Tucson, Arizona is a great spa town, home to Canyon Ranch and Miraval, two of the country's most highly regarded destination spas. But now there's a new option for people who want a luxury resort spa experience -- sumptuous accommodations, fine dining, great golf, tennis, kids' adventure pool and a beautiful spa. The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, a 250-room resort spread out over 850 acres of Sonoran Desert, has just opened in Marana (northwest of Tucson).

With 27 holes, The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course will be a big draw for golfers, and the resort has a 235-foot water slide to please the kids. But Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain is also offering lots of adult activities to compete with the local destination spas - hiking, biking, birdwatching, stargazing, aerobics classes, core, strength and circuit training, yoga, Pilates, sunrise power walks, even horseback riding through a local ranch.

The spa has 14 indoor and outdoor treatments rooms (including suites for couples and small groups) , a mountain view fitness center, a private fireplace and courtyard, and an outdoor Serenity pool terrace where guests can see ancient Native American carvings in nearby rocks. To celebrate the the opening, the resort is offering introductory rates starting from $259 -- and now is the perfect time to go!

There's a new wellness blog out there for New Yorkers that I like -- Well+Good NYC. Bloggers Melisse Gelula and Alexia Brue, formerly of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, just released their "10 NYC Wellness Trends for 2010". The one I find most interesting is their prediction that more people will be going to independent therapists.

"Highly skilled healers and top-notch therapists will trump outsize spa meccas, Bisazza tile-lined wet lounges, and heavily scripted treatment rituals as the reason for spa visits in 2010," they write. "More in demand: Building a personal ongoing relationship with a trusted bodyworker or facialist, and low-key surrounds. (Luxe spas with well-being and prevention services in their menus will fare better than purely pampering ones.)"

They also note more practitioners making their own products, the rise of specialist acupuncturists, and more "quickie" spa services at retail stores. Melisse says Well+GoodNYC.com is a "holistic Daily Candy--meets--WebMD-type resource for and about savvy New Yorkers, who are interested in well-being, may already have holistic habits (shop at city green markets and purchase PVC-free yoga mats), and practice self-care."

The spa deals will keep coming, according to SpaFinder's Top 10 Global Spa Trends to Watch in 2010. One of the big reasons is an oversupply of spas. For all the day spas that have closed, a lot of big resort spas are still opening. "There were spas in various stages of construction at the start of the recession, and while some scrapped or delayed plans, many saw it through," says SpaFinder.

SpaFinder says to expect discounts, "extras", loyalty programs that let you get points towards future programs, and open houses where you can try new treatments for a nominal fee -- or even free. Find out more about how to get the best spa deals. And people are going to get another shot at the $50 spa treatments they enjoy twice a year during Spa Week. SpaFinder is going to have its own SpaFinder Deal Days March 8 -14. Mark your calendar!

One of SpaFinder's Top 10 Global Spa Trends in 2010 named by SpaFinder is the worldwide trend to hammams. I've noticed that lots of spas are now calling their steam rooms "hammams," and was glad to find out that's not what SpaFinder is talking about. (In fact, they predict spas with inappropriately labeled "hammams" will be taken to task as the industry commits to higher standards of authenticity.)

No, they mean the real deal -- elaborate facilities where you get a full-body scrub, soaping, and often a massage inside a heated steam room. Read about what happens in a traditional Turkish bath. Of course, that experience was $20, whereas I'm sure the many of the new luxury hammams, especially in hotels, will have stunning price tags! Miraj Hammam, an early innovator and the first hammam in Canada, has experiences that start at $109.

Photo by Miraj Hammam