Scottsdale Spas

By Karen Werner, Judith Lazarus, Laurel House, and Melissa B. Williams

Spas in Scottsdale run the gamut from Southwestern hideaways to swanky modern boutiques. If you've only been to Scottsdale to golf or shop, you're missing out on the Sonoran Desert's abundance of native healing plants and indigenous therapies rooted in Native American tradition. Healing Lifestyles & Spas sent four writers to the area to explore and uncover the healing side of sophisticated Scottsdale.

The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa 

Carefree, Arizona, (480) 488-9009, www.theboulders.com

Golf geeks and spa seekers alike make pilgrimages to this Sonoran Desert oasis. Surrounded by towering twelve-million-year-old boulders, The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa is a place where rugged terrain and luxury gracefully collide, encouraging calm to eclipse the chaos of normal life as guests ease into a slightly slower pace.

Environment Adobe casitas are expertly sprinkled across the resort's 1,300 acres of desert and golf courses, creating the illusion that you are only one of few guests enjoying the glorious landscape. Guests aren't the only ones basking in the sun; you'll likely find coyote, deer, and jackrabbits scampering across the resort's cacti-lined manicured paths.

Spa Experience The Golden Door Spa is a world-reknowned refuge for restless minds and mangled muscles. The 33,000-square-foot spa, complete with 24 treatment rooms,  movement studio,  labyrinth, watsu pools, saunas, steam rooms, and O'furo (traditional Japanese bath), unites a myriad of healing practices including Hopi medicine, Japanese therapies, Shamanic rituals, and modern methods.

Activities Hiking, golfing, spa'ing, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, meditation, and shopping are sure to fill your time with just enough activity to prohibit any thoughts of work from seeping into your head. Other attractions include the El Pedregal Festival Marketplace, which features courtyard concerts in the open-air amphitheater; boutiques filled with hand-crafted artisan gifts, art, and apparel; and the Heard Museum North exhibiting Native American culture.

Healing Tip The Shamanic Chakra Session is unlike any spa treatment you have ever experienced. A resident Shaman takes you outside (weather depending) to a traditional Native American teepee. The space is cleansed of previous energies by burning ceremonial sage. With the use of crystals, feathers, candles, and energy work, your aura is cleansed and depleted chakras are revitalized. It is truly the ultimate healing experience in that it calms the spirit and balances the body and mind. Shamanic Chakra sessions can be so powerful that your perception of life may be altered.

—L.H.

 

VH Spa for Vitality and Health at Hotel Valley Ho

Scottsdale, Arizona, (480) 248-2000, www.hotelvalleyho.com

Originally a hideaway for stars like Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, and Natalie Wood, the Hotel Valley Ho re-opened last December after an $80 million renovation. In keeping with its cool pedigree, the VH Spa for Vitality and Health offers a swanky alternative to the more extravagant spas in Scottsdale.  The May issue of Condé Nast Traveler ranked VH Spa one of the top 55 hot new spas around the world.

Environment Located on Valley Ho's second floor, the VH Spa makes the most of its expansive windows and pervasive light. White and blue accents create an upbeat vibe, while the breezy ‘50s tunes bring out the skip in your step. By most spa standards, the changing rooms are skimpy, but the pragmatic Jack LaLanne aesthetic makes it all work.

Spa Experience The treatment menu consists of about a dozen choices, mostly straightforward body work and skincare. One standout is the spa's Red Flower Hammam full-body treatment, which is based on skincare secrets of the Turkish bathhouse. First you are cleansed with Moroccan mint tea and silt, then scrubbed with coffee, olive pits, and lemons. After a clay wrap, the treatment finishes with a Turkish massage using the curative essences of cardamom, jasmine, bergamot, amber, and clove. By the end, fifty scents have been layered on your skin.

Activities Everything old is new again at the Valley Ho. Trader Vic's, the iconic restaurant that created the Mai Tai, opened at the hotel this spring, serving Polynesian-inspired hors d'oeuvres and kicky umbrella drinks. And, just as it did when the courtyard pool was the backdrop for star-studded weddings and fashion shows, the Oh Pool pulls you in. This large circular pool is located at the center of the resort, and it acts like an aquatic heartbeat. Its patio features hip outdoor furniture and eight private cabanas, where you can enjoy a poolside massage, pedicure or even a slathering of sunscreen applied by a massage therapist.

Healing Tip Although VH retains a firm foot in the past, it caters to busy modern times with 45-minute massages just for your back, neck, and shoulders. Or, for an energetic twist, try the Quantum Biofeedback. In this treatment, wires around your wrists, ankles, and head transmit electrical impulses from your body to a computer. Then, your therapist tries to bring you into balance by sending complementary electrical impulses back to your body.

—K.W.

The Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain

Paradise Valley, Arizona, (800) 245-2051, www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com

Situated with picturesque views of both Paradise Valley and the legendary Camelback Mountain, the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain offers guests a unique blend of desert elegance and Zen living.

Environment The Asian-inspired property instantly calms the senses from the moment you walk into the reception area. After checking in, head to the Jade Bar for a cocktail. Then gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer sweeping views of the Paradise Valley. For dinner, head to Elements, Sanctuary's signature restaurant, and request a table on the veranda. Elements highlights organic cuisine on both their regular and lighter fare menus, catering to the health-conscious as well as those “on vacation.”

Spa Experience A visit to the Sanctuary really doesn't begin until you've visited the Sanctuary Spa, featuring cool slate tile, gurgling fountains, and the tranquil Zen Meditation Garden. Each of the fourteen treatment suites opens to the Zen Meditation Garden—a common space featuring a reflecting pool, stone pathways, and lush green plants. While still honoring Thai traditions, the Sanctuary's Thai treatments also incorporate a little of the Western feel-good mentality. Book the Luk Pra Kope therapy—a two-hour Thai experience designed to soothe knotted muscles and calm knotted minds. Your therapist will first soak your feet in a blend of lime and essential oils, then buff them to baby softness using a blend of fine white clay and lime. The massage portion of the treatment is clothed, standard for Thai massage, and incorporates stretching movements, kneading, and assisted yoga postures to awaken the joints, improve mobility, release energy blockages, and deeply massage tired and tight muscles. Finally, using a compress of steamy, organically grown, medicinal herbs, your therapist will press and massage out any lingering tension from your body.

Activities Spend the day lounging by the pool, or if you're feeling more ambitious, head to the tennis courts for a match. Although the Sanctuary doesn't have its own golf course, it does have partnerships with various links in the area and will happily arrange a tee time.

Healing Tip Prefer a bit more privacy? Book your treatments in the Sanctum—a private stone-walled retreat often reserved by couples—which features a private deluge shower and vitality pool. Then spend part of the day relaxing under the desert sun by the Sanctuary's infinity pool.

—M.B.W.

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