USA Today: A giant in the produce industry has planted the seeds for a ground-breaking California spa complex.
Dole Food of pineapple and packaged-salad fame is building a wellness center, spa and 270-room luxury hotel on 20 acres next to its headquarters in Westlake Village, Calif. The complex, about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is due to open next summer.
The spa and medical facilities — a pioneering venture by a food company — will offer everything from massages to plastic-surgery recovery to a longevity test that measures a person’s rate of DNA degradation. It is the brainchild of Dole Foods chairman David Murdock, a self-made billionaire in his early 80s who is passionate about health and anti-aging treatments.
“He wants to bring together the best nutritionists and health experts to be on the scientific cutting edge but also provide luxury and pampering,” says Jennifer Grossman, director of the Dole Nutrition Institute, which will be involved with spa and hotel-restaurant offerings and send guests home with dietary prescriptions.
The complex was not dreamed up to extend the Dole brand, Grossman says. “For Mr. Murdock, it’s a mission kind of thing. The branding is incidental. He is completely passionate about nutrition and how to promote longevity.”
