Beautiful spas probably are a dime a dozen in theory. Many of them are okay, some are great, and some are impressive. La Cantera certainly took the time to create a beautiful product with their Loma de Vida spa. If you are looking for your wellness retreat in San Antonio, this is the place. It starts from the moment that you make your way towards the main entry. If you are staying at La Cantera, you merely take the elevator to floor two. The landscaping is gorgeous and as you approach, the scenery becomes rather picturesque. You will enter a short tunnel where the soft instrumental music will start to lure you in. As you exit the tunnel, this was probably one of my favorite views with colorful florals and beautiful plants set on a small hill with San Antonio looming in the distance.
If you are staying with Seven (the adults only floor at La Cantera), just having the spa day pass is more than enough to get a little bit of zen in your life. The women’s locker room was quite large. If you walk to the end, you will see a fantastic view over the infinity pool and rolling green hills outside. In the locker, you can get changed into your robe and slippers. As you travel into the spa amenities on the female side, you will come to a larger room. It has a rectangular mineral pool with a glass fireplace making up one of the walls. On the front of the mineral pool is a row of chaise lounge chairs. With the windows open, the gentle breeze and the silence was really peaceful. If you prefer to relax outside, there is a small patio area behind the mineral pool with four lounge chairs. On either side of the mineral pool, you will find the sauna and steam room. The only difference with the sauna was it did have a pink Himalayan sea salt wall. These areas could be enjoyed by female guests only and there was a replica on the men’s side. You can find more information on their spa Loma de Vida and also the adults only floor at La Cantera here Seven.
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The common areas of the spa included a pool, restaurant, and gym. Just downstairs from the main check in, you will find Quench. It offers sandwiches, smoothies, and juices. Alcoholic beverages are on the menu as well if you so choose. You can walk outside onto the patio for lunch. Just beyond this is the infinity pool. It is quite beautiful, and the water was a great temperature. If you wish for more privacy, you can rent a cabana located close to the pool. One additional perk was the gym. La Cantera resort and spa has a gym, but this more spacious and well equipped. Some of the weight machines were outside, but the majority of the equipment (cardio and weights) was inside. The gym had floor to ceiling windows and looked out at the infinity pool.
If you are having treatment at the spa, there is a large room upstairs with couches and lounge chairs. This room has an outdoor balcony overlooking the infinity pool. While at the spa, I had a 90 minute hot stone massage. I used to think that all massages were, in reality, about the same. Over the years, I have found this thinking is flawed. This hot stone massage was probably one of the better ones that I have received after trying my fair share. The masseuse was easily able to pinpoint my problem areas. I left feeling extremely refreshed and relaxed. And, I know you are supposed to hydrate after a massage, but they did offer me a glass of champagne. I loved this.
I was at the spa on a Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday afternoon, the number of guests seemed reasonable. It felt like I was enjoying the spa amenities with little crowd. The infinity pool was nearly empty. On Thursday, there was a large crowd having treatment the same time as my massage. The pool was slightly more crowded. That being said, I still felt the peace and relaxation when utilizing the amenities. I say this to contrast some other spas that I have visited where I encountered larger crowds like Ten Thousand Waves in Santa Fe. This could certainly be dependent upon the day of the week, but I felt Loma de Vida had a good balance.
Having visited spas everywhere from Hong Kong to Karlovy Vary, I think my pool for comparison is rather large. Loma de Vida did stand out amongst a sea of many as a wellness retreat. Oftentimes, it seems that resorts add a spa, but it isn’t the focal point of their business. Clearly, Loma de Vida is a well thought out product where the spa is a priority.
