Most Expensive Spa in the World Opening Soon! Six Senses Spa to Introduce its Destination Spa and 7th Sense Spa Experience
by Susie Ellis

Had a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-launched new Six Senses Destination Spa here in Thailand. It was a 30 minute boat ride from the Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi where I am currently staying. During a tour of the property which is nearing completion (although it looks to me will need more time than they think to be ready for opening), I kept saying, "wow," "wow," "wow" with every corner I turned.

The opening of this Destination Spa is going to be big news, - both inside the spa industry and outside of the spa industry. My guess is that these will be the big media stories:

1. You can eat the landscaping around your villa and pretty much eat everything else growing on the property.

2. This isn't one spa - it is literally four spas in one: an Indian spa, an Indonesian Spa, a Chinese Spa, and a Thai Spa. And I don't mean "area" but "spa"! There is also a salon called the hair spa as well as color therapy spaces, colonics, Watsu area, Pilates, kenisis, a feng shui'd gym (finally!), and a host of other offerings too numerous for me to remember. It would be easier to try and list what they don't offer.

3. Although not a medical spa per se, there will be master practitioners and medical doctors and an emphasis on both Eastern and Western wellness options - no aesthetic medicine.

4. It will no doubt be lauded for its ecologically embedded practices.

5. The food will likely get rave reviews because of the garden-fresh ingredients, their raw food restaurant option, and the status of their spa-celebrity chefs.

6. The 7th Sense will be introduced which will trump the Sixth.

7. It will be the most expensive spa in the world.

There are very few true destination spas left. In Asia there are just a handful - Chiva Som in Thailand (the most well known), Como Shambala in Bali (very small but exquisite), and the Farm at San Benito in the Philippines (unfortunately, a well kept secret).

North America has Canyon Ranch, Miraval, Rancho La Puerta, Golden Door, Greenhouse, Cal a Vie, and about 10 others. All destination spas are gems in my opinion. Very expensive to create and operate yet offer the greatest chance to pursue wellness and transformation. Bottom line for me is that I always feel my best (and am told I look my best) after a stay at a destination spa.

In fact that reminds me of how I recently heard someone describe the difference between a resort spa and a destination spa: When you return home from a resort spa you tell others how great it looked. When you return home from a destination spa others tell you how great you look!

Stay tuned....and fasten your seat belts.

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This is going to be a big week for Miraval. They are hosting a kick-off celebration for Miraval Living here in Manhattan with Steve Case and Dr. Andrew Weil in attendance. I am so sorry I won't be able to attend (I am leaving this evening for a trip to China) because their kick-off should be a powerful event - especially for the people who have already purchased an apartment on the property. I would think that anyone looking to invest in these properties would find Steve Case and Dr. Andrew Weil's confidence in the project very encouraging. I look forward to hearing about the event from my colleagues.

Thursday, April 26th, will be another huge day for Miraval since Oprah's show will be all about her recent stay there. Apparently, she and 50 women chosen by the show stayed at Miraval, Life in Balance (located in Tucson, Arizona) for almost a week. Fortunately my TiVo is permanently set to record Oprah – and yes, Dr. Phil – so I'll be able to tune in when I return.

I remember the last time Oprah mentioned going to Miraval on her show - Miraval's phone rang like crazy. I can't wait to hear what an entire Oprah show will do, not only for Miraval, but for all the destination spas! I think that when people see a group of women going through a typical destination spa day, viewers will finally get what exactly a destination spa experience is. I am not sure there has ever been an entire hour of spa footage shown to a large audience where various aspects of a destination spa are highlighted. My guess is they will show Oprah and the ladies hiking, exercising, receiving spa treatments, enjoying meals, and engaging in some of the mindfulness experiences like the Equine Experience or one of the challenge program. Places which are somewhat similar like Canyon Ranch, Rancho La Puerta, Red Mountain, Green Valley Ranch Resort, Hills Health Ranch, etc. will probably see a bump in inquiries as well.

And the frosting on this cake is that Oprah shows rerun in the summers, so this will be on-going visibility for Miraval and the destination spa experience itself. This could be huge!

It’s been a busy Easter week and I have not been blogging as much as usual. My apologies – I am planning to get back on track! Before leaving for a few days of family gatherings in Palm Desert, Peter and I had a chance to revisit Miraval Living in New York to see the progress.

It was heartening to see the additional new model designed by Clodagh and it was a pleasure to meet Neil Furman, who has just been hired to be the facility’s program director. The fitness and spa area, the large pool, and the spa cafe are all under construction so it will be interesting to watch how they all develop.

Another spa living community, Canyon Ranch Living, will be opening this summer in Miami and so the idea of Spa Lifestyle Living is truly coming alive. This should be a big year of buzz for this concept.

Yesterday I attended the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference in New York's Jacob Javits Center. In the afternoon I spoke on the panel entitled "Residential Spa Market Update." Andrea Foster, who is the director of corporate strategy for Miraval Holding, LLC/Miraval, Life In Balance, was the other speaker. I think Andrea and I both felt that the audience was truly interested in this trend so it was a delight to share information.

The education one can receive at this conference is probably the best part of it. I was less impressed with the trade-show aspect – at least when it comes to spa. There are plenty of booths to visit if you are interested in hair, nails, beauty products, cosmetics, etc., but the spa portion of the show seems a bit downmarket except for a few vendors. Maybe I am getting spoiled.

On the other hand, I do feel that those of us who truly understand the spa industry are aware when the ambiance isn’t right. If you go into almost any spa these days, the area for hair and nail care feels, looks, sounds, and smells very different from the spa portion. Although it looked as though the conference planners made some effort to separate the two worlds, I don’t believe they were successful enough to satisfy serious spa professionals. I can only imagine the reaction of the medical doctors who attended the Medical Spa Conference education sessions and then perused the showroom floor.

Maybe it will get better in future years.

The Arizona Daily Star ran a story on Thursday, December 7 announcing that Dr. Andrew Weil was in conversation with developers and Tucson, AZ city politicians about opening a new integrative-medicine wellness center to promote “health tourism." Later that day, I received a call from a writer asking for my comments. At first I was a bit confused. I knew that Dr. Weil was working with Miraval, Life in Balance to establish a new center, which will open on the property in a few years. I wasn’t quite sure whether the wellness center the Star described was “in addition to” or “instead of” the forthcoming center I knew about.

Dr. Weil’s office, and in particular Dr. Weil’s business partner Richard Baxter, filled me in on the specifics. The project Dr. Weil was proposing was not only an additional health-tourism attraction but also a museum and education center - it would not have any overnight or spa components. The idea is to create a place where people could get information about integrative medicine via interactive exhibits, including computers and access to online courses on nutrition and health as well as botanical and mind/body medicine. Also part of this resource center would be a reference library and an auditorium for films, demonstrations, and lectures. In addition, there would be outdoor attractions, such as a garden of indigenous medicinal plants.

All of a sudden I “got it." It dawned on me that they were describing something similar to the marvelous Living Desert in Palm Desert, California. The Living Desert is a museum/education center with gardens and a wilderness park that focuses on desert terrain and animal life. What a great idea it is to create someplace similar to educate people about integrative medicine in a location that can lay claim to being a mecca of health tourism, with Canyon Ranch, Miraval, Life in Balance, and the University of Arizona all in support.

Oh dear. I am torn.

Last night, I went to the grand-opening announcement of Miraval Living in Manhattan. I so love the idea of spa living. The thought of owning an apartment in a high-rise and living with people who share my love for a healthy lifestyle is so appealing.

I dream of living:

Where a state-of-the-art gym and exercise facility as well as a beautifully designed spa are available around the clock.

Where world-class health education programs are the norm.

Where there is a healthy cafe serving organic breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks similar to Miraval Conscious Cuisine.

Where the pool is free of chlorine and there is a garden terrace with plants and space, fresh air (at least as much as possible in New York), and perhaps programs whereby apartment owners can travel to spa destinations together throughout the world - including Miraval at times.

And where Miraval in Tucson's famous concept of "mindfulness" is what everyone in the community would be striving to achieve - and where we could all help each other progress on that path. Even if it isn't the Arizona desert, home to the original Miraval Resort, at least we would all try to incorporate as much of its serenity as possible while living in hectic New York City.

But I unfortunately did not see what I had envisioned last evening.

To be fair, the structure isn't renovated yet, and there was only one floor of uninspired "models." But I had an uneasy sense that something is wrong here. My gut tells me that somehow Miraval wasn't involved enough in the plans and that a second-rate real estate company might have presented their interpretation of "Miraval in New York" and missed the mark.

Wyatt, the "self-actualized cowboy" who runs Miraval's ingenious equine experience in Tucson, was there and spoke for about ten minutes (with a beautiful horse by his side). But ultimately, even he didn't relieve my anxiety. Although his words of truth stung almost as poignantly as they did when I stood with him on the desert ranch at Miraval in Tucson, as soon as he and the horse left the tented cocktail party Miraval seemed gone. And while touring the model apartments (which I have a hard time believing were designed by anyone who understands the spa lifestyle), gloom set in for me. I fear that the target market of Miraval enthusiasts will not relate to what has been conceived here in New York as spa living. And that makes me so very sad.

I hope I am wrong. I have been a champion of spa-lifestyle living ever since the concept emerged a few years ago. And I still think spa living in New York City could be a home run. I myself live in a high-rise apartment building that incorporates some healthy-lifestyle amenities. In my view, it wouldn't be that difficult to go further in that direction and have the Miraval vision come fully to life. Perhaps it is early enough for changes to be made, and perhaps the smart folks at Miraval will recognize the need for them to tighten the reins of this project and create what we all imagine will truly result in inspired, healthy living.

As I have said in many interviews when asked about spa living communities, the essential thing is that the people developing a spa lifestyle community should be folks who truly understand the spa lifestyle - not real estate people. Running a spa may not be rocket science, but it is nuanced, and only a handful of super-successful destination spas in the world have truly found the magic. And translating the magic to a new setting will require total commitment to the original vision. It will take a multifaceted understanding of how to interpret the original vision in meaningful ways for a new setting. And it will take communicating this in a way that leads people to trust that it will be worth investing their dollars - and their lives.

I look forward to watching this development and am pulling for it to become a winner.

I would love to hear feedback from those who read my blog! Please post a comment by clicking on the link below that reads "Comments."

Miraval Living is getting ready to launch. I have been hearing bits and pieces regarding Miraval opening something in New York for quite some time now. The PR office for Miraval confirms that the pieces are finally coming together. Next week, there will be an "official" announcement, and I think it will cause quite a bit of buzz.

Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 515 72nd Street, this high rise of residences available for purchase will redefine the notion of living the spa lifestyle. Check out their website and take a look at the renderings. In particular, I like the look of the private garden area. And the section that explains "A Week in the Life of a Resident at Miraval Living" gives a good sense of how this lifestyle translates into reality. Click "Inspired Living," then "Miraval Moments."

I would love to hear feedback from those who read my blog! Please post a comment by clicking on the link below that reads "Comments."

In case you missed it, here is the piece that Good Morning America did entitled "Top American Spa Escapes". In the number-one slot was the new Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, CT. We here at Spa Finder also gave this spa kudos. The ABC footage of the Mayflower Spa gives a nice glimpse of the facility that very few people will probably ever see – it is so private and exclusive. I'm delighted that the piece stressed the outdoor adventure aspect of Mayflower's program in addition to its spiritual bent. Too bad ABC didn’t mention the unlimited spa treatments, which is one of the spa's strongest unique selling points and explains the steep rates.

But the rest of the top ten collection? Well, let’s just say that I am quite surprised at some of the ones on the list and some of the ones who are not on the list. Makes me wonder who decided on this list, and whether they were just trying to cover the entire country.

1. Mayflower Inn and Spa, CT
2. Miraval, Life in Balance, AZ
3. Sundara, WI
4. Lake Austin Spa Resort, TX
5. Spa at Four Seasons, NY
6. Ritz Carlton Orlando, FL
7. Cal-a-Vie, CA
8. Green Valley Resort & Spa, Utah
9. Inn at Palmetto, SC
10. Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale, AZ

Let me know your thoughts....