Liquid Gold

As a journalist covering food and wine, I am out five to six nights a week sampling tasting menus with wine pairings at Michelin-starred restaurants. There are myriad perks to this, but there are also pitfalls, including balancing my job with a desire to stay healthy and keep my weight under control.

I heard about We Care Spa several years ago. Founded in 1986 by Susan Lombardi and her mother Susana Belen, and located in Desert Hot Springs, We Care Spa is an all-inclusive detox retreat center and attracts health-conscious celebrities, including Molly Sims and Liv Tyler.

Over two, five or seven days—depending on the selected package—attendees commit to a liquid diet, participate in meditation and yoga classes and luxuriate in a series of spa treatments ranging from Reiki, colonics and facials, to wraps, body scrubs and specialized nutrition workshops. At We Care Spa, all the harmful elements permeating the environment—air pollution, chlorinated water, food preservatives and chemicals—are detoxed from the body.

“All of these things we take in and we eat and digest, but the body can’t handle it well,” says Lombardi. “As time goes on, we start to ask why we don’t look or feel good. Our belief is that you are carrying the garbage pail of all that stuff inside of you and creating autointoxication. We focus on cleaning out that garbage pail in your system.”

I was ready to have that garbage emptied from my body. Below is a diary of my two-day stay at We Care Spa.

Day One

4 p.m.: I drank my homemade fruit juice on the way to Palm Desert and arrived ravenous. After a brief orientation, I was delighted that carrot, celery, aloe and apple juices were waiting in my room’s mini fridge. Those juices, and the stunning view of the mountains, soothed my rumbling stomach.

5 p.m.: I found the carrot juice, which included beets, turmeric and ginger, to be the most filling. A green concoction with spinach, cilantro, parsley, and cucumber, was lighter in taste. I drank half of each and then took the provided Food-n-Zyme and Power Green pills. After a long day of sitting in traffic and having not eaten, I felt a little dizzy.

5:15 p.m.: I took a walk around the property. Pools, Jacuzzis and Buddha statues dotted the grounds, along with plenty of outdoor seating areas tucked behind floral-lined paths. At that moment, the only path I was interested in was the one that led to the kitchen, where I could take stock of other liquid options. Along with the mandated juices, guests are allowed Kangen water and purifier teas, including one Yerba mate per day (which has a bit of caffeine). Guests are allowed 12 different beverages, each one with a specific health benefit—from “cleaning out the liver” to “supporting kidney function.” Any time you feel hungry, you are allowed a sip of one such juice.

6 p.m.: I filled up a mug with delicious, piping-hot zucchini soup and garnished it with every available spice—cayenne, curry, a soy sauce alternative and garlic with a dash of olive oil. After sunset, I underwent a raindrop therapy treatment, where nine essential oils are dropped along the spine using a Tibetan Vita Flex technique to clear bacterial pathogens.

10 p.m.: I crawled into my king-sized bed and nodded off for a few hours, but I could not sleep through the night. I had boundless energy. My stomach growled in the middle of the night, so I drank some leftover juice to curb the hunger pangs.

Day Two

8 a.m.-10 a.m.: I woke up groggy, drank more of the juice in my room, and headed for a poolside sound bath.

12 p.m. - 2 p.m.: Lounging at the poolside juice bar, I ran into a young woman from San Francisco who was visiting for the fifth time, and another woman who returns three times a year for what she calls a “reset.” I also bumped into famed fashion designer Donna Karan, the irony of which is that I have a ton of her clothes in my closet (size 2) that no longer fit. We chatted and bellied up to the bar for the detox power shake made of organic pea and hemp protein. It tasted like dessert and boosted my energy.

3 p.m.-5 p.m.: It was time for a full-body Castor oil wrap in the spa. It made me feel like a giant salad, but I did indeed purge some toxins. All I could think about was my cup of veggie soup awaiting me at dinner.

6 p.m.-8 p.m.: I polished off two cups of warm yam soup and returned to my room for a deep tub soak.

Day Three

10 a.m.-12 p.m.: I did not wake up hungry. I made a detox drink with the provided in-room mini-blender and guzzled water along with a few more green pills. Feeling great, I headed to the juice bar for my final shake. There was a choice of either a vanilla or chocolate powder shake made with pea and hemp protein. I tried both. Each was delicious and filling.

Was I excited about the departure day salad topped with tahini dressing? You bet. On the way home, though, I did not stop for food. Instead, I drank some of the leftover carrot juice and went to bed proud that I made it almost three days without eating solids. I may never get back into those size 2 DKNY outfits, but I felt a lot lighter, brighter, and less bloated. We Care Spa boasts an 80 percent return rate. Now I understand why.

Retreat options start at $2,019+ for two nights, $5,049+ for five nights and $6,149+ for seven nights. Book at www.wecarespa.com or call 1-800-888-2523.