Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa

A while back, I posted about all my free birthday tips--the best one being free entrance at Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa. I finally went to try it out! I'd never been anywhere near Temecula before, so the drive itself was a treat. My friend came up from San Diego to meet me for a wonderful day of pampering on my 35th birthday.

As suggested, we started out at the Mineral Baths, to open your pours. They're a big row of hot tubs, that did have a small line from time to time throughout the day.

The next recommended step is Club Mud, where you coat yourself in red clay mud, then lay out to let the clay sun-dry on your body. When you can feel the mud cracking, you stand up and brush vigorously to flake it all off, then shower rinse what's left. There's also a sauna in this part of the park. Club Mud is the exfoliating mask portion of the treatment. Thea and I took pictures of ourselves covered in mud--the only pics we took together all day--and as you can see, they're classics!

The last formal step is The Grotto, which does have an additional $25 fee (five dollars off before 1P). Escorted into underground caves, first check all bags. Then you're taken into a room with stalls where an attendant paints your body with a seaweed-aloe mixture. Once painted, you advance into the next room, which is a heated cave with natural benches where you spend the next 15-30 minutes rubbing the lotion into your body. When you're ready, you advance to the next cave room where you can shower off the excess. The final cave room is a peaceful quiet area to rest and enjoy tea and apples.

With fully opened, exfoliated, and moisturized pores, we were left with the remainder of the day to relax poolside and enjoy the beautiful grounds. The whole park is filled with different nooks and crannies to hide away. The pools run the gamut of uses, from beautiful viewing pools, saltwater pools, regular chlorinated pools with floaties to lay out on, pools designated as quiet areas, lap pools....whatever you can imagine, you can probably find.

The surrounding hills and a ton of palm trees make for comforting vistas in all directions. There's a bar at the main floatie pool, and a deck upstairs available for private cabana rental. Food options include a cafeteria-style bistro with soups, pizzas, and pastas or an informal snack bar for things like wraps and smoothies.

Our favorite spot, where we ended the day, a mineral bath spa in a more secluded area. I was so glad my friend Thea spent my birthday with me!

My Glen Ivy Tips: There are discounts for public service personnel like police, fire, nurses, and even teachers, so be sure to bring your work ID card if you fall into those categories. There's also a senior discount too. If you can, plan extra time to explore the huge farmers market that you'll pass as you're getting off the freeway. I didn't get to stop there this time, but it's definitely something I'll remember for next time. Weekdays at Glen Ivy are nearly half the weekend price, and going during off-peak times means a less crowded park. Don't worry about bringing towels or personal grooming products--all are provided, including shampoo in the showers and hair dryers in the locker rooms.

Have any of you been to Glen Ivy? What was your experience like? Leave a comment for me on the blog with your favorite spa.