by Tamara Rice of The Rice Paper

If you could use a day at the spa, but can’t afford the kind with fancy white robes, then the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Southern California might be for you. While there are now other locations (Brea and Valencia), the original in Corona is still the best bang for your buck.

Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa

In the off season, you’ll pay $35 for admission on weekdays and $48 on weekends and holidays. For that flat fee, spa guests can enjoy the swimming pool, an assortment of jacuzzis, mineral hot springs, a lounge pool (where you can float in cool shallow water for hours), “Club Mud” (amazing mud bath that will make your skin feel great), saunas and even steam rooms.

Tropical Paradise Inside Glen Ivy Hot Springs

There is so much to do, one hardly needs to pay for more pampering, but if you really need a massage or a facial, you can pay extra for those.

Because only guests over 16 are allowed, Glen Ivy is quiet and peaceful. Men and women of all shapes and sizes can feel comfortable just relaxing in the sun or shade. (In other words: This is not the sort of spa where you need to worry about how you look in a swimsuit.)

While it’s a bit crowded in the summer months, and slightly more expensive, the Fall and Spring always a little slower. Pick the right day, and you can still have sun, even in November–this is Southern California after all.

What’s more, the food is incredible. Their Cafe Sole offers amazing entres that will leave you feeling healthy, even if you do order the BBQ chicken pizza. Just be prepared to pay around $15 per person for any meal you eat at the spa.

Don’t let the location fool you. Corona isn’t known for being pretty, but at Glen Ivy Hot Springs–much like Disneyland–you can’t see the outside world.

Photos courtesy of AmandaB3 and MarjK (Flickr.com)