This is the OG American Spa. The estate where it happened. Your fantasy, self-renewal Shangri La. So Very is taking on the legendary Golden Door in Escondido, CA.

Brooklyn-born founder, Deborah Szekely, opened the destination spa in 1958 with the intention of providing a respite for the well to do, ranging from Hollywood elite to executives and socialites. Her previous venture, Rancho La Puerta, was a more humble, rustic spa in Mexico, which thrives to this day. What Szekely brought to both spas where then-radical ideas on exercise, nutrition, and spirituality, which formed the basis of the wellness industry.

“What if you could take a meeting with your inner voice?,” asks the spa’s promo video. As someone who has suppressed my inner monologue, this simple question hits hard. So what’s involved? Spa-goers sign up for a one-week, all-inclusive excursion of self-care and healing. Daily routines include an extra-early morning hike, mindfulness, personalized nutrition plans, fitness classes, evening programs and lectures, skin treatments and in-room, evening massages.

The vibe is Asian zen, the landscape breathtaking. 600 acres of native hills, meadows, Japanese gardens, and citrus groves make up the outside landscape. Inspired by the ancient Honjin inns of Japan, all rooms are single occupancy and feature outdoor access to the gardens. Everything from clothing to skin and body care products are provided. Most food provided is farmed on Golden Door’s land and is both nutritious and inventive.

Yes, everything about the Golden Door experience is luxurious, will change your outlook, and comes at a price, approximately $10,000 for the week. But the spa isn’t profiting as you might expect. The values they transmit to clients are genuine. 100% of net profits are donated to philanthropic causes, including helping to end child abuse and transform young lives.

Clean Cred:

•  Golden Door is focused on environmental stewardship efforts in northern San Diego County. The rural site known as “Newland Sierra” in the Merriman Mountains was purchased in 2023 and will be preserved as raw land in perpetuity. This incredible commitment to these beautiful lands ensures that the 2,000 acres of critical open space, wildlife and precious habitat areas of the property will be available for generations to come.
• Developed new water sources to feed groves
• Our biointensive farming methods ensure that the food we serve our guests is healthy, clean and natural…just as it was intended.
• We have transplanted thirty-five 30-year-old Manzanillo olive trees from a commercial orchard, recently added 131 acres of citrus groves to our agricultural holdings and bringing a new life to over seventy-five acres of now fruitful avocado groves.
• As a show of support to those involved in making the world a more loving, more humane and more peaceful place, we have pledged 100% of our net profits from the resort to select charities in support of their missions.

Celeb clientele: Oprah, Elizabeth Taylor, Liev Schreiber, Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Amy Schumer, Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, Oprah, Barbra Streisand

Bona fides: Conde Nast Traveler #1 Spa in the World 2019, NY Times 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, Travel & Leisure #1 World’s Best Destination Spas, Vogue, Self, Byrdie, Us Weekly, goop

Website: https://goldendoor.com/