Moderate intake of wine has many long proven health benefits from fighting heart disease to improving circulation and with the study of “vinotherapy,” wine and it’s by-products are being found to have rejuvenating and skin firming capabilities when used in spa treatments and products. Setting all of these health, beautifying and anti-aging components aside, wine has long been established as a major ingredient to female bonding.
Having shared the love of wine with my girlfriends for so many years, wellness is just an added benefit to planning a pre-wedding Girlfriends Getaway or Bachelorette party to a wine spa, not to mention your last chance to work off those pre-wedding jitters or the stress that has accumulated from the many months of wedding planning. Now with your wedding details all set and the big day only weeks away, the only decision you need to make is white or red?
Le Sources de Caudalie – Bordeaux, France
Already internationally renowned for their Vinotherapie line of skin care, Caudalie has put its valuable product research to good use pioneering various Vinotherapie treatments that keep them on the cutting edge of spas worldwide. From the wine barrel Jacuzzi soak in grape pomace to the inclusion of vine and grape extract in all products used in the spa, the vino truly is in every detail. For brides to be, I highly recommend the nourishing Honey and Wine Body Wrap, which is the perfect hydration treatment to leave your skin soft and glowing in the weeks before your wedding, not to mention the additional restorative quality for the brides who live in the dry climates of the Middle East. Setting minds at ease for any first timers in the wine spa realm, it’s good to note all treatments are performed by Bordeaux trained specialist Vinotherapists, and although you may not be outdoors sipping wine in the middle of the vines, both the water areas and treatment rooms boast beautiful vineyard views, instantly transporting you and your girls from your day to day setting.
SOMMA WineSpa – Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos , Mexico
You don’t have to be in wine country to experience the benefits of vinotherapy. The SOMMA WineSpa, located at the Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos infuses Mexican grapes and wines from Baja California into every treatment, while not losing focus on the amazing views and magical natural setting of the Sea of Cortez from the spa treatment areas and indoor / outdoor relaxing zone. Not only does SOMMA have amazing treatments for all needs, their sommelier and chef have paired up to create a Spa dining menu paired with wine tastings perfect for lounging around with the girls on the sun deck and enjoying a post treatment lunch. Further thinking outside of the box, the Fiesta Americana and SOMMA WineSpa offer a truly unique private dining experience, taking elements of the kitchen and the spa seaside in SOMMA’s Barefoot Dining experience. You and your best ladies can enjoy a moonlit wine pairing dinner to remember, on the sand, including a pre-meal aromatherapy foot bath and massage then ending desert with a shoulder and back massage for added relaxation or a little invigoration if you’re in the partying mood, after all, you are in Cabo!
Wine Spa Peralada - Girona, Spain
True magnificence is the only result when the winery of one of one of the top Spanish red wines, Peralada 5 Fincas, creates a spa for the health benefits of their amazing grapes. If you and your bridal party are fans of the big, bold, full-bodied reds, then Peralada is heaven in the waiting. The Vitis Vinifera 2 hour treatment including a Grape Seed Oil Body Peel, a Wine Dregs Body Wrap a Merlot Red Wine Bath and their Special Wine Spa Massage is the optimal full body treatment to experience a little of everything offered at Wine Spa Peralada, and will leave you buffed, exfoliated and polished so your skin will feel new like a baby’s on your wedding day. After your treatments, make sure you and the girls save some energy for a “Girls Night In” and enjoy more of Peralada’s award winning wine paired with a fantastic dinner poolside at their Jazz and Pool night.
Ok, Ok, I hate to reveal this tiny detail but Peralada also boasts its own golf course which happens to be one of the top in the Catalunya region, so it’s also a great Bachelor Trip locale for those golf enthusiasts, so ladies, you may be competing with the groom and his party for this destination.
Crocus Gere Bor Spa – Villany, Hungary
For those brides truly wanting to get away from it all, relax and share quality time, food and drink with their girlfriends, while not being too demanding on the other ladies’ budgets, Crocus Gere Bor Spa is the wine spa for you. Located in wine region of Villany, it’s a 2 hour, picturesque drive from Budapest - ideal to make a combination cultural city / wine country bachelorette trip if you and your girls have the time. This family run wine hotel & spa has been practicing the act of wellness through wine for generations as they use all of their own grapes and vine extracts in the various creams and masques used in the treatments and their GERE red wine is used exclusively in their wine baths. After an early visit to the winery, share a bottle of your favorite Gere wine with your bridesmaids, while you all soak in the outdoor, red wine bath to experience the relaxation and calming of the body from the inside out. Not to miss treatments for you and your ladies are the Gere Bor foot treatments, a true relief for your fashionista bridesmaids who live in their heels as well as massages using GERE-winecream.
Kenwood Inn & Spa - Sonoma, California
If you’re a bride to be who loves food and wine almost as much as you love your fiancé, a Bachelorette Trip to Sonoma Valley is really the only place you should consider. Not only is Sonoma filled with world-class wineries, Michelin Starred restaurants and foodie joints to satisfy even the most discerning of pallets, it’s also a spa and wellness haven. Topping the spas in the region is the Kenwood Inn & Spa, a classic Sonoma style inn that focuses on their treatments on the local fruits and compliments them with Caudelie Vinotherapie treatments. It’s the only place in Sonoma where you can order your wine by the glass, by the bottle or by the bath. Spa goers have their choice of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Sparkling for their 20 minute soak and are also given a glass of that wine to drink, offering wellness from the inside out. Experience 2 hours of bliss with the Kenwood Wine Country Signature package, which includes the relaxing Wine Country Massage and opt for the Caudelie Divine Oil scalp treatment to bring back the luster to your locks then afterwards, the VinoPerfect Facial to restore your radiance for your wedding day. Make sure to schedule you and your girls’ treatments early in the day, so you can enjoy Tempo Divino happy hour at the Kenwood Inn’s Wine Bar, then head out to one of the fantastic local restaurants, like The Girl and The Fig, where you’ll have a meal of your lifetime and afterwards can enjoy cocktails in their cozy, living room style lounge area.
If you fall absolutely head over heels in love with the Kenwood Inn & Spa, don’t fret, you can still be faithful to your man and have the best of both worlds with a Sonoma wine country destination wedding, right here on the property.
CREDITS
Article written by: Travel Expert, Amy Jarczynski, based on her original travels and documented on JetsetterGypsy.com