HotelChatter

Quinoa Facial at the Hotel Alto Atacama
Quinoa is the superfood of the moment—everyone seems to be eating it from fitness gurus to celebrities thanks to this wonder grain’s unrivaled healthy makeup of all the essential amino acids plus an array of life-sustaining vitamins and minerals, including several, like magnesium and riboflavin, that build skin elasticity, regenerate skin cells and restore connective tissue.

While we were in quinoa’s South American homeland in May, in the Chilean Andes of the Atacama Desert, we stayed at the Hotel Alto Atacama and talked to the director of the Puri Spa there about their signature facial: the Royal Quinoa Facial, which is specially designed to combat the effects of dry desert air and strong sunlight on your skin.

The treatment focuses on exfoliating all those dry and dead skin cells that build up thanks to the Atacama’s unforgiving environment of sun, sand and wind that blast your skin dry. To do so, a therapist gently scrubs the skin with pulverized Royal Quinoa, an ancient grain cultivated and prized by the Inca. In fact, the treatment utilizes both white and red quinoa that has been granulated almost to dust. Skin is then soothed with a combination of honey and local yogurt that is prepared specially for each client, and the treatment is finished with a special “secret” moisturizer. The treatment lasts just 30 minutes and costs about $45 USD.

Kerstin Florian Caviar Facial at Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Nothing says decadence like slathering a jar of caviar facial cream all over your mug and walking out of a spa with a glow that comes from the heart of the ocean. That’s why one of our all-time favorite foodie facials is the Kerstin Florian Caviar Facial that’s exclusive to the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The treatment uses protein- and anti-oxidant-rich caviar cream (made from real Caspian Sea sevruga caviar) from Kerstin Florian to restore a natural balance and firm up your skin, reduce the signs of aging, and leave you with a healthy, luminescent, red carpet-ready look (hey, this is LA!). The 90-minute facial costs $275.

Organic Fruit & Pumpkin Peel at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff
Pumpkins are packed with skin-healing nutrients like alpha and beta carotenes, which produce vitamin A, which in turn boosts immunity, slows down the aging process by removing free radicals, and gives skin a healthy glow. They’re also chock-full of healing vitamins C and E, stress-busting B5, and a host of other minerals and fatty acids that help the skin regenerate and stay looking young.

So no wonder South Carolina’s Inn at Palmetto Bluff offers an Organic Fruit and Pumpkin Peel facial at the spa that releases their active enzymes to remove dehydrated skin cells and restore a balance and glow to your complexion. The treatment also uses healing masques and serums that stimulate the production of collagen and elastin so you walk out of there looking firm, toned and ready to face that brisk eastern fall weather. A 75-minute treatment costs $180.

Berry Firm Facial at La Costa
Just north of San Diego, the luxury La Costa Resort and Spa has always made health a big part of its mission, so the spa there has all kinds of super-charged treatments to get you looking and feeling your best…including the Berry Firm Facial.

The treatment starts with a gentle raspberry mousse rub to prime the skin, then is followed by the chocolate mask with strawberry cream infused into it for a double-antioxidant punch. The treatment also uses fresh strawberries and rhubarb to “reawaken dry, thirsty skin,” while plant-derived acids remove dead skin cells and deliver a hydration boost that firms the skin and minimizes fine lines. A 50-minute treatment costs $155.

Golden Honey Facial at Golden Door at the Waldorf Astoria Park City
All the fresh mountain air and outdoor activities in Park City can do wonders for your health, but the dry high-altitude climate and in wintertime the glare from the snow can take a toll on your skin. To fix that, the Waldorf Astoria Park City’s Golden Door Spa offers one of the most delicious-sounding treatments around: the Golden Honey Facial.

The treatment includes natural honey from a local Utah farm to calm and soothe the skin as well as revitalizing its appearance thanks to honey’s antioxidant, antiseptic and moisture-trapping qualities which improve elasticity and resilience. There’s also one of the usual suspects in skin-soothing treatments: aloe barbadensis extract. Therapists gently exfoliate the skin using ground almond flour as well as oatmeal bran, which are both great for sensitive skin, and then the secret ingredient is rice bran, which has tons of proteins and B vitamins to absorb the oil in your skin and slough away all those dead skin cells.

Just in time to get you ready for another day of looking radiant out on the mountain. The treatment is $155 for 50 minutes or $225 for 80 minutes.