As I entered The Spa at Séc-he in Palm Springs, I expected a healing, rejuvenating experience. After all, the stunningly designed, 73,000-square-foot space has been named the No. 1 spa in the United States by Spas of America, and Best Spa in Palm Springs by the readers of Palm Springs Life. I soon realized how transformative a visit to the spa could be.
My experience began with the “taking of the waters,” a 15-minute private mineral water bath. The near-scalding mineral water bath made every inch of my body tingle. The water flows in from an ancient hot mineral spring known in the Cahuilla language as Séc-he, which means “the sound of boiling water.” The spring is sacred to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and has sustained the tribe for thousands of years. (A 2018 archaeological dig dates the tribe back at least 8,000 years.)
I then indulged in the highly touted LightStim facial, which uses an LED light spectrum to help serums penetrate the skin and a mask to generate natural collagen and erase dark circles and fine lines. Later, close friends asked if I’d gone to the desert for a face-lift of the surgical kind.
Agua Caliente Casino Spa Rancho Mirage.
After the facial, I opened the door to the “acoustic room,” where I settled into a reclining chair, positioned my feet above my head, and donned a light-blocking eye mask and noise-canceling headphones. I pressed the “solar soak” option on the screen adjacent to my seat and leaned back. Soon, I felt like an actor in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. As I floated through time and space, every sound synced to the chair’s massaging vibration. All stress and tension evaporated from my body.
I’d come to the desert with a select group of Los Angeles–based journalists invited to stay at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage and experience the tribe’s luxury amenities at all three of its casino properties in addition to treatments at The Spa at Séc-he.
Our first night featured dinner at The Steakhouse at Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, where mouthwatering steaks were cooked to perfection. Executive chef Brian Kenney told us about his love for farm-to-table local produce, which made the zucchini carpaccio a crowd favorite. We waddled into the adjacent casino to try our luck at the slot machines (I walked away with a personal record of $31) before returning to our hotel.
The following morning, we regrouped for breakfast at Waters Café at the Rancho Mirage property. The medjool date and lavender crêpes were delectable — just one will fill you up for the rest of the day. Then came the spa experience.
Following our spa treatments at The Spa at Séc-he, we traveled from Palm Springs to nearby Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City and indulged in flights of tequila cocktails, settling on the prickly pear as our favorite. We were transfixed by the line dancers of all ages wearing cowboy hats and boots as they moved in unison on the dance floor next to our table.
Executive suite at Agua Caliente Casino Spa Rancho Mirage.
Pool at the Spa Séc-he.
After cocktails and still in Cathedral City, we dined at Café One Eleven. Executive chef Daniel Rodriguez visited our table and offered a new dish that might soon land on the permanent menu: a Cajun-infused lobster pasta entrée inspired by his time in New Orleans. It was next-level delicious and indicative of Rodriguez’s plan to reinvigorate the menu. We ended the evening in the casino, where I earned a new personal record of $97 at the slots.
You’ll find a world-class getaway in the desert with the luxurious Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage as home base, The Spa at Séc-he in Palm Springs as an oasis of calm, and the tribe’s distinctive casinos and restaurants providing all the dining and entertainment you need.
