm Springs and about a half-hour from Joshua Tree National Park, this place exudes a quirky appeal despite its warts.
Rhoni Epstein, a native of Newton, has been a self-described desert rat for nearly three decades. Epstein and her partner, Cristina Pestana, opened the seven-room Sagewater Spa in 2001. “This place just called to us,’’ said Epstein, who keeps an apartment two hours away in Los Angeles, where she represents photographers. “It’s not the most practical thing we’ve ever done, but it felt right.’’
Sagewater, a study in low-key Zen decor, Frette linens, and fully equipped kitchenettes, delivers striking mountain views and mineral-rich waters, cooled to 90 degrees in the pool and 105 in the communal spa tub.
“We attract a lot of writers,’’ said Epstein. “Deals get done here.’’ A few years ago the founders of Facebook bought out the place to entertain an East Coast investor - a two-day soaking that resulted in the launch of the social networking site.
Around the corner at The Spring, owner Maria Lease has her own connection to Hollywood. A script supervisor for television shows like “Boston Legal’’ and “The Practice,’’ Lease found the town in 1999. “I came here for the water,’’ said Lease, who believes that soaking in the hot springs is good for body and spirit. “There haven’t been double blind scientific studies done, but the water makes you feel better, whether you have arthritis, Parkinson’s, whatever. People have been sitting in this mineral water for thousands of years.’’ The Spring feeds off one of the hottest wells in town, a scalding 170 degrees year round, cooled to varying temperatures in the resort’s three sparkling pools. The understated 11-room resort, set against the backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains, is an oasis of bougainvillea, hummingbirds, and quiet.
First-timer Britta Puschendorf was taking a respite from her telecom job in Sunnyvale for the weekend. “My acupuncturist recommended this place,’’ she said. “I’ve had an aloe vera hair treatment and scalp massage, reflexology, and the Zen breeze facial. I feel amazing.’’
