Refuge
27300 Rancho San Carlos Road, Carmel (831) 620-7360, refuge.com
This is self-care done right. The recommended cycle here is to heat up (in the eucalyptus steam room or 104-degree hot tub), then cool down with an arctic plunge (the 48 – to 52-degree pool is roughly the temperature of an “icy river” while the 60-degree pool is like the Pacific Ocean), then chill – and repeat. And make sure you leave lots of time for the chilling out part, because there are hammocks, anti-gravity chairs and Adirondack chairs next to fire pits. A note that this paradise is speaking-free (part of what makes it so relaxing), so you’re free to focus on the hot-cold cycle again, and again, and again.