Steaming water bubbled around me as I eased into a private mineral bath at The Spa at Séc-he in Palm Springs, California. The warm water felt like a baby’s blanket.
My ceremonial 15-minute soak was the blissful beginning to a spa day at Séc-he, a new wellness facility owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The Palm Springs spa is run by and next to the Agua Caliente Casino.
To tribal members, “Taking of the Waters” is a sacred healing experience dating back centuries. The tribe began sharing Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring with settlers in the 1800s. The hot spring quickly became the city’s first tourist attraction–and its namesake. A rough-hewn wooden cabin welcomed the first bathers.
Séc-he brings world-class spa to Palm Springs
Today, the latest iteration of the tribe’s “bathhouse” provides world-class luxury to devotees of hot springs and upscale spa experiences. Séc-he, pronounced “Seh-hee,” means “the sound of boiling water” in the Cahuilla language.
The 73,000-square-foot facility opened in April 2023 with 22 private mineral baths, a fitness center, resort-style pools, and whirlpool tubs. Also available, separate from spa day passes, are floatation rooms and a cryotherapy chamber. Spa therapies, from facials and body scrubs to massages, incorporate tribal healing methods and indigenous herbs.
Séc-he spa is part of the even newer Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, where one of the largest tribe-operated cultural museums in the U.S. opened in November 2023. The cultural museum tells the story of the Agua Caliente people with exhibits of ancient artifacts and art. Outside, the Oasis Trail links the buildings together with displays of native plants and rock formations from the tribe’s nearby desert home, shadowed by the towering San Jacinto Mountains.
Spa and Museum introduce curves to Palm Springs angles
Palm Springs is known for its angular mid-century modern architecture. But the Agua Caliente spa and museum resemble the tribe’s traditional woven baskets. Curved corners outside are layered in naturally beige slate. Inside, sinuous walls sparkle with tribal mosaics, pottery, and art.
The Taking of the Waters ceremony is the central experience at Séc-he. Hot spring water ascends 8,000 feet from below the spa, absorbing calcium, magnesium, and sodium along the way. Before reaching Séc-he, the water cools to 105 degrees.
A short soak in the mineral-rich water is believed to relieve chronic ailments, increase circulation, and relieve stress. I can’t say the experience changed my life, but the soak was a relaxing pause from a hectic three-day visit to Palm Springs.
Séc-he includes tribal traditions in new spa
The spa’s other amenities are equally soothing. I breathed finely ground salt particles in a halotherapy salt cave to detoxify my respiratory system. Other favorites included listening to meditative sounds in the acoustic vibration lounge and inhaling the soothing scent of eucalyptus in the steam room.
After sampling several indoor spa activities, I headed outside to explore the spacious patio area shaded with palm trees. I floated in a zero-edge pool of warm mineral water and then cooled off beneath a waterfall in another pool. A poolside bar serves cocktails and smoothies, along with Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
Guests receiving spa treatments relax in an indoor tranquility garden with a waterfall and desert plants before entering one of 15 ultra-modern treatment rooms. Crushed quartz, water cells, and grounding pads cushion high-tech tables, enhancing the sensory experience.
Séc-he boasts modern fitness and treatment options
In the spa’s well-equipped fitness center, guests can seek relief from back and joint pain in zero-sensory floatation tanks and a cryotherapy chamber.
I left the spa, my hair still damp, impressed. Séc-he seamlessly combines the ancient healing features of the hot springs with the latest scientific wellness methods. Reason enough for me to plan a return trip to Palm Springs.
My spa day at Séc-he was part of media visit to Palm Springs hosted by Palm Springs Small Hotels.
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