Spa

Although celebrities aren't foreign to the five-star resort , Pelican Hill will now add another name to their resort that boasts A-list clientele. Unveiled this week, the resort's spa will begin their 2011 Balanced Wellness Program, which will be curated by Ashley Borden, a fitness and lifestyle consultant who has worked with Mandy Moore, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera. The program has changed its tune with a Build Your Own Retreat concept, which allows guests to stay for up to two days.

Newport Beach boutique salon and spa Ergonique on Tuesday night will celebrate the grand opening of a new "CosMed" concept in the Corona del Mar Plaza, according to a news release. The spa, at 978 Avocado Ave., offers both cosmetic and medical treatments, including Botox, liposuction, body treatments, massage and manicure. "Our goal was to create a chic, luxurious retreat where discriminating people can come to relax and socialize, while receiving the most advanced spa treatments custom tailored to address their particular needs," said DeAnn Mix, the company's chief executive.

The Resort at Pelican Hill has seen a steady demand for coed rub downs since Newport Beach lifted a decades-long ban on couple’s massage at local resort hotels last month. “Couple’s massage is one of the most popular treatments now,” said Kasia Mays, spa director for the Resort at Pelican Hill, which opened in November in Newport Coast. Mays estimates that 12% to 15% of the clientele at Pelican Hill’s new 23,000-square-foot spa are requesting couple’s spa treatments.

In honor of National Caregivers Month in November, Newport Beach?s Spa Gregorie?s is hosting a contest to reward loved ones? caregivers with spa treatments. Nominate a friend, associate or family member who is a great caregiver by writing a one-page description of who they are and what they do, and send it to the ?Caring for Caregivers? contest. Contest entries can be turned in online through Oct. 26 at spagregories.com/caregiver.shtml. Two winners will be announced in November and will be pampered at the spa. For more information call (949)

Patricia Doidge of Spa Gregorie?s in Newport Beach was recently named the winner of the 2008 Rosalind Williams Service Excellence Award. The award goes to individuals in the service industry who leave a positive impact on the community. Members of the Williams family reviewed the nominees and decided to elect Doidge as this year?s recipient. ?Patty is a commendable woman,? Spa Gregorie?s founder Angela Cortright said. ?Whether at work, with her family or volunteering, she is equal parts selfless and self-confident.

Spas are no longer girls-only clubs, as more men are getting facials, massages and other treatments, local spa directors say. Men are apparently becoming more comfortable with the idea of being pampered, perhaps because spas in general are becoming a more popular way for people to de-stress after a hard day or week of work. But the idea of getting the same spa treatments as the ladies may still intimidate men. To counter this, many local spas are creating treatments designed specifically for men, using more masculine essential oils and incorporating sports and TV into some relaxation treatments.

This corrects an earlier version. Georgette Klinger, a spa that has resided at South Coast Plaza for 11 years, closed abruptly Wednesday morning. The spa, located on the second floor by Saks Fifth Avenue, displayed a sign outside declaring that the business had closed permanently and apologizing for the inconvenience. Debra Gunn Downing, the shopping center’s executive director of marketing, said the spa had gone bankrupt, although she didn’t know whether the bankruptcy applied to Klinger’s entire corporation or just the Costa Mesa location.

Police are investigating the possible sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman found floating naked and motionless in a spa at the Ramada Limited & Suites in Costa Mesa Sunday morning. The police responded to a suspected drowning when a groundskeeper found her shortly after 7 a.m., Lt. Paul Dondero said. Police and paramedics responded to the call and removed the woman from the spa. She was conscious and breathing when they arrived, according to the police report. Detectives are looking into whether there were other people in the Jacuzzi with her. Evidence of alcohol was found around the area, police said, but they couldn’t give out results of toxicology reports.

Police are investigating the possible sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman found floating motionless in a spa at the Ramada Limited & Suites in Costa Mesa Sunday morning. The police responded to a suspected drowning when someone found her shortly after 7 a.m., said Lt. Paul Dondero. Police and fire department paramedics responded to the call and removed the woman from the spa. She was conscious and breathing when they arrived, according to the police report. Detectives are looking into whether there were other people in the Jacuzzi with her. “One of the things they’ll be doing is trying to put together the missing pieces of who she’s been with and then trying to identify the suspects,” Dondero said.

Wyndham hotel offers free spa services to guests The Wyndham Orange County hotel in Costa Mesa has launched a new package in which guests can enjoy free services at the nearby Spa and Fitness Club. The hotel near South Coast Plaza has long offered reduced rates at the spa, but customers can now pick up a pass at the front desk each day of their stay and attend the spa for free. The spa at 695 Town Center Drive offers saunas, water aerobics, cardiovascular and weight machines and more.

Newport Beach boutique salon and spa Ergonique on Tuesday night will celebrate the grand opening of a new "CosMed" concept in the Corona del Mar Plaza, according to a news release. The spa, at 978 Avocado Ave., offers both cosmetic and medical treatments, including Botox, liposuction, body treatments, massage and manicure. "Our goal was to create a chic, luxurious retreat where discriminating people can come to relax and socialize, while receiving the most advanced spa treatments custom tailored to address their particular needs," said DeAnn Mix, the company's chief executive.

Editor's note: This corrects the phone number for the salon. It's Valentine's Day weekend, so love is in the air — and for a few hours on Saturday, in the hair. Ten hair stylists will volunteer their services at Tek Salon and Spa in Costa Mesa on Saturday for discounted blow-dries and styles in the name of cancer research. As an early fundraising boost for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation's Cinco de Mayo Reaching for the Cure Run/Walk in May in Irvine, a local mom organized the Saturday fundraiser with all the money going to the charity.

COSTA MESA — The Spa & Fitness Club, a fixture at South Coast Plaza for nearly 20 years, has closed its doors. Patrons had three days to pick up personal belongings and clean out their lockers, according to the spa, which formally closed Jan. 24. The Spa & Fitness Club's website no longer rattles off the variety of beauty and spa treatments available. Instead, a plain white screen is visible with a letter from the owners. "Looking back over our years in Costa Mesa we find most pleasing, even more than the hundreds of loyal members and guests we have been able to serve over the years, are the relationships and friendships that were made here," the website reads.

Although celebrities aren't foreign to the five-star resort , Pelican Hill will now add another name to their resort that boasts A-list clientele. Unveiled this week, the resort's spa will begin their 2011 Balanced Wellness Program, which will be curated by Ashley Borden, a fitness and lifestyle consultant who has worked with Mandy Moore, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera. The program has changed its tune with a Build Your Own Retreat concept, which allows guests to stay for up to two days.

Proposed renovations at the Newport Beach Country Club include a "boutique hotel" and spa open to non-members, as well as improvements to aging golf and tennis facilities. Property owner Golf Realty Fund aims to reduce the tennis courts from 24 to 10, remodel both clubhouses, create a health and wellness center, full-service spa, swimming pool and build five, single-unit "villas" and 27 temporary-stay bungalows. "We're looking to offer something new for tennis players, golfers and for the community," said Executive Director Robert O Hill.

Recently retired Newport Beach police Capt. Jim Kaminsky is facing a $1,000 state fine for allegedly failing to report hundreds of dollars in gifts from friends and services and stays at The Island Hotel near Fashion Island, according to a state agency that oversees public employees. Kaminsky, who celebrated his retirement Thursday at a Newport Beach Marriott hotel, received more than $1,200 in food, lodging and gift certificates from the Island Hotel between 2007 and 2008. As a police captain, Kaminsky is required to report such gifts to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission.

Organizers of a new jazz series are looking "straight-ahead" to a successful summer. The Summer Jazz at Newport series opens Wednesday at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa and will continue each week throughout the summer with accessible, classic jazz standards by top-tier performers. The event replaces the popular West Coast Jazz Party, which ran for 15 years during Labor Day Weekend in Irvine. "We've kind of expanded to eight weeks from what was once a one-weekend event," event co-producer John McClure said.

A string of vacant, crumbling retail buildings on Mariner’s Mile could eventually be redeveloped into an upscale day spa, jeweler and shopping center. Two separate buyers finalized deals to buy the troubled property this week from developer Mariners Mile Gateway LLC for undisclosed sums, said Scott Hook, a vice president for Newport Beach real estate firm Marcus & Millichap. Both buyers plan to clean up and rebuild the area, Hook said. Real estate investor Eva Watson bought the first six lots of the property off Dover Drive and has plans to develop them into a day spa, jeweler or some other upscale retail space, said Albert Hanna, of the ALT Financial Network, which represented Watson in the sale.

A local couple has opened a new business that offers a new take on a very old idea. Saunas, hugely popular in Europe for their relaxation and toxin-release benefits, have hit the 21st century with an infrared version, which uses lower temperatures to allow for longer sessions. Alex Samios and his fiancée, Kate Anthony, opened SweetSweat Spa, the first of its kind in the country, to bring the infrared sauna experience to the masses. How did the idea for the spa come about?