A Mother's Day spa day at Belmond El Encanto in Santa Barbara.

There really isn’t anything better than rounding up some of your girlfriends for a day at the spa. It’s the ultimate way to indulge yourself for a special occasion and getting pampered is just plain f-u-n. Our excuse? We figured we deserved a little something special this month—happy Mother’s Day to us—and it was the ultimate way to score some girl time, sans anyone asking us to make them snacks. We booked the morning at Belmond El Encanto, got the kids covered and shut off our phones—bliss.

If you’ve never been to this spot, you’re missing out. It’s one of my all time favorites in Santa Barbara, good thing I live 5 minutes away. For starters, its on the Riviera so the view looks over the whole downtown area with the ocean sparkling in the distance. The air is always a tad warmer without the ocean breeze and the vibe is utterly peaceful.

It felt like vacation the moment we pulled up but once we slipped into our robes and were handed a glass of champagne I could feel myself melting into a state of pure relaxation. The spa itself is a gem. The decor, size and feel is intimate and cozy while feeling completely luxurious at the same time. I had an hour to myself while my buddies checked into their first service and I have to say, just sitting in the tranquil courtyard felt like a treat.
We each signed up for a different treatment—floral salt scrub, oxygen facial and Swedish massage—all of which left us glowing and gushing over how amazing we felt. But really, I had the scrub and my skin as never felt so baby soft.
Getting a pedicure at the Belmond El Encanto Spa is like nothing else. You lounge in what feels like a cozy daybed in a private home while the french doors in front of you let in a bit of sunshine and breeze. At one point I thought I was going to fall right asleep—maybe I did a little.
My pal Sara came out of her Oxygen facial glowing and selling us all on booking one for ourselves. The spa is the only place in Santa Barbara that does this type of Oxygen treatment, which not only makes your skin look even and amazing, but it also can be a great form of anti-aging if you get regular treatments. Side note: if you’re a local Santa Barbara resident you can get 20% off when you visit the spa on weekdays (Monday through Thursday)—it’s practically free (that was my inner dialogue). After our treatments we headed up to the patio for lunch and decided to spoil ourselves even more. Three words, the 21 burger. The things dreams are made of, with ketchup and a sea of fries surrounding it. It was the perfect ending to a day that we all decided we needed to repeat once a ~~year~~ month.