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and then climbed into a space-age flotation suite designed to remove noise, gravity, and distraction. 100 Years of Spa Legacy at La Quinta By the early 20th century, the desert had developed a reputation as a place to rest and recover. Health seekers arrived for the dry climate, while hot mineral water continued pulling visitors to the valley. Luxury resorts eventually added their own version of desert restoration. La Quinta Resort & Club became the preeminent example when it opened in 1926 with just 20 casitas tucked against the Santa Rosa Mountains. A century later, the resort has built a stellar reputation around luxury wellness, so I headed to Spa La Quinta for a treatment designed specifically for its 100th anniversary. e 100-minute Centennial Journey pairs a 50-minute Tailor Made Massage with a 50-minute Clarifying Facial. La Quinta feels very different from Séc-he, and that is precisely why I liked pairing them. Séc-he connects wellness directly to the land, water, and Indigenous history of this place, even as the spa itself is thoroughly modern. La Quinta shows how the desert retreat evolved into something polished, luxurious, and very easy to settle into for a few days. Greater Palm Springs Spa Month Wellness in the Coachella Valley now takes plenty of different forms. It can mean soaking in mineral water or floating in silence. It can also mean fresh organic baked goods from Blue Zone- approved Bread and Flour Bakery, followed by an afternoon at the pool with absolutely no intention of checking your email. (I endeavor to become particularly good at that last one.) Greater Palm Springs Spa Month, running September 1 through 30, gives travelers an excuse to try some of it, with spa offers and wellness experiences throughout the valley. e facilities have changed, and the treatments have become more sophisticated. Some have added LED lights, flotation tanks, and enough wellness vocabulary to fill a small dictionary. e reason for coming here, though, remains pretty simple: enjoy the warm desert sun and hopefully leave feeling better than when you arrived. People have been doing that in Greater Palm Springs for a very long time. Jon Bailey is a San Diego-based travel journalist, exploring the globe with his husband and their two daughters. For more adventures, visit 2dadswithbaggage.com OPPOSITE La Quinta Resort & Club has been celebrating wellness in Greater Palm Springs for 100 years TOP The Spa at Séc-he is positioned directly above the natural hot springs that the local Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has revered for centuries MIDDLE Treatment rooms and spa experiences inside the Spa at Séc- he are matched with outdoor wellness experiences centered around water and natural elements BOTTOM Inside the Spa at La Quinta Resort, guests lounge in a serene courtyard with the sound of trickling fountains and bird song @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2026 99 THE SPA AT SÉC-HE: PHOTO COURTESY OF VISITGREATERPALMSPRINGS.COM SWIMMING POOL AT SÉC-HE FOUNTAIN: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON BAILEY