Guided one toward alternative spa out of desperation (8)
I believe the answer is:
oriented
'guided one toward' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'alternative spa out of desperation' is the wordplay.
'alternative' indicates anagramming the letters (an alternative ordering of the letters).
'out of' suggests deleting specific letters ('out of' can mean no longer having).
'desperation' with 'spa' taken away is 'deertion'.
'deertion' is an anagram of 'ORIENTED'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for oriented that I've seen before include "Made to face in a certain direction - the East? (8)" , "Got bearings or became accustomed to" , "Aligned" , "Placed in relation to compass, or accustomed to things" .)