La Bonne Vie Day Spa

On a 115-degree day in the dead of summer, downtown Scottsdale can get a little sleepy. Half the merchants have skipped town while the other half signal their willingness to brave the heat with electrical tape or towels on their door handles so shoppers won’t scorch their hands on entry. Restaurants that usually enjoy alfresco seating blast the outdoor misters only to have patrons hunker down inside like Eskimos coming in from the cold.

Such was the scene the day I pulled up in front La Bonne Vie Day Spa. The thought struck me that in a few short months, not only will I not be able to snag such a sweet parking space but that this area will be bustling with tourists and locals alike drinking in our crisp fall weather and unique downtown destinations. But today, it feels like this place is all mine. And that feeling stayed with me throughout my delightful immersion into the La Bonne Vie experience.

Greeted at the door by owner Virginia Trujillo, I was led to one of the two treatment rooms by Kortney, a licensed massage therapist and aesthetician. The room was spacious and blanketed in a cottage-like comfort with whimsical dragonfly accessories, feminine artwork and soft yellow walls. I was signed up for the signature Buddha’s Retreat Body Wrap, which would be followed by a Therapeutic Massage. Before I settled in for the treatment, Kortney explained the ritual about to unfold. A plump pink rose — which I later was delighted to find out would go home with me — rested on the treatment palette of scrubs, balms and lotions that would be used during my wrap.

Kortney expertly led me through the body treatment, which started with a full-body exfoliation with crushed bamboo and was followed by a double-layered body mask of aloe, green tea and rice putty. Once cocooned in the body mask, I was treated to a scalp massage and then left alone to slip in and out of consciousness for what seemed like a good 20 minutes. Kortney led me to the bathroom where I rinsed the silky mask off in the shower and then settled back on the treatment table for the massage, which was also expertly done.

On checkout, I was treated to the lovely rose along with a take-home gift of green tea shower gel and moisture lotion. My two-hour visit with La Bonne Vie left me with soft skin, kink-free muscles and a slaphappy smile that only comes with the blissful gratitude of finding a sweet, intimate retreat like La Bonne Vie Day Spa.