Spa in the News

The Healing Arts Center & Spa Debuts at Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate

Cavallo Point SpaSAN FRANCISCO, CA--(September 3, 2008) - Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate, which burst onto the national travel scene this summer, announces the official opening of its Healing Arts Center & Spa, a new retreat situated where San Francisco's urban edge meets the rugged Marin County Headlands. Cavallo Point Lodge, an upscale yet environmentally sustainable property, is the Bay Area's first national park lodge and offers amenities and guest experiences to match its breathtaking setting.

The Healing Arts Center & Spa, at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito, invites lodge and day guests to relax, renew and revive with an innovative spa menu of treatments and therapies amid the new, elegantly designed, 11,000-square-foot facility that offers 11 massage rooms and a tea bar among other amenities.

"Our philosophy is a return to the authentic spa experience," said Jenny Helling, director for the Lodge's Healing Arts Center & Spa. "Health and wellness are at the heart of the spa tradition, and our treatments honor the powerful therapeutic benefits of natural and organic ingredients applied by caring hands practiced in the art of healing."

Helling leads an expert staff of 16 massage therapists and estheticians and another seven healing arts practitioners. Under her vision, the new venue honors the ancient healing arts with an extensive treatment menu that goes beyond skin deep. From mud and herbal wraps to salt scrubs and bath soaks, to highly specialized services, such as acupuncture, herbal and nutritional consultations, hypnotherapy and guided imagery are available.

The staff offers numerous body work modalities; in addition to traditional Swedish massage, there is the Cavallo Point Signature Massage, which combines aromatherapy with elements of Swedish and Thai massage techniques, as well as Thai, Tandem and Herbal Stone Massage styles. Select treatments may be performed for lodge guests as an in-room service. Massage treatments begin at $140 per hour, with reservations required. All wraps, scrubs and soaks conclude with a gentle massage.

Complementing the lodge's environmental ethos, treatment products are organic and/or renewable. All massages, body treatments and baths feature organic or wild-crafted ingredients blended exclusively for Cavallo Point by Body Bliss. A full menu of facial treatments is offered, featuring the Naturopathica product line. All-organic Coyuchi flannels and linens ensure spa guests are wrapped in luxury and comfort.

The Healing Arts Center & Spa is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Treatments begin at 9:00 a.m. All guests age 18 and older are welcome; all Healing Arts sessions are available to lodge as well as day guests.

The Cavallo Point Healing Arts Center & Spa stands among a fragrant growth of pine and eucalyptus trees at the topographical and spiritual heart of the property. The newly built architectural design by San Francisco's celebrated Leddy Maytum Stacy firm is striking and contemporary, yet integrates with the adjacent, restored turn-of-the-century buildings that encircle Fort Baker's historic parade ground.

The two-story structure includes an expansive atrium lobby, 11 treatment rooms, two consultation rooms, fitness room, men's and women's locker rooms with adjacent eucalyptus steam rooms and outdoor whirlpools, co-ed relaxation lounge with library and fireplace, a retail store and tea bar. The tea bar features organic and wild-crafted teas and a variety of Earth Bar herbal drinks by Great Earth, plus a light lunch menu. The outdoor space offers a heated basking pool, fire pit with surrounding lounge chairs, and tea garden.

Set within the Golden Gate National Parks at Fort Baker, Cavallo Point Lodge marks a milestone for California and the National Park Service. Once a Pacific Coast fortress, Fort Baker went from a designated military post to a 350-acre national park in 2002. Cavallo Point Lodge signals a new era, one that will burnish Fort Baker's stalwart legacy as it preserves historic landmark buildings, restores natural habitat, protects the environment, and ensures access to the revitalized national park site for generations to come.

Lodge guests can ramble along spectacularly scenic coastline trails; bend to yoga classes in a century-old chapel; savor Michelin two-star cuisine at Murray Circle, the lodge's popular signature restaurant; revel at Farley Bar and sip reserve wine from one of California's largest cellars; view original photography and art throughout the property, including works from Imogen Cunningham and Gregory Colbert; hike and bike on miles of coastline trails; and at day's end, reside in one of the property's 68 carefully restored historic rooms and suites or perhaps one of 74 artfully designed contemporary rooms and suites.

Guests also have the option to discover deeper enrichment via signature, pre-booked adventures and programs that pair property amenities with focused agendas in adventure & well-being, creative arts, and the culinary arts.

A member of Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Cavallo Point is developed by the Fort Baker Retreat Group LLC, which includes Equity Community Builders LLC, Passport Resorts LLC, and Ajax Capital LLC. Passport Resorts or its affiliated companies manage Cavallo Point, the award-winning Post Ranch Inn, Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa, Sea Ranch Lodge and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort.

For more information, including a complete menu of Healing Arts services and packages, visit http://www.cavallopoint.com/spa.php. Reservations are required; advance notice is recommended. Inquiries can be made by emailing spareservations@cavallopoint.com and reservations can be made by calling (415) 339-4767.