All five star amenities welcome you to the Guacin Spa. Go early to enjoy the large Jacuzzi with shoulder falls that pulse heated pressure to relieve any tension. Jets are then well positioned for sitting back with iced towels and refreshing pineapple infused water. Rotate to the steam or dry saunas and then relax with the aid of many magazines, awaiting your special treatment. The Massage with Self-heating Phytomer Mud Application was different than imagined. It is not a Napa mudbath, applied everywhere, but rather magnesium mixed into a mask compound and applied to your back while sitting up. Then you lie down on it and it heats up, fizzing, like your back is immersed in a warm bowl of alka seltzer. The front legs, feet and arms are massaged as the phytomer fixes you up and then is easily peeled off. No muss no fuss.

Therapists are great communicators. Remember, you pay to be pampered so go ahead and say how you like it, a little longer there, a little softer here. Champagne, wine or more water is offered after treatments. Enjoy it in the coed or private by gender lounges or sip while primping with the best products.

In conjunction with the spa, fitness and wellness activities abound. Yoga gal Shilah was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the young age of 19 and found a holistic doctor in her quest to beat the illness that changed her life. Now 31, she emits an aura of peace and sanity. Smiling, she shares the wisdom of connecting movement with breath. Her pitch and demeanor are soothing, encouraging, inspiring. You want to follow along. She takes the threat and voodoo out of yoga and shares her eating philosophy – Our relationship with food is our most intimate, as it becomes us. St. Regis Monarch Beach chefs know how to nurture this intimate relationship with healthy gourmet concoctions in restaurants all with a view of the Pacific in Dana Point, California. www.stregismb.com