Golden Door joins Healing Hotels of the World
– Kathy Van Ness
Iconic Californian health and wellness destination Golden Door is the latest location to join Healing Hotels of the World – a global consortium of holistic hotels, resorts and retreats.
Golden Door focuses on personalised fitness, spa and nutrition programmes aimed to transform guests’ lives.
Golden Door was originally opened in 1958 by industry veteran Deborah Szekely, who is a long-time member of the International Spa Association (ISPA) and co-founder of globally-renowned wellness retreat and spa Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.
Located in a serene valley between San Diego and Los Angeles, Golden Door features 600 acres of native hills, meadows, citrus groves, and bamboo forest.
The resort was originally designed and inspired in the style of a ryokan – a traditional Japanese Inn with Koi pond and manicured gardens – and has recently added a new pollinator garden featuring native flowering plants that provide food and habitat for butterflies, sweet bees, bumblebees, moths and hummingbirds.
All guests at Golden Door receive a personal programme interview and up to four sessions with a personal trainer, as well as a choice from more than 40 fitness classes, mindfulness and improvement sessions, and evening programmes and lectures.
The on-site spa includes a bathhouse with Jacuzzi, steamroom and sauna, as well as nine treatment rooms.
Meals are based around fresh produce grown on the on-site bio-intensive farms, which include an organic vegetable garden, citrus groves, avocado groves and hens that produce fresh eggs.
Guest stays also include nutrition education classes, a weekly cooking class, and a celebratory alfresco group lunch or dinner on the farm.
Visitors can enjoy mountain or meadow hikes of varying challenges on 25 miles of private trails, as well as seven state-of-the-art gyms, two swimming pools, a Watsu water therapy pool, two labyrinths, a lighted tennis court and five acres of bio-intensive gardens
“The main goal of Golden Door is for our guests to experience transformation and healing during their stay, and to take home tools that they can implement in their lives,” says Kathy Van Ness, COO of Golden Door.
“We saw so much synergy between our goals and the philosophy of Healing Hotels of the World, and we knew it was a perfect fit.
“Joining Healing Hotels of the World will help us reach even more guests around the world, and spread our message of healing and transformation.”
With just 40 private rooms and a staff to guest ratio of 4:1, Golden Door prides itself on helping guests meet their specific goals and needs during their stay.
The company is also dedicated to preserving and enhancing the tranquillity of its unique location, and to help make an impact beyond its borders; 100 per cent of its net profits go to philanthropic causes like helping to end child abuse and transforming young lives.
Golden healing Hotels of the World Deborah Szekely Kathy Van Ness
Healing Summit rescheduled to May 2022
Healing Hotels' new certification provides ‘source of trust and reassurance for health-conscious travellers’
Healing Hotels launches Mini-Healing Summit virtual series to inform, inspire and invigorate
Deborah Szekely launches fundraiser as local community of Tecate is devastated by wildfires
Washington Spa Alliance honours key contributors to the US spa industry with a Spa Hall of Fame
Golden Door relaunches as 600-acre biodynamic retreat
Californian resort The Golden Door sells for US$24.8m
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
