Anitra's Spas Blog

I just tried an interesting new spa treatment called Rain Massage at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. No, it doesn't take place under a Vichy shower. Instead you're massaged with smooth rain sticks -- the hollow tubes of wood that sound like rain when you turn them upside down. Created by Matt Murdock, the therapist who came up with Rollerssage, Rain Massage is conceived as a "journey" where you "become the rain." Read more...

Condé Nast Traveler's May issue features a "Hot List" of 76 new spas that opened around the world in 2007. The list in the U.S. includes four in California -- Spa Solage in Calistoga, Voda Spa in Los Angeles, Spa Desert Springs in Palm Desert, and Spa at Grand Del Mar in San Diego -- and two in Texas -- Spa at Four Seasons in Austin and Ritz-Carlton Dallas. Other US winners include The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Va., Drift Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., and Solitude Spa, Jackson Hole, Wyo. Mexico has three winners, including Spa Aqua in Cancún, Paz Body & Mind Spa in Los Cabos, and Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Riviera Maya, while the Caribbean had a whole slew of hot new spas, including three in Antigua -- Spa at Curtain Bluff, Hermitage Bay Spa and Spa Tranquility in Antigua -- and two in Jamaica --- Fern Tree at Half Moon in Montego Bay and Rockhouse Spa.

Ever heard of EMDR? I had, barely, but never had a chance to try it out until I went to Canyon Ranch Tucson -- which is now officially my favorite spa. The reason I love Canyon Ranch is the same reason I love Manhattan. There's more to do than you can ever hope to fit in. And you find out about interesting, life-transforming things that you never knew existed. Read about EMDR, my Shamanic Journey and Healing Touch at Canyon Ranch Tucson.

When it comes down to it, your visit to the spa is only as good as the treatment. The steam room and beautiful surroundings can add to it, but if your massage therapist is exhausted by working two shifts, then you might not be getting what you pay for. That's one reason I like the trend to one-person spas -- master therapists who have decided they want to work on their own. Two good examples of this is A Spa For You, owned by Thea Draaimsa in Sedona, Arizona and One Body Spa, owned by Diane and Michael Ryan in Accord, New York. Both are small but beautiful spas where the services are top quality, the prices are lower than resort spas, and you can be sure the therapist aren't burned out when they work on you. That's because they set their own schedule, and they rely on repeat customers, not someone passing through.

Spa Week has just finished up and I heard from one consumer who was disappointed in her experience. "Besides being treated like a 2nd class citizen because I was taking advantage of Spa Week, I was also expected to pay 50% tip," she wrote. "Two treatments would have been $100 and the spa requested I pay $54 for tip totally a bill of $154." The spa was charging a tip on the full value of the service, and I thought it was fair. But she also said her treatment was cut 15 minutes short, which is a real problem. Anyone else out there have a bad experience with Spa Week? Anyone who loved it?

When Botox first came out it was a procedure mostly done in doctor's offices and medical spas. Now lots of day spas, and even some resort spas, have special days for Botox and other injectables. But can you trust them? Are there "red flags" you should look out for? Sue Yang, M.D., who gives Botox and filler injections at Suddenly Slimmer Day Spa and Wellness Center in Phoenix, AZ, has some great suggestions on how to make sure you get what you're paying for -- safely -- when you get Botox at the spa.

Europe is more advanced than the U.S. in terms of its spa technology, so it's interesting to take a look at The Dolder Grand in Zurich, which is reopening in April 2008 after a $400 million, four-year renovation. This five-star Swiss grand dame, first built in 1899, now boasts a 43,000 square foot spa designed by Sylvia Sepielli, whose spa credits include The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg in Virgina and Mii amo in Sedona, Arizona. The Dolder Grand Spa will feature stone lounges called "Tsunaburos" filled with heated pebbles, inspired by the Japanese tradition of burying oneself in warm volcanic sand, and a "Snow Paradise" room with a foot of real snow. Read more...

I've just started seeing a massage therapist for neuromuscular training who used to work at one of the best-known resort spas in Phoenix. To get a massage from her there would cost $220 for 80 minutes -- BEFORE the tax and tip, which pushes it up towards $300. I'm getting a 90-minute treatment from the same skilled therapist for $110 -- no tax and tip. So what are the trade-offs? She's in a chiropractor's office, so there's no luxurious setting, no steam or hot tub, no fluffy robes and slippers. I can't spend the day there. It's not an "experience." But at that price I can afford to go a couple of times a month. And because I see her regularly, she's getting to know my body. She works on problem areas and can assess my progress. So there's a place for the fancy spa, but don't forget the private therapist.

When I go to a destination spa , I want to do everything -- classes, lectures, and every weird spa treatment I've never heard of. But I had a completely new experience at Mii amo in Sedona, Arizona -- lying by the pool for five hours, eating, sleeping, and staring at the great red cliffs looming above. Clearly, I had fallen under the spell of Mii amo, an Indian phrase that means "to continue one's path." Mii amo, A Destination Spa at Enchantment in Sedona, Arizona, is one of the few spas that truly is a both a resort spa and destination spa. It's also one of the more spiritual of spas, with metaphysical spa treatments like psychic massage and aura-soma consultations. It's the perfect spa for people who are at a crossroads in life and want to look within, and with spring here, it's the perfect time to go. Read my brand new review of Mii amo.

Luxury SpaFinder is getting out of the magazine business just as major publisher Conde Nast is getting into it with Allure Spa. Luxury SpaFinder ceases publication with the May/June issue issue, morphing into a monthly "web magazine" called Luxury SpaFinder Interactive published in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. The company is positioning it as a "green initiative" that will expand the magazine's "global circulation," but it's very hard to make money with magazines because of the high cost of production, printing and distribution. Conde Nast has economies of scale because it owns some of the most famous names in the magazine world, including Vogue and Glamour. Of course, you'll still be able to buy SpaFinder gift certificates online and read their content online. But I'll miss editor-in-chief Gary Walther's fabulous, funny spa-writing -- one of the best voices in the business. He has moved on to ForbesLife. Melissa Gelula, spa beauty editor, becomes editor-in-chief of the web version.