Escaping From It All While Still In San Antonio — La Cantera Resort’s Spa and Adults-Only Floor Takes Things to Another Level

Whether you’re a Texan by birth or you simply found yourself here by happenstance, the allure of escaping the hectic hustle of the Lone Star State’s cities to the placid calm that country life affords can be strong. I’ve romanticized the idea of buying my very own ranchette where I’d hole up on weekends. With wide swathes of land, my neighbors too far to see, I picture the sort of rambling property devoid of laborious chores like caring for herds of livestock or acres of land to farm. But then I think, nah, why not just check into the expansive ranch-style La Cantera Resort & Spa instead?

After all, La Cantera is inspired in large part by none other than the iconic King Ranch replete with that Texas rustic charm. Even if it’s in San Antonio, within a rare easy drive to all the hustle and bustle of the Riverwalk, this 550 acre retreat feels like it’s a world of its own.

On a perch in the picturesque Hill Country, La Cantera Resort and Spa is a rare haven of tranquility in San Antonio. A stay at this posh resort (which is set for $49 million in upgrades soon) ensures you’ll lack for nothing. With an 18 hole high-level golf course, an array of chef-driven restaurants on-site, high-end shopping just a stone’s throw away and a luxe destination spa, it’s an escape worth fleeing to any day.

Inside La Cantera’s Seven Club

Check into your own private villa here, or perhaps do as I did, and book a stay in one of the adults-only rooms on the seventh floor. While the resort bills itself as a place that welcomes your entire brood (Six Flags Fiesta Texas is right up the street), you might want to leave the kiddos at home and book a room in the hush surroundings on Seven, as it is simply known.

This sedate floor affords guests their own private concierge and check-in, with free valet parking and access to the Seven lounge, where you’ll find coffee and a generous spread of breakfast goodies each morning, snacks throughout the day and hors d’oeuvres at happy hour. Another perk? Staying on Seven grants you access to lounge about in the spa’s facilities too.

Get away for a bit of rest and relaxation, but be sure not to miss spending the better part of your day(s) at the luxe Loma de Vida, the resort’s 25,000-square-foot spa and wellness center. Meander across the street from Seven through the verdant gardens to the spa and start your day with an invigorating power yoga class, or bring up the sun and practice meditation.

Head upstairs and you’ll discover gratis amenities like a eucalyptus-scented steam room and the salt sauna, its walls lined with actual pink bricks of Himalayan sea salt. Combining the therapeutic benefits of a dry heat sauna with the healing effects of salt therapy, aka halotherapy, microscopic salt particles are diffused into the air, and when inhaled, its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties help to cleanse your respiratory system. Sitting in the warmth of a salt sauna can also exfoliate your skin, unclogging those pores of yours, while the high temperature (158 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit) is a boon to the immune system too, stimulating the body to produce more white blood cells and antibodies to strengthen its immune response.

After a sit and stay in the sauna and steam room, you’re ready for a massage, like the CBD massage I tried by Oto ($270 for 75 minutes). This is a complete sensory experience. You start by choosing one of three aromatic scents and styles. Each one determines a different course of action that, presumably, your body is crying out to try. I selected the Amplify, which is a re-energizing massage designed to ease that tension and unravel the tightness in those tired muscles (think too much time huddled over a laptop).

A firm pressure touch distributes warm CBD oil from head to toe, the scent redolent of bitter orange, grapefruit and juniper berries, while the masseuse, at one point, pulls out a bamboo roller that actually looks a whole lot like a rolling pin (and feels like one too) to push out those last stubborn knots. Regardless of the theme you select, each massage is choreographed to a custom music selection (and in my case, also included the calming hum of tuning forks as it began).

Facials more your vibe? Loma de Vida offers the JetPeel rejuvenation facial, a dermal infusion process utilizing pressured oxygen to delve deep within your pores by applying a jet stream of liquid microscopic droplets at subsonic speed, delivering hydrating nutrients deep beneath the surface of your skin. Go for the 75-minute deluxe restore JetPeel ($350), where the goal is to reduce those pesky wrinkles by blasting your skin with a customized cocktail of bioactive nutrients just right for your skin type. Or try the renowned beauty guru Dr. Dennis Gross’s anti-aging facial which boasts it can perfect that visage of yours by targeting fine lines, outsized pores and discoloration. (Can anyone say melasma?)

It’s all done by piling on a retinol or alpha beta peel (depending on your skin’s specific condition) along with a blast of LED light therapy ($330 for 75 minutes).

A Poolside Paradise

Now don’t leave this cocoon of wellness too soon. Why not grab a chaise lounge and lie by the intimate, infinity-edge spa pool (one of five pools at the resort) and laze away the rest of your day? By the way, if you’re booking a trip with lots of your chums, I highly recommend La Cantera’s tranquil Float Away With Me group experience (booked through the spa).

After an early dinner, but before darkness descends, head to Topaz, the heated adults-only infinity edge pool, where you’ll hop on a two-person float (don’t worry a bathing suit is not required) and be lulled into a meditative state with the soft hum of sound bowls off playing off in the distance. As you finish open your eyes and take in the sight of the sun setting over the valley below. Namaste!

La Cantera Resort & Spa is located 16641 La Cantera Parkway in San Antonio. Room rates start at $280 per night.