Retail legend, former vice-president and creative director of The Room at Hudson’s Bay, as well as glamour enabler to the stars and the who’s who of society, Mellamphy takes a breather from the glitz of fashion life with his yearly sojourns to We Care Spa.

MY PASSION

Most people travel or vacation to lose themselves, or at the very least, to take themselves out of their everyday lives. I take my vacation every year in hopes of finding myself again!

MY FAVOURITE PLACE

If you had asked me about Palm Springs 11 years ago, I would’ve been dismissive – that’s for old people – but I’ve been going to We Care Spa outside of Desert Hot Springs for a decade now, and there’s something about the energy of being surrounded by the desert that is just so incredibly soulful. The smell of the desert, there’s something mystical and spiritual about it; I feel totally at home. 

SEEING IS BELIEVING

I often refer to We Care as my happy place. I feel both a calm of spirit and a challenge of mind here. I start the week with a guided walking meditation in the labyrinth and set my intentions. And what do I do for the week? I do their liquid detox, the Miracle Cleanse, (there are loads of different juices, soups, teas and shakes so you’re never hungry); daily colonics; a deep-tissue massage with Israel every other day; and Reiki healing with Mari, who is so intuitive you will sit in thought long after your time with her. I end by acknowledging the steps that I have taken to get to that point. Through this past decade, I have become so much more comfortable with not only my physical body, but with my mind/spirit connection. A wellness journey encompasses more than just a few weeks a year – I try to take one teaching from each trip to the desert into my day-to-day life. 

SAVVY TRAVELLER TIP

When I travel, I like to make things as easy as possible from a shopping or dressing perspective. When I’m at We Care, I like a monochromatic vibe head to toe. Black the whole time. Uniqlo’s classic T-shirts, the Interval  Short from Ten Thousand and my Bleusalt blazer and sweats. They all fit into my handy Rimowa carry-on. It’s easier to fly direct to LAX on Air Canada, especially in the off-season, so it enables me the opportunity to add on some days on the end of each trip in Los Angeles and catch up with my West Coast friends.  

IF YOU BUY ONE THING

A stop in at Bleusalt’s headquarters at the Malibu County Mart is always on my itinerary – the super-chic but extremely wearable collection is a favourite with celebrities like Meghan Markle. My go-to is the Big Rock Blazer designed by Patrick Dempsey for Bleusalt, the The Men’s Raglan and The Classic Sweatpant. And while I’m In LA, I always have cocktails and dinner at The Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, go for canyon hikes with my friend and client Sarah Rafferty, then get smoothies at Erewhon, because as Sarah says, we’re bougie!

MY TAKEAWAY

I’ve been living such a fast-paced life – the constant barrage of other people’s ideas, thoughts and emotions, not to mention the constant swirl of colour, print and styles that make up fashion, is both exciting and depleting. At some point, I realized I needed both sides of that coin. I was searching for serenity and a sense of calm that enabled me to recalibrate and have a greater understanding of who I am and where I fit in the world. We Care Spa is that one place where I return to constantly – it never tires, I return to it so I can return to me. —As told to Antonia Whyatt