Five Top Spas in Arizona
complement the healing rituals curated within its luxury resorts.
Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass
Connect with the rituals and traditions of the high Sonoran Desert and its Pima and Maricopa tribes. Treatment regimens at the 17,500-square-foot Aji Spa in Chandler include the 50-minute Nahtogig ritual: prickly pear, salt, honey, and blue cornmeal are combined as an exfoliant; these indigenous ingredients represent the elements of sunset, illumination, sandstorm, and water detailed in the spa’s Creation Story mosaic. The full-body scrub is followed by a deep-moisturizing application, and every guest leaves with a copy of the Creation Story image and a soothing prickly pear tea. ajispa.com
Civana Wellness Resort & Spa
Where better to site a soothing spa than the Phoenix-area town of Carefree? Within this 144-room, former 1960s mid-century motel and conference center, find an expansive spa and its especially extensive class list. Here you can have a chakra-balancing sound bath soothe you into deep sleep, or find relief with a back-stretching barre session. Additionally, book a craniosacral, hour-long head massage, or try energy healing from a Reiki therapist or an acoustic cleansing using vibrational energy from a tuning fork. Take a moment to linger in nature on the patio, which overlooks the Black Mountain, the perfect perch for sunset. civanacarefree.com
The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale
Interiors at the Phoenician are unrecognizable if you remember the iconic resort’s debut in the 1980s, when it was a bling-strewn palace. Today guests walk into soothing, subtle spaces, with the relaxing vibe enhanced via the addition of a three-story spa—a 37,000-square-foot facility capped by its own rooftop pool. Saddle up to an aromatherapy blending bar to mix a custom hot oil before accessing one of two dozen different treatment rooms for a signature massage. The ultimate experience is the almost two-hour-long Sonoran Wellness ritual: salt crystals, desert sage, and wild lavender are used as a body scrub at the outset, before rose stones form part of the full-body massage concluding with an aloe-boosted wrap plus facial and foot reflexology. thephoenician.com
Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort
A 200-year-old cherrywood hammam table is the cornerstone of Joya Spa’s signature treatment: a deep scrub in black soap exfoliates and invigorates before a self-guided journey through the steam, whirlpool, and cold plunge; a customized massage caps the experience. An alternate favorite is the orange blossom detox treatment, during which a clay masque precedes an aromatic oil application, another nod to the Moroccan inspiration that underpins this 31,000-square-foot spa at the base of Camelback Mountain. It was masterminded by the spa world’s answer to Greg Norman in gold, Sylvia Sepielli, a designer who’s worked on concepts everywhere from Europe’s Dolder Grand to London’s Floating Spa on the river Thames. omnihotels.com
The Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale
Arriving at this 1,300-acre resort, the jaw-dropping magnificence of its namesake formation is instantly evident. Huge granite boulders formed millions of years ago rest among the desert foothills, artfully arranged by the artist and sculptor Bob Bacon, who was hired as the architect here rather than an engineer. At the spa are two dozen treatment spaces spread among two wings—the western tranche is a hive of activity, while the east side emphasizes tranquility. Hit the former for the movement studio and gym, or the latter for meditation and hydrotherapy, including one pool dedicated to the practice of Watsu (aquatic bodywork). theboulders.com
