Old Monterey District Blog

DESUAR Spa, with locations in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood, is excited to announce it is partnering with Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa to manage its wellness division of the hotel at 700 Munras Avenue in Downtown Old Monterey.

We invite you to make an appointment at DESUAR Spa to experience an array of relaxing, high-end services including facials, waxing, massage, spray tanning, acne treatment, body scrubs, makeup, body wraps, CBD treatments, and more.

The generous 2700 square feet of space at the spa includes four treatment rooms, lockers, showers, changing rooms, and relaxation lounges with comfortable seating, all designed to be a restful haven for guests. The hacienda esthetic of the spa features warm, natural wood tones and high ceilings complimented by contemporary decor.

DESUAR Spa strives to be a place of renewal for the mind, body, and spirit, providing the best high-end therapeutic skin and body treatments while promoting natural healing. It is now open daily at Casa Munras Garden Hotel, 10am-6pm. Please visit our website or phone 831-372-1829 to make your appointment.

Please note: spa guests must be at least 18 years of age.

Montrio invites you to visit us and unwind with a Cara Cara Collins - featuring house-made Cara Cara orange and cumin marmalade, gin, soda, and lemon - hand-crafted by Montrio's barkeep, Daniel Watson.

Daniel offers his fresh, innovative, seasonal approach to the Montrio line-up where he and his team create their own juices, infusions, and liqueurs and every cocktail has a homemade element. Enjoy at 414 Calle Principal in Downtown Old Monterey.

On July 19, Monterey City Council and staff recognized Rick Johnson, who has served as the executive director of the Old Monterey Business Association for 22 years and as the administrator of the Lighthouse District (a.k.a. New Monterey Business Association). Rick, who is California's longest serving leader of a business association, will be retiring at the end of July.

The Old Monterey Business Association would like to thank Rick for his many years of service to our community. His natural charm, sense of humor, abiding love for the people of Monterey, and his in-depth knowledge of businesses and government infrastructure will be missed.

But don't worry, Rick Johnson is not leaving Monterey! He's looking forward to spending more time with his family and friends and relaxing a little after leading two business associations through a pandemic lockdown. And our district is in great hands with the OMBA's new executive director, Peter Cofresi, who's been serving as our assistant executive director for years.

The City of Monterey has just completed an upgrade to a number of parking stations in off-street locations in Downtown Old Monterey. A variety of outdated pay-and-display and pay-by-space meters have now been replaced with Flowbird Smart Parking kiosks.

The new parking system features a pay-by-plate parking kiosk with a 9.7” full color touch display that is accessible for all customers, including meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and offers a choice of languages. The touch screen display has the look and feel of a tablet, walking users step-by-step through the transaction process, and it's compatible with the ParkMobile app that the City introduced in 2019.

The Old Monterey Business Association is proud to announce that we've been nominated for Best Business Association in the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce's 35th Annual Business Excellence Awards. If you're a member of the Chamber of Commerce, you're permitted to vote for us in the 2nd round of voting. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on July 28, 2022. We thank the Chamber and members of the public for the honor of this nomination!

The Old Monterey Business Association and the Old Monterey Foundation would like to thank our volunteers and the many people who participated in and attended our 2022 4th of July Parade in Downtown Old Monterey! It was a wonderful community celebration and it was great to be with you all once again on Independence Day.

Photos of the parade, as well as photos of the pancake breakfast at Fire Station #11 and photos of the music and food fest on the lawn of Colton Hall, all taken by OMBA web developer and photographer Sheldon Chang, are now available on the Old Monterey website.

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Mercedes-Benz have chosen Monterey County Youth Museum as one of the local nonprofit organizations to benefit from their annual car drawing. The winner of the drawing will receive a brand new Mercedes-Benz A220 (MSRP $41,100).

MY Museum has been given 1,000 tickets to sell for $100 per ticket. All funds raised will be used for MY Museum's educational programs and exhibits and will support our commitment to providing subsidized museum visits for schools and families in challenging circumstances.

The drawing will be held on August 21 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (you need not to be present to win). Tickets can be purchased in person at MY Museum, over the phone at 831-649-6444, or by reserving tickets online - we will call you for payment. Once payment is made we will mail you your tickets and receipt.

Help us bring joy and learning through play to children! Be assured that every time someone buys a ticket (or two or three) for the car drawing, MY Museum staff do the happy dance in the office.

Please note: winner of the car will be responsible for all applicable taxes, licensing, and transfer fees. Delivery is limited to within the USA only.