I've been spa-watching (and going) a long time. Resort spas used to call themselves destination spas without delivering the health and wellness goods. Then destination spas, afraid of being pigeon-holed as only for the health crowd, began calling themselves resorts. The latest shift is for classic resort spas to offer a true health and wellness experience -- without losing their luxury image.
Beginning January 1, 2013, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will be the first luxury resort to implement Well & Being, a new wellness and integrated medicine program able to replicate the health makeover you get at destination spas like Canyon Ranch and Miraval.
Staff will include a medical doctor trained in integrative medicine, nutritionist, acupuncturist and exercise physiologist alongside a full complement of fitness classes, new beauty technologies, wellness therapies and pampering spa treatments. Guests will be able to personalize their spa experiences and stay in contact to sustain the benefits once they have returned home. Locals can also receive the services, which should work well in a metro area as large as Scottsdale/Phoenix.
"Well & Being's extensive staff of experts will provide a comprehensive, holistic approach to personal health", says Jack Miller, general manager of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. "The experience will be personalized to meet guests where they are within their wellness journey. Guests may take advantage of as much or as little of the menu of wellness tools and experiences as they choose.
"It won't be a restrictive, cookie cutter wellness experience, but a personal experience that provides tools, resources and philosophy for our guests to take home into their daily lives," he says. Well & Being is the creation of Trilogy Spa Ventures, and will be implemented at other resorts down the road.
This is the final phase of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess' five-year ,$60 million property renovation plan, which coincides with the resort's 25th anniversary in December 2012. Set to be complete in spring 2013, the final $25 million phase includes the debut of the Palomino Conference Center and remodeling of the Princess Conference Center; the introduction of the innovative Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa; the outdoor enhancement of Michael Mina's BOURBON STEAK; the addition of a "living wall" to the resort's facade; a new concept for the resort's three-meal restaurant, LV Bistro; and enhancing the Fragrance Garden for weddings and group events.