06 Mar 2019
Rosewood opens Santa Barbara beachfront resort with Sense Spa, goop retail
BY Jane Kitchen
Rosewood has opened a new resort in Southern California with guest rooms set directly over the sand. Rosewood Miramar Beach is located in Santa Barbara’s Montecito community, Miramar, and is owned and developed by Caruso.
“Rosewood Miramar Beach is the culmination of years of hard work and dedicated service to the Montecito community. What makes Miramar Beach so special, beyond the incomparable setting, is its history as a beloved icon of hospitality – it’s simply embedded in the land,” said Rick Caruso, owner, Rosewood Miramar Beach, and founder and CEO, Caruso. “We’re honoured to now usher in a new era of hospitality and welcome locals and travelers back to this cherished retreat.”
At Sense, A Rosewood Spa, guests can enjoy treatments and rituals inspired by the healing traditions and native plants found in the local surroundings, such as the Alkaline Marine Cocoon and the Montecito Sage Purification.
The 7,950sq ft (739sq m) spa offers six treatment rooms – including two with private showers for body treatments and one that connects to the resort’s signature Miramar Suite – one private social suite for eight to 10 guests with a private shower and relaxing lounge, as well as a couple’s suite with private shower and a connection to the social suite.
The spa is decorated in coral and pale blue tones, light wood and marble furniture and dotted with greenery. Clean lines are at the heart of the design of the resort’s fitness studio, in which dark-stained oak flooring is complemented by a colour palette of natural beige tones, whites and light greys.
Also offering relaxation rooms, steam rooms and saunas, Sense is open to both overnight guests and members of the local Montecito community. Karina Chung has been appointed spa manager.
The 90-minute Montecito Sage Purification uses wild sage to clear energy and calm and soothe the skin. The treatment begins with a wellness tea designed to aid in the calming experience from the throat to stomach chakras. Earthly salt minerals are combined with indigenous sage, pine and juniper in a body scrub and a warm cocooning wrap. Following is a full-body massage with balancing organic sage oil and warm healing stones designed to leave muscles renewed and spirit connected to the earth.
The 150-minute Alkaline State treatment starts with a pH test before the journey begins, followed by a foot bath ritual using magnesium-rich salts. Guests are then enveloped in an Alkaline Marine Cocoon, followed by the Alkalizing Clarity Facial. The treatment concludes with an alkaline-infused beverage, while the expert therapist tests pH levels and makes recommendations based on the results.
Sally Hershberger Montecito will bring a full suite of salon and bridal hairstyling services, as well as Sally’s complete collection of luxury haircare products, to guests of Rosewood Miramar Beach.
A state-of-the-art fitness centre features outdoor treadmills alongside high-performance equipment from Woodway and Peloton.
Other wellness activities include sunrise yoga on the beach, personal training sessions and pool fitness activities.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness-brand goop occupies a brick-and-mortar retail space at the resort alongside The Gatehouse, a new California-inspired concept store curated by designer James Perse.
The goop Sundries Shop at Rosewood Miramar Beach, which is the brand’s first permanent hotel retail experience, combines goop-approved favorites in clean beauty, wellness, athleticwear and resort fashion with elevated beach essentials for travelers.
Extending beyond the Sundries Shop, each guestroom at Rosewood Miramar Beach will feature a minibar offering an assortment of goop curated items.
The resort’s location has a long history in hospitality; years ago, on that same strip of beach was Miramar by the Sea, a storied resort first purchased by a young couple in 1876. Initially a private residence, the couple was so taken by the location that they soon built cottages to lodge visiting friends and family. Not long afterwards the cottages became accommodations so that outside guests would also be able to share in the magic of Miramar.
Inspired by the beautiful homes and grand estates of Montecito, Rosewood Miramar Beach features 161 guestrooms and suites, was manifested from Caruso’s idea of a sprawling Montecito estate that grew over time, in tandem with the growth of a family – an homage to the genesis of the original property.
At the heart of the property is the Manor House, where a dramatic stone-paved driveway leads up to a striking single-entry, solid-wood front door that opens into the home’s grand foyer.
The centrepiece of the residence is its luxuriantly-curved staircase – a tribute to an original design by esteemed Southern Californian architect Paul Williams, remembered by many as an architect to the stars. Williams’ work and vision is distinctly Southern Californian and has influenced residential and hospitality design worldwide. His original drawings are on display within the property’s entryway, showcasing a number of sketches, including the inspiration behind the resort’s spiral staircase.
Three signature suites reside in the Manor House, including The Founder’s Residence, The Miramar Suite and The Ambassador Suite. They are the product of collaboration with Caruso’s personal interior designer, Diane Johnson.
A focal point of the estate is the Cabana Pool, one of two pools on property. Another nod to Paul Williams, the pool’s distinctive, serpentine-edge design draws inspiration from the architect’s work for the now-demolished Arrowhead Springs Hotel in Central California. Nineteen luxurious cabanas, each topped with a stylish black and white valance, complete the pool’s polished yet playful footprint.
Anchoring the property are the resort’s 26 oceanfront Beach House suites, studios and guestrooms which feature private terraces directly over the sand.
“Rosewood Miramar Beach is the pinnacle of design, setting and service,” said Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group. “It is a true jewel not only in the rich hospitality landscape of Montecito and Santa Barbara, but across the globe. Guests will delight in the relaxed atmosphere of coastal California while enjoying Rosewood’s intuitive service and our modern, ultra-luxury approach to the resort experience.”
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