Looking for more than a weekend off to catch your breath? Here’s an idea: put winter in its place and check into one of Arizona’s award-winning resort spas. You’ll not only find yourself in a bed of luxury, odds are you will rediscover your sense of well-being.
A STATE OF BLISS
The notion of slipping away to a desert retreat may be new to some, but in Arizona, it’s a time-honoured tradition. Drawn by the warmth and allure of the spiritually charged Sonoran Desert, visionary hoteliers, executives, celebrities and others among America’s elite began flocking to Phoenix-Scottsdale more than 75 years ago. Here they found an idyllic environment perfectly suited for re-energizing the mind, body and soul.
Suffice to say spas have flourished here. Luxury SpaFinder Magazine reports that Phoenix-Scottsdale is home to the highest concentration of resort spas in America.
Part of what makes Arizona’s spas unique is their application of ancient Native American traditions including hot-stone massage and other ameliorative techniques, as well as therapeutically beneficial indigenous desert botanicals. Such Southwest traditions are interwoven with sophisticated treatments – Vichy from France, Satori from Japan, Luk Pra Kope from Thailand, and gentle massage from Sweden among others.
Among the state’s numerous topranked facilities, Willow Stream, the Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, was included on Condé Nast Traveller’s Top 50 Spas list for 2006.
And, for the second consecutive year, Luxury SpaFinder readers voted the Alvadora Spa at Royal Palms Resort one of the world’s 10 most-romantic spas.
Meanwhile, Travel + Leisure’s 2006 top 10 list of World’s Best spas included Mii amo, the destination spa at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, and Canyon Ranch and Miraval Life in Balance in Tucson.
Miraval – an isolated retreat nestled at the foot of Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains – has been loudly championed by celebs including Oprah Winfrey. A spa treatment is just one part of a daily activity menu at this all-inclusive, adult-only resort, which features ongoing lectures that encourage introspection and selfimprovement.
Many of the Valley’s earliest established, secluded hideaways remain living legends. Luxury resort spas like the Arizona Biltmore, Wigwam, Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort and others in Phoenix-Scottsdale continue to rank among America’s best.
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa is a fine example. This exclusive property got its start in the ’50s as a private racquet club. Its modern reincarnation, however, is the work of Arizona-based luxury resort developer and management company Westroc, which reinvented Santuary in 2000. (The company is also behind The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, and the Hotel Valley Ho and its VH Spa in Scottsdale, and the upscale Lodge at Ventana Canyon, in Tucson).
Since reopening its doors in 2001, Sanctuary has been noted on Condé Nast Traveller “Gold List.” This year, CNT readers voted Sanctuary America’s best resort spa.
At the heart of this intimate retreat is the 12,000-square-foot Sanctuary Spa. It boasts ultimate privacy and breathtaking views of Paradise Valley and offers Asian-inspired treatments and other spiritually uplifting programs including meditation, yoga, fitness and nutrition consultations.
To their clientele, resorts like these are bastions of relaxation. But among this field, the competition is decidedly stiff. How far will Arizona’s spas go to wow their guests?
Spa Avania at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch offers some indication. Architecturally, this $9-million, 21,000-squarefoot spa, which opened in 2005, is a monument to understated elegance.
Hyatt even created a new approach to spa with treatments choreographed to the body’s natural biorhythms. At Spa Avania, morning treatments awaken and invigorate. Midday experiences are balancing. And in the evening, it’s all about winding down.
Among its therapies, Avania offers ritual massages from Thailand, the Mediterranean, East India and the Middle East.
Visits to Avania not only instil harmony during your stay, they inspire guests to better attune themselves to their body’s needs and embrace pathways to better health.
Other full-service resort spas in Greater Phoenix, such as
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort’s Revive Spa, and The Phoenician's Centre for Well- Being are renowned. Tocasierra Spa & Salon at the
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort will delight your senses. Recently, this Southwestern-influenced spa was named among Arizona’s top 10 spas for service by Arizona Woman Magazine. It is gorgeous. Drop in for a relaxing manicure, facial or a deliciously satisfying hot-stone massage.
If you are hankering to spend all day – or possibly days – at a spa, the award-winning Willow Stream at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will serve you well. At 44,000 square feet, Willow Stream remains the Valley’s largest – and among its most beautiful – spa.
Inspired by the Grand Canyon’s enchanting Havasupai Falls, Willow Stream’s decor and therapies are themed on the natural elements – light, air, fire and water. Beyond heavenly treatments, guests enjoy amenities including a rooftop pool that features dramatic views of the McDowell Mountains. One floor below, cascading waterfalls provide a thundering massage to soothe the neck and shoulders. Sipping delicious herbal teas or savouring a nutritious box lunch in the atrium is bliss.
And when it’s time to go home, no doubt with a collection of herbal teas, delicious lotions and new ideas about wellness in hand, rest assured you’ll feel well armed to take on your world.
---
Associations and Partners also appearing in this report:
Willow Stream, the Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess presents its Girlfriends Spa Getaway Experience, a package that includes luxury accommodations...
At Aji Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, the Blue Coyote wrap is just one treatment that reflects this spa’s Native American influence...
Mii amo, a destination spa at Enchantment Resort The top-ranked U.S. spa on Travel + Leisure’s 2006 list of World's Best spas, Mii amo consistently and pleasantly lives up to its name...
The Red Door Spa at TheWestin La Paloma Resort Indulge in trademark Elizabeth Arden spa products and professional services at the Red Door Spa at Tucson’s AAA Four-Diamond Westin La Paloma Resort...
---
TO READ THE FULL REPORT AS IT APPEARED IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL, PLEASE CLICK ON THE ATTACHED PDF >
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| AZ spas 2007.pdf | 2.09 MB |