The first time I went to a destination spa was for a milestone birthday - I joined my three sisters at Lake Austin Spa for a long weekend and enjoyed every minute with the beautiful surroundings, excellent food, fun activities and relaxing spa treatments.  Staying at a destination spa is a definite splurge, but worth experiencing at least one time. 

Here is Travel + Leisure’s list of Best Destination Spas in the World for 2007. 

Be sure to check the spa websites and SpaFinder.com for the current Getaway Spa Deals before booking.

1. Mii amo at Enchantment Resort  (Sedona, Arizona) 
2. Alder Thermae Spa Resort  (Siena, Tuscany)
3. Les Sources de Caudalie  (Bordeaux-Martillac, France)
4. Miraval, Life in Balance  (Tuscan, Arizona) 
5. Canyon Ranch  (Tucson, Arizona)
6. Chiva-Som Health Resort  (Hua Hin, Thailand)
7. Plateau at Grand Hyatt  (Hong Kong)
8. Green Valley Spa & Resort  (St. George, Utah)
9. Lake Austin Spa Resort  (Austin, Texas)
10. Rancho La Puerta  (Tecate, Mexico)
11. Canyon Ranch  (Lenox, Massachusetts)
12. Mayflower Inn & Spa  (Washington, Connecticut)
13. Lodge at Woodloch  (Hawley, Pennsylvania)  
14. Maya Tulum Wellness Retreat & Spa  (Pueblo Tulum, Mexico) 
15. Golden Door  (Escondido, California)

Spa-going is a popular activity in Scottsdale, Arizona even during the holidays.  Yesterday my sister and I went to The Phoenician’s Centre for Well-Being for a facial.  After trying to book spa services at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, the Camelback Inn and the Royal Palms Hotel Spa – all of which were full -  we felt lucky to get the few remaining slots at The Phoenician.  The Phoenician, located on 250 acres at the base of Camelback Mountain, has been one of the top resorts in Scottsdale, AZ for many years.  Rooms rates average $500/night, so it seemed reasonable to assume the spa would be exceptional as well.

Unfortunately, my facialist had all the spa etiquette of a fish monger.   After hailing me from across the meditative waiting room in a booming voice (“Come on… let’s get to it!”)  I felt like I was in one of those strip mall day spas, instead of a 5 star resort.  The treatment room at The Phoenician was a disappointment as well.  My main view of the room during the facial was the ceiling, which had cheap tiles and industrial looking vents.  Call me particular, but for a $150 facial I expect something a little more soothing.

In all fairness, once I closed my eyes and ears,  it was clear my facialist had good technique and knew what she was doing. After numerous cleansing, moisturizing and steaming steps my face did feel refreshed. 

The spa seems overdue for renovation and care in general.  I saw doors in need of paint, wallpaper coming unglued in the locker room and a lack of décor throughout.   Getting ready in the locker room was a challenge at times - we were either bumping into the spa staff who seemed impatient to finish their duties or dodging a rather large linen cart.  My shower had old razors from previous bathers.

Needless to say,  I don’t recommend the Phoenician Spa  - it has a long way to go to be on par with the other spa options in Scottsdale.

Are you grumbling instead of looking forward to the holidays?  Here’s a sure way to get you into the holiday spirit.  The Ritz-Carlton Spa Orlando, Grande Lakes is offering festive and delicious reasons to indulge. Their holiday spa treatments incorporate everyone’s favorite treats like hot apple pie, chocolate and pumpkin to rejuvenate, refresh and remove the Scrooge. 

Here’s a sampling:

Hot Apple Pie & Vanilla Massage
A massage using warm cinnamon apple pie oil tingles the sense and relaxes the mind.  This mouth-watering treatment is topped off with a highly moisturizing vanilla shea butter scalp massage. 
50 minutes - $140

Pumpkin Glow Rejuvenation Facial
This purifying anti-ageing facial uses Pumpkin or wild black cherry enzymes to reduce fine lines, deep cleanse and refine the pores and nourishes from the inside out, leaving the skin look radiant and ready for your favorite holiday party. (Inclusive eyebrow waxing or shaping) 60 minutes - $175

Café & Spearmint Glow Massage
A soothing & detoxifying coffee scrub exfoliates away dry skin and leaves the body smooth and refreshed.  After a warm shower using a coffee cleansing gel, a full body massage is performed using a refreshing mint body lotion to nourish and pamper dry skin.
75 minutes - $215

Cinnamon & Vanilla Chocolate Martini Escape
Indulge yourself in the essence of chocolate from the inside out with the ultimate chocolate pedicure experience that will soften and renew the skin and rejuvenate your nails.  Indulge in the touch and taste of a warm soak, Cinnamon sugar exfoliation mask and a Vanilla Shea butter moisturizing treatment that is blissful, all the while feasting on Ginger cookies and sipping a delectable chocolate Martini.
50 minutes - $120

Contact the Ritz-Carlton Spa for more details.

It seems like every summer I begin with the goal of having a really good tan.  With the explosion of self-tanning options, I might actually have one this summer.   Besides making me look like I just came back from a leisurely vacation in the islands, a tan has the additional benefit of absorbing light which helps hide imperfections in the skin.

Ulta, it turns out, has a dizzying array of choices for self tanners - L’Oreal, St. Tropez, Bella Bronze, Neutrogena, Jergens, Aveeno, Glow Fusion, Olay, Coppertone, Fake Bake, Fruit of the Earth, Bullfrog, Ban de Soleil, L.A. Express and Solarcaine to name just a few.  My daughter and I visited Ulta this past weekend, and to be honest, the selection was a little daunting.  Not knowing which product was better, we ended up choosing a familiar bottle of Jergens Natural Glow before checking out.

Here’s a blog we should have read before we went to Ulta. The Beauty Addict spent the month of May testing various sunless tanners and reported their findings during their Fake Bake Month. 
Although not quite like a Consumer Report, they did use a rating system for each product and assigned points based on scent, color, texture, drying time and neatness.  After reading their reviews, I’m planning to try the L’Oreal Sublime Glow since it had very good color results and its scent is supposed to have less of the tanning (DHA) smell.

If you’re new to sunless tanning you may want to check out their beginner’s guide to self-tanning, which has some good tips as well. 

Many of Ulta’s sunless tanners are 25% off through June 9. 

Links: Beauty Addict  |  Ulta tanning special

Day spas may be popping up in every retail strip center, but nothing compares to the experience of getting away to a destination spa. Here is Travel & Leisure’s list of Best Destination Spas in the U.S. for 2006:

1. Mii amo, A Destination Spa at Enchantment Resort   (Sedona, Arizona)
2. Wilderness Adventure Spa at Spring Creek Ranch   (Jackson Hole, Wyoming) 
3. Canyon Ranch   (Tucson, Arizona)  
4. Miraval, Life in Balance   (Catalina, Arizona)
5. Westglow Resort & Spa   (Blowing Rock, North Carolina)  
6. Golden Door   (Escondido, California) 
7. Hilton Head Health Institute   (South Carolina)
8. Lake Austin Spa Resort    (Austin, Texas)
9. Cooper Wellness Program   (Dallas, Texas) 
10. Canyon Ranch    (Lenox, Massachusetts)

Most of these spas appear regularly on this list, but I noticed two recent additions:  the Wilderness Adventure Spa in Jackson Hole and the Westglow Resort & Spa in North Carolina. The Wilderness Spa is located in a wildlife sanctuary in Wyoming and is surrounded by the Teton Mountain Range.  The Westglow Spa is housed in a Greek Revival mansion and part of a historic estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I’m planning to go to the Lake Austin Spa Resort in April.  My wonderful husband gave me a birthday gift certificate for the Spa, which I can’t wait to use.  The treatments, spa food and setting at Lake Austin’s Lake House Spa are fabulous!

What’s your favorite destination spa? 

I’ve been on dozens of girl trips and as is the law of probability, there’s going to be one or two that don’t go according to plan.  One of our most memorable trips to go awry was our spa getaway to Sedona, the spiritual capital of Arizona.  We had reservations to stay at the Enchantment Resort, a gorgeous resort surrounded by the red rock formations of Boynton Canyon, with spa treatments lined up for Saturday morning at the resort’s world-ranked Mii Amo Spa. 

We drove up to Sedona from Phoenix on Friday afternoon and didn’t pay much attention to the rain until it became a downpour.  After trying our hardest to enjoy some wet weather shopping in town, we decided to head out to the resort.  Shopping isn’t very fun when you’re soaked.  (more…)

In honor of Travel & Leisure’s Spa Week, here are a few spa-related articles from our archives:

• World’s Best Spas
• Spa Tips
• Lake Austin Spa Resort (Austin, Texas)
• Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Green Valley Resort & Spa (St. George, Utah) 
• Win a Golf and Spa Getaway! 
• Miramonte Resort & Spa (Indian Wells, CA) 
• Hotel Del Coronado (San Diego, CA)
• Palm Springs, California
• Sand and Sun Package at the Ritz (Naples, FL)
• Vinotherapy

When I first heard the term Vinotherapy I thought it meant drinking a chilled glass of chardonnay every hour. It works for me. I was only slightly disappointed to learn that it’s a series a spa treatments based on grape seed extract.  After years of research at (where else) France’s Bordeaux University, aspects of grapes have been found to combat the free radicals which age skin, increase circulation and supply beneficial anti-oxidants. 

Kenwood Inn and Spa, located in the heart of the Napa/Sonoma wine country, has the distinction of being the only spa in the country to offer Caudalie’s Vinotherapie. (more…)