Spa Laterra recently re-opened under new management at World Golf Village so I wanted to check it out. I booked an appointment to have the “Age-Defying Fountain of Youth Facial” last Thursday afternoon. I was pretty frazzled when I arrived. I had too much work to do and not enough time to do – and here I was taking a few hours off in the middle of the day! However, as I walked through the breezeway and caught a glimpse of the fountain and the infinity pool in the courtyard beyond, the tension started to ease away. Laterra is simply a beautiful place to be!

As I entered the lobby, I noticed the environment is as soothing as ever. The only change is the signature color is now blue. I think I like it better! I was greeted by a polite gentleman who showed me to the ladies lounge. Once I changed, a lady escorted me to the circular lounge with the rain shower fountain in the middle. Although the setting is impressive, I had seen it before. There was a new touch though…  sitting next to my chaise lounge was a tray with  a warm towel, hot tea and sweet chocolate – just waiting on me. It was this little extra touch that really impressed me. The few minutes I had in the lounge listening to the water fall eased the last of my tension away. When Mary came to get me for my facial, I was in the perfect frame of mind!

Mary took me into a beautifully appointed room with a heated bed. She gave me a few minutes to get settled, then returned to start my 75 minute facial. She politely asked if I would like her to explain each step or if I wanted to relax in quiet. I appreciated the offer! Since I knew I would be writing a blog, I asked her to talk through each step. I must admit I was so relaxed, I don’t remember much of what she said, however, I do remember an olive oil mask. And I remember the product line she used was Dr. Renaud. Apparently, this line will be included in the swag bags at the Oscars this year. That’s quite a hard gig to get!

One of the other things I remember was that whenever a step in the facial needed a few minutes to work – steaming or one of the masks – Mary would use the time to massage my neck, hands and feet. You have to love that! At the end of the facial, my skin felt clean and healthy. Usually after a facial you can feel all of the moisture sitting on top of your skin. This time wasn’t like that. It simply felt smooth! It has been five days and my skin still feels the same. I will definitely be going back to Mary for my next facial. You should ask for her too!

There were two drawbacks that I should share. It was expensive – $170 for the facial before tip. And it ended up taking over two hours – so plan accordingly!