Spa Places in the News
The Legendary Camelback Inn Announces
the Re-Opening of its Award-Winning Spa
The spa that started it all. Scottsdale's pioneer
spa completes $8
million renovation, adding new desert-inspired treatments with distinct
Southwestern design
SCOTTSDALE,
Arizona (January 2004) - Scottsdale's first comprehensive resort spa,
The Spa at Camelback Inn, re-opened its doors November 17 after a complete
"to-the-walls" renovation, with a new design and a full complement
of spa offerings including state-of-the-art fitness center, 32 treatment
rooms, spa pool, and Scottsdale's only spa restaurant, Sprouts. Nestled
at the foot of Mummy Mountain, the 32,000-square-foot Spa at Camelback
Inn blends the indulgences of a full-service destination spa within
a spectacular resort offering the ambiance andmagic of the Sonoran Desert.
Perennially voted "best spa and best massage in Phoenix" by
the readers of Phoenix Magazine as well as "best spa" by Scottsdale
Life, the renovated Spa at Camelback Inn captures the history and character
of the original Spa, while elevating it to an even higher level of quality
and service.
A Distinguished Heritage
Set
on 125 acres of gently sloping land in affluent Paradise Valley, yet
only ten miles from the airport, the Spa at Camelback Inn offers mesmerizing
views of Camelback Mountain and the surrounding valley landscape. Camelback
Inn embodies the spirit of the Southwest with its peaceful desert setting,
private grounds for hiking and meditation and indigenous plant life.
"When it was built in 1989, the Spa at Camelback
Inn was the largest and most comprehensive resort spa in the Southwest
and the first full-service spa of this magnitude in the Phoenix area,"
said general manager Wynn Tyner. "The Camelback Spa was already
a favorite for many locals and visitors, and now with the Spa's new
features and enhancements, we are able to offer our guests even more
spa services and amenities."
Originally opened in 1936, Camelback Inn has a distinguished history,
having hosted many Hollywood legends, presidents and guests who have
returned year after year for generations. Camelback Inn has maintained
its authentic adobe style in the lobby and throughout the resort, complementing
the original architecture and surrounding desert.
Contemporary "Southwest Chic"
Designed
by Allen + Philp Architects, the Spa at Camelback Inn reflects its surroundings
with natural woods, copper and colors of the desert sunset. The new
layout facilitates a smooth flow from the moment guests arrive through
a garden courtyard to the end of their treatments and beyond. Upon entering
the lobby, guests are instantly awed by the open, panoramic view of
the valley below.
The entire lobby and check-in areas were restructured to make check-in
seamless and maximize relaxation during the entire spa experience. Secluded
from the rest of the resort, the Spa's location next to Mummy Mountain
further enhances the very tranquil setting. With its own pool, lounge
and restaurant, the Spa provides a complete escape.
Desert-Inspired Treatments
The
Spa facility features 32 treatment rooms, private showers in every wet
treatment room and new top-of-the-line Spa equipment, from massage tables
to facial steamers. Spa Director Kelli Royer-Ziegler has designed a
Spa service menu to offer guests a wide variety of treatments, from
traditional Swedish and Shiatsu massages to more meditative therapies
such as the "Healing Drum Circle," which combines an outdoor
sunset ritual with the repetitive, rhythmic beating of a native drum
to create an awareness of self and sense of inner peace. Participants
gather in a circle around an open fire pit, each with their own drum,
as a spirit drum guide leads them through a meditation with the burning
of white sage. According to the Native American ritual, white sage disperses
negative energies, and the beating of the drums, which represents the
beating of the heart, allows participants to become more in tune with
the sacredness of the world and make a connection with the land and
the earth.
Body treatments include the Adobe Clay Purification Treatment, inspired
by the ancient healing rituals of the Native American culture. Using
pure red adobe clay and herbs indigenous to the Arizona desert such
as sage, juniper and sandalwood, the Adobe Purification process includes
a total body exfoliation using an ayate cloth made of a natural woven
fiber from the century plant and an application of a mineral-rich red
clay that soothes muscles and nourishes the skin. A warm shower cleanses
the skin for an application of warm juniper and sage oil. The ritual
ends as the guest is given a cup of peppermint-sage tea and guided to
the sauna that is scented with a special blend of desert herbs. The
Camelback Signature Body Treatment is a head-to-toe Vitamin C treat
for the skin. The body is polished and hydrated with a silkening scrub
containing Vitamin C, sugar, silica beads, jojoba oil and the essential
oils of grapefruit, orange, lemon and jasmine.
Guests can choose from an extensive menu of facials including the popular
Dr. Perricone's Anti Aging Facial, which focuses on cellular hydration,
protection and repair, or the Camelback Spa's Signature Facial, which
combines the therapeutic scents of grapefruit, mandarin oranges, cranberries,
and pomegranates to make an ultimate experience in aromatherapy. The
facial is followed by a gentle hot stone and foot
massage.
Wellness, Fitness and Self-Improvement
The Spa at Camelback Inn is the only spa in the country
to offer the acclaimed aerobic and testing programs pioneered by the
highly respected Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder and president of The Institute
for Aerobic Research in Dallas. Dr. Cooper developed Personalized Aerobic
Lifestyle System (PALS), a comprehensive assessment outlining an individual's
current physiological status as it relates to wellness, fitness, nutrition
and personal well-being. A full PALS evaluation and personal "blueprint"
for recommended lifestyle adjustments is sent to the participant following
testing. Also on the wellness "menu" are a computerized body
composition analysis, personal training and nutrition counseling.
The Spa's comprehensive fitness and exercise center will provide new
state-of-the-art equipment, including individual entertainment units
on each cardiovascular machine, as well as mountain bike simulators
and a climbing wall. A broad range of movement classes, from Tai Chi,
Meditation and Pilates Matwork to Yoga, BOSU and Dance Movement, offers
something for everyone.
"Fit-full" Cuisine
Under the direction of talented Spa Chefs Donald Rini
and Tony Stroh - both former guests on Food Network's Food Nation with
celebrity Chef Bobby Flay - guests are able to enjoy breakfast, lunch,
a snack or cocktail in the Spa's own restaurant, Sprouts, which features
sophisticated, tasty and healthful fare. Sprouts features a full menu
of creative and flavorful dishes including a butternut bisque of roasted
and finely pureed butternut squash topped with a nutmeg cappuccino whip
and candied walnuts; "Two Twists" gazpacho, a chilled golden
tomato and southwest vegetable soup garnished with edamame and soy nuts;
"Three Dips Lavash," crisp, freshly-baked whole-grain flatbreads
served with citrus hummus, sundried tomato-goat cheese tapenade and
soy nut pesto; crisp, herb-crusted filet of Arctic char on a bed of
fennel, watercress and baby spinach, topped with a lemon grape seed
vinaigrette; oven roasted Italian zucchini with low-fat ricotta and
smoked mozzarella served with a ratatouille of garlic, spinach, artichokes
and golden tomato sauce; strawberry chicken salad with radicchio, baby
lettuce, fresh strawberries, asparagus, baby carrots and candied walnuts
drizzled with a peach-lime vinaigrette; the chef's daily pick of the
season's freshest fruit filled with pomegranate custard; and homemade
power bars.
Chefs Rini and Stroh adhere to a philosophy of using only
fresh ingredients and incorporate an innovative use of spices such as
corn and carrot powders, citrus sauces and tomato basil blends rather
than oils and butter to bring out the natural flavor of foods. The extensive
menu showcases their enticing combinations, which strike a perfect balance
of nutrition and exciting flavor.
For more information or reservations call (800) 24-CAMEL
or visit
www.camelbackinn.com.
About Camelback Inn
Marriott's Camelback Inn, a AAA Five-Diamond resort, has
welcomed guests for more than 60 years and features 453 oversized adobe-styled
casita guest rooms and suites with refrigerators, microwaves, wetbars,
mini-bars, private entrances, garden patios and balconies. Deluxe suites
at Camelback Inn even include private swimming pools. The property also
offers 40,000 square feet of meeting space, 36 holes of championship
golf, six tennis courts, three pools and seven restaurants and lounges.
Acquired by Marriott Corporation in 1967, the Marriott
resort has maintained the same standard of excellence for more than
30 years and today is one of the most award-winning resorts in the country.
Camelback Inn has received the AAA Five Diamond Award for 28 consecutive
years.
In January 2004, The Camelback Inn will become part of
the JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand. JW Marriott Hotels &
Resorts is Marriott's global luxury brand, comprised of 30 hotels in
15 countries. It is a collection of distinctive, award-winning properties
offering a new dimension of luxury that combines relaxed elegance and
sophistication with gracious, warm and personalized service.
JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts feature dramatic architecture
and interior design, spacious guest rooms with luxurious appointments,
restaurants and lounges that provide a unique and imaginative dining
experience, fitness centers, spas, business centers available 24 hours
a day and an attentive staff trained to anticipate the needs of each
guest.
For more information on JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, visit
www.marriott.com/jwmarriott.
