Canyon Ranch In The Berkshires Health Resort in Lenox, Massachusetts  Day 1: Getting Oriented and More

Julie Register, Your Guide to Spas, visited this destination spa in November 2002

Photo Index Click HERE for Photos of Canyon Ranch Outdoors  Click HERE for Photos of a Canyon Ranch Guest Room  Click HERE for Photos of Canyon Ranch Indoors

"For me, Canyon Ranch's intention to health is what separates us from all other resorts. We want with all our hearts to connect our intention - our steadfast desire to inspire and motivate people to better health - with your goal of feeling great and living long. This intention is the reason Canyon Ranch exists, and we're very emotional about it." Mel Zuckerman, Canyon Ranch Founder

Day 1

11:45 I've been driving for four hours. It's almost noon and I am entering Lenox, Massachusetts. I turn left at Trinity Church on route 7A and another left into Canyon Ranch less than a mile down the road. I stop at the guardhouse and tell them I am a new guest. They find me on the list and welcome me. The driveway passes the original Bellefontaine Mansion (now the Canyon Ranch Health & Healing Center which houses the medical facilities, behavioral health, nutrition, exercise physiology, movement therapy, acupuncture, healing touch and neuromuscular massage) and curves around to the hotel entrance. A Bell Services representative takes my luggage, and my car is valet parked. I check in at the front desk. Sandie verifies my pre-selected services, gives me a weekly schedule and a Canyon Ranch tote bag. She instructs me to stop by Guest Services at quarter past or quarter 'til the hour for a tour of the property. My room (#218 in the East Wing) is ready even though it is early, so I drop off my things.

Spatip 3: Even though check-in is not until 3 p.m. and their rooms may not be ready, guests are welcome to come as early as 8 a.m. to enjoy a full day of activities, including lunch.  

The rooms are very comfortable and nicely decorated. As pleasant as they are, the rooms are in the process of being redecorated over the next three years. Room amenities include: blow dryer, clock radio with alarm, television, CD player, videocassette player (not a recorder) (tapes are loaned in guest services), iron, ironing board, reading lights, safe deposit box (also available at the front desk), air humidifier, shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, and terry cloth robes. An ice machine and a self-service laundry room with washers, dryers, and a supply of Woolite is on my floor.

12:15 I'm off to guest services where Catherine makes appointments for me with the nurse and a program coordinator. Now for a tour of the resort. We start with the ground floor of the East Wing where there is a beverage bar (coffees, teas, water, juices), the demo kitchen (where cooking is demonstrated and then eaten at lunchtime), meeting rooms, and a card/television room. We pass the Health & Fitness Assessment Center where I will later return for the appointments with a nurse and program coordinator. We enter the Spa Complex and see the Showcase Boutique, indoor tennis courts, spinning room, sports courts (basketball, boxercise, racquetball, wallyball), salon, locker rooms, skin care studio, yoga studio, indoor track, five gyms (cardio/strength, pilates/gyrotonics, stretching, dance), and indoor pool. We leave the Spa Complex and walk along the "affirmation" corridor toward Bellefontaine Mansion. 

Spatip4: Take time to read the quotes written on the corridor connecting Guest Rooms to the Spa Complex and Bellefontaine Mansion. Here are just a few:

• "It is part of the cure to wish to be cured." Seneca
• "To be happy, drop the words 'if only' and substitute instead the words 'next time.'" Smiley Blanton, M.D.
• "I look to the future, because that is where I'm going to spend the rest of my life." George Burns
• "You cannot plan the future by the past." Edmund Burke
• "'Beauty tips': For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry." Audrey Hepburn

We pass the Fieldstone Lounge (where I notice a young man working on a laptop! - jarringly out of place, thank goodness), the Café Tasse, the Dining Room and stop at the Library (one of the original rooms of the mansion). At the Library's entrance is the elevator and stairs to the Health & Healing Center on the second floor.

12:45 I return to Café Tasse for lunch and order a small green salad and a chicken breast on half of a whole wheat bun topped with asparagus. I take a seat at the bar overlooking the lawn and start to read through the schedule for the next few days. A woman sits next to me, and we talk. It turns out that she used to live about 10 miles from where I do - small world. She has come from Texas to be on a Mother-Daughter experience with her daughter from New York. I finish my lunch and decline dessert (I don't want to be late for my appointment with the nurse).

1:30 I return to the Health & Fitness Assessment Center for my appointment with the nurse. Elaine and I discuss the Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire I had mailed in weeks earlier. Elaine makes some recommendations for lectures that would be good for me to attend. She takes my blood pressure (it's normal).

2:00 I talk to Gina, a Program Coordinator, who answers questions I have about the schedule I looked at during lunch. The general fitness class recommendations for a day are: one muscular strength (body blast), one muscular endurance (muscle conditioning), two aerobic/total fitness (walk/aerobic circuit weights), 1 flexibility (morning stretch/yoga), 1 educational (weight room intro/breathing), 1 spiritual (yoga/tai chi). Gina makes a standing dinner reservation for me at 6:00 p.m. in the Dining Room. 

Spatip5: Reservations are required for dinner. Seatings are at 6:00, 7:30, and 8:15. You can call the dining room, or a Program Coordinator can make reservations for you.

2:30 I go back to my room and unpack.

3:00 I put on my hiking boots and take a walk on the property's well-maintained walking trails throughout the resort. The trail is a bit icy in spots and snow-covered, but it's a lovely walk through woods and across streams. Sights include a beaver dam and pond. (Other activities on the schedule I could have chosen at this time include: Body Blast, Rebounding, Spinning, Anti-Aging Secrets  and Skin Health lecture, and CR Yoga)

4:00 My first class - Open House: What the Heck Is a Gyrotonic^®? I am in Gym 4, a small relatively small room with a glass wall overlooking the indoor pool. In the gym are a number of Pilates Reformer machines and two Gyrotonic^® Expansion System machines. Megan, a Movement Therapy instructor, demonstrates how to use the machine to work the joints and muscles through integrated, fluid, rhythmic and undulating exercises. She asks for a volunteer. I hop up. Megan has me put my hands on top of the wheels and shows me how to go through one of the exercises. I can feel how it stretches and moves my spine. One-on-one Gyrotonic^® sessions using the machine costs $105 (this can be one of the Health & Healing services). However, similar to Pilates, Gyrotonic^® has a "mat" version - Gyrokinesis^®, which can be taken as part of the package. The flowing yoga-like movements of Gyrokinesis^® are done while sitting on a stool, "gently but effectively mobilizing the spine and limbs to stretch and strengthen, relax and rejuvenate your whole being." (Other activities on the schedule I could have chosen at this time include: Powerhouse Down, Wallyball, Stride, and Powerball)

Spatip6: Most classes are 50 minutes, allowing 10 minutes to get to the next class.

5:00 Stretch & Relax I am in a stretching class. The instructor has us use a strap to help get the most out of the stretches. I feel pretty comfortable with all of these stretches since many of them are on the A.M. Yoga videotape I have at home. However, there are some stretches I haven't done before - especially for the shoulders, and they feel great! (Other activities on the schedule I could have chosen at this time include: Meditation)

6:00 I am at the Library entrance waiting to be seated for dinner in the Dining Room. A large crowd has gathered for the same purpose. I am glad I came directly from my class to the dining room to be one of the first in line. While waiting, guests can help themselves to a cocktail (cranberry juice, fruit punch, virgin Bloody Mary, non-alcoholic champagne). I have chosen to dine alone this evening, although there is a Captain's Table available to dine with a group. I am seated and given a menu which has a large selection of soups, appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and desserts. I select Maryland Crab Soup (spicy thin tomato-based soup with some vegetables in it topped with crab meat), Vegetable Strudel (roasted vegetables wrapped in filo) and brown rice. I start with a visit to the salad bar, where there is a nice selection of greens, vegetables, tofu, flax seed, whole grain rolls, and more. I finish with a mango-apricot smoothie - not very sweet, but quite tasty. 

Spatip 7: The Captain's Table is a great place to dine if you are alone or just want to make new friends.

Spatip 8: Menus show the calories, fat grams, and fiber grams for each selection and provide a balanced suggestion for a complete meal.

Spatip 9: Guests are allowed to request two recipes to take home. (The Vegetable Strudel will be one of mine)

7:30 Passport to Nutritional Treasures I am in the Tanglewood Room on the first floor of the East Wing. Nutritionist Lisa Vollmer is telling us about different places in the world where the populations don't have the health problems that we in the U.S. do. She talks about free radicals and the bad things they do to the human body. She talks up the benefits of fiber for protection from heart disease and stroke and for good intestinal health (found in amaranth, quinoa, beans and figs), monounsatureated fats that preserves HDL and lowers LDL cholesterol (found in virgin olive oil, olives, avocadoes, raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds and oils and butters made from these nuts and seeds), Lutein which lowers the risk of macular degeneration (found in spinach, kale broccoli, figs, egg yolks), Lycopene which lowers the risk of prostate and lung cancer (found in tomatoes, dark green vegetables, blood oranges, pink grapefruit, apricots and watermelon), and Omega-3 fatty acids that lower triglycerides and keep arteries clear (found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, halibut, sea bass, flaxseeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, navy and pinto beans, whole oats and wheat germ). (Other activities on the schedule I could have chosen at this time include: Movie & Snack Night in the TV Lounge)

8:30 I am back in my room planning my day for tomorrow and ready to call it a night. (Other activities on the schedule I could have chosen at this time include: Quiet Mind Fluid Body lecture and Portrait Drawing)

Click HERE for 
Day 2 - My Health & Healing Service

Photos copyright 2002, Julie Register
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unless marked * which are courtesy of Canyon Ranch