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Jul 01, 2023

Christina Hall Tries to Replicate Her Favorite Luxe Spa in Mexico in Her Backyard

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Christina and Josh Hall are all about at-home wellness. The couple built a spa sanctuary in the backyard

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Christina and Josh Hall are all about at-home wellness. The couple built a spa sanctuary in the backyard of their California home, and it features luxury sauna and ice bath.

During a new episode of Christina on the Coast, the couple decided to turn a small grassy area in their backyard into a private self-care center. "Josh and I recently went on a spa retreat in Mexico, and they had this amazing spa," Christina said in the episode. "And every day, we were doing their sauna and ice plunge and we felt so good after. So we decided, why don't we create that at home?"

In October 2022, Christina shared snaps of herself and Josh at the One&Only Mandarina on Instagram. She called the resort's facilities the "best spa ever" in an Instagram story, so it's likely that's the luxe location she's referencing. Situated on a beach in Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, the resort's spa includes a cold plunge, sauna, mud grotto, steam room, and more wellness offerings.

The design expert went on to name a few of the benefits of a cold plunge including helping with inflammation, injury recovery, and giving you an "amazing jolt of energy, better than a cup of coffee." When the couple told Christina's fellow designer and project manager, James Bender, about their plans, he wasn't quite sold on the idea. After asking what kind of container the ice bath is in, Josh described it as a deep freezer or meat locker that you convert into an ice bath. To that, James replied, "Okay, that sounds shady. So you're putting humans in a deep freezer? I've heard this before."

All jokes aside, Christina and Josh got to work creating their dream oasis. Christina selected a 6-by-6-foot barrel sauna made of cedar. It fits six people and has all sorts of features. Josh put it together with help from a friend. The ice bath Josh ordered seems to have a gray faux-wood exterior and comes with a lock to keep the kids out. It's certainly not a DIY, and it even has an interior shelf for sitting on if you don't want to go in too deep.

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Cold Plunge

$5500.00

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Of course, they had to test the ice bath during the episode and had some friendly competition to see who could stay in it the longest. "Christina is literally the queen of mental strength, manifesting, figuring things out," Josh said of the challenge. "I'm more the physical strength. So getting into an ice bath with her, I mean, it's a no-brainer. I'm gonna last longer. I don't know how she'd physically be able to."

They both lasted pretty long considering the typical target time for a cold plunge is three to five minutes. At four minutes and 20 seconds, Christina bowed out. Shortly after, Josh jumped out of the bath and into the sauna. Now, all they need to add is a meditation area (and perhaps a spot to showcase Christina's crystals!), and the spa will be complete.

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