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Time Out: Spa with a Heart
By Betty Sederquist
Think decadence and indulgence and high-end pampering. Now think down-to-earth best friends, such as neighbors or favorite relatives who just know the right thing to do, sharing their special kindnesses when you need it most.
And that’s the amazing combination—high-tech and down-home—that you find at Time Out, which caters mostly to women, though men can enjoy their special times (see side paragraph). Perched on a hilltop in Camino, an hour’s drive east of Sacramento, the very private spa features one of the most beautiful views in the Sierra Nevada foothills, with panoramas of the Crystal Range, pine forests and orchards. East of Placerville and close by Highway 50 in El Dorado County, Time Out is centered in Apple Hill, with its popular ranches.
Your visit starts with a warm welcome; as you walk in the door, your hostess greets you with homemade fudge plus the Time Out specialty drink, a concoction of cranberry juice and champagne. Sink into a comfy sofa and start to unwind.
You are then ushered to a comfortable bedroom, where you don a swimsuit and luxurious terrycloth bathrobe. You are then invited to soak in the spa, where bubbling hot water plus the fabulous view begins easing any stress you may have. After 15 or 20 minutes of soaking or just sunning on the expansive deck, you are gently led to your first appointment.
The choices are extravagant. For example, consider the Vichy Treatment. Two special rooms, each lined with Italian tile, are the setting for what some call the rainforest treatment, out-of-body experience or perhaps even going back to the womb.
As you stretch out on a soft mat inside the “wet table,” with its four-inch rim, warm water from six nozzles gently rains down. Then a masseuse, using loofah gloves, invigoratingly exfoliates dead skin, working from foot to neck. Then you have a choice of full-body treatments, such as an almond full body scrub, salt glow scrub, sugar glow scrub (a blend of sandalwood, rose and jasmine), rain forest massage, sea mud masque or honey firming and toning. Toners and moisturizers follow. As part of the process, you are bathed in what feels like a tropical beach wave of warm water. Finally, your face gets special attention.
But there’s so much more: six massage rooms, three facial rooms (ask for the fabulous French gel facial), four outside massage decks, two Jacuzzis, a wet room (for paraffin body wraps and sea mud masks), all staffed by 27 employees, nearly all of them women, at the 7500-square-foot estate. All technicians are professionally certified and/or state-licensed.
A homemade lunch is included if you book for several treatments or for one of the many packages available. A recent meal, for example, featured a flavorful marinara sauce on pasta, plus salad, melon and a made-from-scratch bread dipper, plus a luscious dessert of Bavarian crème chocolate strudel. Great wines, including vintages from award-winning Apple Hill wineries, are included, along with specialty coffees. Overnight guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food staff cheerfully honors special diets and food requests.
Owner Edie Bullard opened the spa in September 1994 and has kept the same staff for years. “They run it like it’s theirs,” she says. Building on deep community roots, she has based the spa in what was once her parents’ home and continually innovates and upgrades.
“It starts from the heart,” she says. Time Out is “a place out of reality,” designed for the “many who lead stressful, busy lives.” Combining genuine caring with gentle massage and much more, the folks at Time Out help to heal.
Men Need Pampering, Too
Men are invited to the spa after 2 p.m. And Time Out offers a Father’s Day special weekend that features homemade fudge, imported cigars, port wine and a gentleman’s feast.
