The Bay Area is home to many spas of exceptional quality. Chief among them is the venerable Spa Claremont (41 Tunnel Rd.; Berkeley), in the grandiose Victorian resort overlooking San Francisco and the bay. Soak in the old-world glamour while you soak in one of their pre-spa hydrotherapy rituals, ending with a shower under 10 showerheads.
At Nob Hill Spa (1075 California St.), atop the eponymous and prestigious hill, prick up your ears for a guided imagery massage, with spoken word accompaniment to train your imagination to stimulate changes in your body -- not that you need imaginary stimulation, with their premier spa suite’s stunning views over Grace Cathedral. Down the hill in Union Square, Kamalaspa (240 Stockton St.) will transport you to India under an exotic Maharaja tent. Or if you’re looking for parts even more far-flung, Re:fresh (1130 Post St.) offers up a number of “culturally inspired” massages including Japanese, Hawaiian and Hungarian.Equilibrium operates spas in three of San Francisco’s finest hotels. The Ritz-Carlton (600 Stockton St.) on Nob Hill, pairs elegant luxury with state-of-the-art amenities, including newly renovated men’s and women’s steam rooms. Be awed by the impressive sky lit atrium over the swimming and whirlpool area of historic Palace Hotel’s (2 New Montgomery St.) spa, where you can luxuriate in a mani-pedi in a poolside cabana. What Hotel Monaco’s (501 Geary St.) spa lacks in grandeur it makes up for in intimacy and sophistication. After a soak in the expansive whirlpool, refresh with a rest in the eucalyptus steam room.
Spa|Bar (246 Second St.) goes beyond the day-spa paradigm, offering treatments until 10 pm Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Along with their comprehensive list of treatments, Spa|Bar has an oxygen bar where you can breathe in the benefits. Also in SoMa, Barber Lounge (854 Folsom St.) is a one-stop shop for all grooming needs for both men and women. Owner Greg Griffin and his team of talented tastemakers offer everything from the top of the head to the tip of the toe. The W Hotel’s Bliss World Spa (181 3rd St.) has perhaps the most comprehensive set of offerings in skincare, body treatments, massage and more. Check out their famous triple oxygen facial for men and women. At nearby Gentle Star MedSpa (54 Mint St.), partners in business and life Thomas Ellis, M.D. and Craig Shishido offer everything from chemical peels to Botox to keep you looking young and fresh.
Up in the woodsy Presidio, gay-managed SenSpa (1161 Gorgas Ave.) aims to draw out your inner wellness. Beyond basic massage and skin treatments, SenSpa’s program includes healing therapies such as Chinese cupping, acupuncture and custom herbal remedies to bring your body back into balance.
Japantown’s Kabuki Hot Springs (1750 Geary Blvd.) offers a Zen-infused spa experience. In the communal baths, sweat out toxins in the sauna or steam room, then wake up the senses with a dip in the cold plunge. The baths are gender-segregated: men-only on Mondays, Thurdays and Saturdays; women take over Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Coed Thursdays require clothing. Anyone can take advantage of their many packages any day, such as the Bliss Massage, which includes a private bath in a traditional Japanese furo tub.
Women have a space all their own every day with the Mission District’s Osento (955 Valencia St.), where “lesbians, straights, bisexuals, stone butches, spiked hair, no hair, blue or pink hair, grandmothers, granddaughters, professionals in business suits, strippers, blue collar, white collar, no collar, union, non-union, and all other females are welcome.”
Gay-central Castro bustles with plenty of places where you can get plucked, preened and prettied up. French-based spa Nickel (2187 Market St.) was the first to create a spa and line of skin care products exclusively for men, and they have wisely planted outposts in three of the world’s major gay center: Paris’s Marais, New York’s Chelsea and San Francisco’s Castro District. Pop in for a Love Handles Body Wrap, or opt for the “Boyzilian” for an extra dose of freshness. If your skin lacks luster, John Francis Spa (4200 18th St.) will concoct a custom plan of dermalicious therapies to rejuvenate your chapped hide, using amino acids from everything from green tea to caviar. Delish! Up over the hill in Noe Valley, gay- and woman-owned A Piece of Peace (3819 23rd St.) will rub you the right way. Proprietress Katy Dreyfuss wrote the book, er, deck on healing techniques with “The Reflexology Deck” and “The Massage Deck,” each sporting 50 techniques to help you find your inner peace.
If it’s the outer you’re more concerned with, give your skin a summery glow to mock those springtime storms. The aptly named Always Tan Skin and Body (550 Castro St.) offers not one, not two, but three speeds of tanning beds to get you golden brown and delicious, stat. If you and UV don’t get along so well, both Tan Bella (2185 Market St.) and Sorrento Sun Center (329 Noe St.) also offer the spray-on variety for a fresh coat of bronze that also nourishes and moisturizes.
All tanned up and nowhere to go? That’s hard to believe, with Pride season just around the corner. The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade celebrates its 38th anniversary June 28-29, continuing its long-standing tradition as the largest pride event in the United States. Be sure to rainbow up and honor the venerable rainbow flag, designed by then San Franciscan Gilbert Baker 30 years ago at the behest of slain city supervisor Harvey Milk. Milk’s legacy runs deep in San Francisco and in the Castro in particular; be sure to check out the newly retro-designed façade of the Castro Theatre (429 Castro St.), which underwent a facelift to return it to its 1970s appearance for the filming of director Gus van Sant’s “Milk,” starring Sean Penn and scheduled to be released in early December. The theatre will retain its retro appearance, proving that what’s old really is new.
Of course the gays are the arbiters of taste, so while visiting this pride season, be sure to take in a little culture. San Francisco’s arts scene has never been better. The opening of the long-awaited Contemporary Jewish Museum (736 Mission St.) on June 8 marks a new jewel in the crown of the burgeoning Yerba Buena area, alongside the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St.), the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St.) and the always fabulous San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (151 Third St.). The SFMoMA will be featuring an exhibit of LGBT fave Frida Kahlo’s works through the summer. New exhibitions at the de Young Museum (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.), Legion of Honor (Lincoln Park) and the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St.) round out a powerful summer season of visual arts in the city.
