Sanctuary Spa at the Palisades Opens in The Highlands

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Sanctuary Spa at the Palisades—which is designed to be a “serene luxury day spa” with “transformative experiences to indulge and awaken the senses”—has opened in Palisades Highlands Plaza.

The space is owned and operated by wife and husband team Racquel and Jeff Jacobs, who have lived in the Palisades for 25 years in El Medio Bluffs. Their kids grew up in the area, attending Marquez Charter Elementary and Palisades Charter High schools.

Racquel took auyervedic training and in the process got her massage certification in 2008, she explained. After launching a “short-lived” brand of body products, she did volunteer work with nonprofits, which led to her getting a bachelor degree in social work with a minor in gerontology followed by a master’s degree from USC in the management field in gerontology.

While working as a care manager—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—Racquel said she realized self-care was “really, really important.”

“One of my passions was slow, clean beauty,” she described, wanting to bring that concept to a space in the Palisades. “I like to feed my skin with clean products … high end, but still in the price point where it’s not too expensive.”

The products used and sold at the spa are all either marine or plant derived, Racquel explained.

“I needed to redefine a typical day spa resort in a way,” she said, “because oftentimes, you’d have to get away for seven days to go to this beautiful resort and have this beautiful experience in a spa. So I decided, why not have something that you can come in and out, you don’t have to do the seven-day travel just to have that and still have that experience?”

Racquel said that her husband, Jeff, is a CPA and a “huge part in having all of this come together.”

“It was important to sort of remember the way the Palisades used to be,” Jeff said of the spa. “It was fair and it treated people fairly … Sometimes you get newer companies or stores that move in here and they’re very, very expensive. We wanted to have incredible service, incredible product, at a price that’s very, very competitive.”

Sanctuary Spa offers a menu of facials, massage, body treatments and spa experience. Facials include the Sanctuary Palisades Signature Facial, Hydrasoothe Calming Facial, Gentleman’s Facial and Hydracloud High Performance Facial.

Body treatments come with a eucalyptus steam and shower, designed to open pores, while relaxing and soothing muscles. The menu has the Papaya Pineapple Saltmousse Body Exfoliating, Rose Body Wrap and Papaya Créme Fraiche Body Wrap treatments.

When it comes to massage, options include Restorative Massage, Couples Massage and the Ageless Massage.

“One of the things that Racquel did—based on her background in gerontology and aging services—we designed a specific treatment called the Ageless Massage, specifically for elderly,” Jeff explained. “It’s something that was important to us in creating the spa.”

A platinum experience is a half-day at the spa, including three hours of “pampering, relaxation and stress-relief,” which can be for a solo client or with one to two guests.

“Although all our therapists are licensed and experienced, Racquel made it a point to spend the past two months training her staff in the various specialty treatments and techniques that we use at the spa,” Jeff explained. The therapists have told us that they’ve never gone through such a detailed training, not even at the larger franchise spas. We likewise take a lot of pride in the level of training provided, which we believe will translate to a great customer experience.”

The spa also offers private parties, including baby showers, engagement parties, birthdays or get-togethers with friends. A “unique menu of spa treatments and goodies” can be assembled for the event.

Sanctuary Spa is located at 530 Palisades Drive. For more information, visit sanctuarypalisades.com.