CALIFORNIA HEALTH & LONGEVITY INSTITUTE
This play-by-play close-up of the California Health & Longevity Institute was written by Robin Dines, owner/operator of the Hillcrest Valenova Wellness Spa in Port Hope, Ontario who visited on a research mission. Here's what she has to say about the place:
Driving north from Los Angeles on the Hollywood Freeway, one of California’s busiest highways, to Westlake Village is the beginning of a pilgrimage to find a truly integrated destination wellness spa. A place where east meets west from a wellness perspective, where both medical treatments and alternative therapies are used to get you to a healthier state of wellbeing. A place where you can combine a pampering spa vacation and learn more about your own wellness and develop a plan with someone you feel confident is an expert in his or her field. I found all of this and more at the California Health & Longevity Institute.
The Dole family has established the California Wellbeing Institute and has developed the 20-acre property that houses the Four Seasons Resort & Spa and the California Health & Longevity Institute, the later of which manages the customer interface for all of the health and wellness activities.
My first impression was not one of going to a luxury resort but one of going to a luxury university campus. As you pass through the gates into the private compound, buildings which house various medical specialties are positioned to the left, and the large stately building to the right that toweres above all the others is the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. Attached as a wing of the hotel is the California Health & Longevity Center (CHLI). The resort is stunning and the standards we’ve come to expect and find at the Four Seasons hotels are evident throughout the entire facility. Their attention to every detail is amazing. I was concerned by the fact that the resort was situated “on” Highway 101; you can throw a stone from the property and hit a passing car. As I walked through to the back gardens, I smiled knowing they had addressed this concern by incorporating their signature water gardens with the serenity of pounding and trickling water to overshadow the sounds of the highway that passes directly behind it.
Since the hotel and the CHLI are separate businesses it is necessary to check in to each facility separately. They have day programs and memberships so the local community and those staying at other hotels nearby, have the opportunity to use the CHLI without staying at the hotel.
Reservations
The experience, from reservations through to check out was superior. Once my reservations were made, I received my confirmation letter as well as questionnaires to be completed and returned to ensure my 25-minute session with the nutritionist was well utilized.
Check-Ins
It’s necessary to get to the centre with lots of time to go through the check-in processes and to get yourself oriented. It is a large facility and you don’t want to miss any part of it. With my first session at 12:00 noon I was at the hotel by 10:00 a.m. and checked in. My room was not ready yet so I carried what I needed to check in to the CHLI and the spa. I walked down the long beautifully appointed corridor to the reception area and was greeted with a number of smiling faces. I was whisked through the process and an itinerary was printed for me. (It would have been helpful if any one of the three check-in areas had given me a map of the facility so I could get my bearings and feel confident about getting from one area to another.) The final check-in was the Four Seasons Spa.
The Four Seasons Spa
Again, another smiling face greeted me and I was given a tour of this beautiful oasis complete with white robe, spa slippers and my own mahogany locker. The marble mosaic floors, the walls accented with artwork made of cross-sections of polished coloured stone, the comfortable lounge furniture; these surroundings give you a feeling of being privileged just to experience such an architectural creation. The women’s lounge was well equipped with everything a girl would need to relax, replenish and re-dress to return to the outside world. The steam-room, the saunas, the hot tubs, the pool, -everything was inviting and pristine. The sitting room where you relax waiting for your therapist has plenty of lemon water and teas to sip while lounging under a blanket, reading a magazine or filling out your health history form.
My Day
The package I chose was the Discovery Package for $400 and I added two more treatments.
Discovery Package
Lifestyle Consultation 50 min
Nutritionist Consultation 25 min
Passion Workshop 50 min
Craniosacral Massage 50 min
I added:
Therapist Choice Massage 50 min $145
Exercise Physiologist 50 min $150
I added the Exercise Physiologist after the Lifestyle Consultant said it would be good to consult with him to develop a program to recover from my broken ankle; it was excellent value and I appreciated the recommendation. With each session I was impressed by the caliber of the professionals working with me to customize my action plans. (Their bios are on the website)
Lifestyle Consultation
This was an interesting session and I was surprised at how much we got through in only 50 minutes. By the end of our allotted time, I had a “to do” list to address some of the things in my life to keep moving in a direction for a more “well” me. One of them was the recommendation to see the exercise physiologist to help me take more control in recovering from my broken ankle.
Nutritionist Consultation
Having filled out the questionnaire and the dreaded “three- day food log”, the nutritionist had already picked up on an area that would give me the most benefit for the 25 minutes we had together. Although I am not currently a diabetic, my family history and the fact that I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant meant I am at high risk for developing it as I get older. Our conversation was very educational and we customized a plan for me to be able to “take control” of my own state of wellness and be proactive at preventing an illness.
Passion Workshop
This was supposed to be a workshop but I was fortunate enough to be the only one attending. I spent one-on-one time with Joe learning about the Kaizen way of making positive change. It is a very interesting concept and makes for a well spent 50 minutes.
Craniosacral & Therapist Choice Massage
This was to be two 50-minute sessions but it was the same therapist so she asked if she could combine the two into one 100 minute treatment. This way she could really enhance the benefit of the craniosacral work with the other body work. Of course I said yes. The spa room was spacious and filled with the scent of essential oils. She explained how we would be starting so that I could disrobe and situate myself on the table while she stood outside the door. The lights were dimmed and I knew I was in for a wonderful 100 minutes. It was. She was professional in her draping and application of the warm towels and as she concentrated on working areas of my body that were knotted as well as my scalp and spine, I drifted to a place where she had to gently bring me back from at the end of the treatment.
Exercise Physiologist Consultation
This was an excellent session. I almost didn’t sign up for it because of my ankle, but after the discussion with the Lifestyle Consultant, I realized that I should because of my ankle. The one-on-one session addressed my issues directly rather than just assigning exercises to reduce my weight or general fitness levels. He interviewed me for the first 10 minutes to find out what my concerns were and did a few tests to determine range of motion in my ankle and the imbalance in my right leg because of the overcompensation to make up for the left ankle. He then developed an exercise program and walked me through it to stretch the tendons and strengthen the muscles required to balance and straighten my posture and functionality of my body. He demonstrated each exercise and then had me do it. He wrote things down as we went along and then gave it to me to put in my own words as he pulled together the program on the computer, complete with diagrams, number of repetitions and objectives. I was impressed with this process because he was dealing with the core cause rather than the symptoms (weight and aches) and he customized a program that was just for me.
My Stay at the Hotel
One of the drawbacks of traveling on your own is not having anyone to “ooh and ahh” with. This hotel is exquisite. The décor and the attention to detail makes a stay here a special event. Watching a flat screen TV from a jacuzzi tub in my bathroom with the lights dimmed, set the ‘sigh factor’ on high. I don’t like eating in my room and eating alone in the restaurant is awkward so I decided to slip down to the lounge with my book and grab a bite to eat there. Again, I was met with a smile and once I explained what I was looking for, I was led to a sitting area complete with cozy couch, coffee table and a reading lamp. It made for a lovely solo evening in a very special place.
Overall...
This was an excellent experience and I would definitely recommend it as a component to a wellness vacation. It is not for the fiscally faint of heart as this stay added up to $550 for the programs at the CHLI and another $591.24 for the Four Seasons Hotel and additional spa treatment. Little things add up: 10% occupancy tax, $16 parking at the hotel, a couple of long distance calls and dinner.
There were a number of complimentary classes that I wasn’t aware of so you should ask about them when you get there.
Definitely an experience I’ll remember with fondness.
For more info: California Health & Longevity Institute
Four Seasons Westlake Village
Robin Dines is owner/operator of the Hillcrest Valenova