Camelback Inn Resort & Spa by Hal Peat

Earth, air, fire, water – integrating the power of the elements with the ancient and modern knowledge of healing and wellness are something that the newly renovated Spa at Camelback Inn does with both elegance and excellence. This harmonizing of the natural and human begins at the very entrance of the Spa, where a large multi-tiered fountain cascades water in the desert air, while across the courtyard an elevated metallic bowl burns a small, flickering fire throughout the day. Enter the carved wooden doors, and you are greeted by an expansive yet embracing lobby of huge sand stone flooring that stretches toward the waters of the spa pool outside and the expansive vistas of the Valley of the Sun below.

In fact, the Spa’s extensive redesign has worked toward bringing in the outdoors and enhanced the overall southwestern desert ambiance. The reopening in November 2003 saw a dramatic reconfiguring of the café area: Spa diners now sit at tables in a lower-level but unblocked section that continues the airy feeling of the lobby and affords everyone an unimpeded view of the outdoors. The large areas around the pool itself have also gained a new degree of warmth and intimacy with the addition of luxurious woven sun recliners and a cabana at either side of the pool, ideal for small lunch parties. Nearby the Spa’s comprehensive fitness center features the latest model cardio equipment like Precor’s elliptical machines, all with individual entertainment units; for those tuning up for the southwest’s higher elevations, there is even a new wall-climbing section and mountain bike simulators. A menu of morning classes at the adjacent fitness studio might range from Tai Chi, Meditation and Pilates Matwork to Yoga and Dance Movement. East and West truly do meet well in the exercises choices here.

Once you are thoroughly stretched, toned and conditioned in the fitness center, retire to the individual women’s or men’s spa areas to indulge in some of the interesting new treatments that include cutting edge developments in therapies for the skin and body, while also drawing on the traditional secrets of the desert’s landscape and native peoples. The separate women’s and men’s Spa facility areas feature 32 treatment rooms, private showers in every wet treatment room and new top-of-the-line Spa equipment, from massage tables to facial steamers. Even the Vichy Shower units are now upgraded to the latest model that jets water from nine heads. And several new enticingly named body and facial treatments have also made their appearance with the Spa’s renovation: the Camelback Signature Body Treatment, for instance, consisting of a total body Vitamin C application, cleansing and polishing, or the Aromatherapy Tea Wrap and Desert Rain body scrub. For facial treatment, choose from either the new Sonoran Rose facial, utilizing Vitamin A and E cleansing, or the Botanical Back facial in which the back area is cleansed with a cactus gel and scrub. Men have not been neglected in the new raft of treatments: the Defense Zone Facial will restore the roughest of faces with a volcanic pumice exfoliant, followed by a soothing hydrating natural complex. At the end of it all, relax again by the pool or in the solarium, rejuvenated and refreshed as the Spa itself which continues to expand so well on its pioneering tradition among resorts of the region.