Our time at Canyon Ranch is coming to an end. Here is my bottom line assessment of how things went for me this visit. I had four treatments - a Cleopatra bath and massage, a Thai massage, an Ayurvedic Bindi and Shirodhara, and a Sisley Facial. All of them were absolutely excellent. In fact every therapist I had seemed to be a specialist in each of the treatments. That's impressive for any spa - but especially for a destination spa where they don't even work for tips.

On the negative side for me was the fact that I probably gained weight - totally my own fault. (Peter lost about 4 pounds). The food is so fabulous that you end up eating three full meals a day (which I don't do at home). And with a cereal bar at breakfast and a salad bar at lunch and dinner as well as menus from which you can order as much as you want of so many healthful options...it just is too much temptation for me. Lunch and dinner menus have great desserts too, and when it comes to chocolate chip cookies and ice cream with hot fudge, I am simply spineless. I know the ice cream is low fat and the hot fudge isn't really fudge but cocoa and pineapple and pear juice - but it still tastes absolutely yummy and I am unable to say no.


We leave tomorrow and are feeling better about having exercised more than usual, gotten lots of fresh air, eaten healthy food, slept well and learned a few things. Among them...that the best kind of exercise for your immune system is something I love to do - dancing. And finally, I was reminded once again that Canyon Ranch has it's act together.

On Sunday afternoon, I attended Dr. Mark Liponis' lecture here at Canyon Ranch entitled "UltraLongevity". Dr. Liponis is the Corporate Medical Director of Canyon Ranch and was one of the authors of "UltraPrevention", which was published in 2003. He was among the pioneers who preached prevention and the clever book title helped catapult the idea throughout the spa world.

In September, he is coming out with his new book "UltraLongevity" and this afternoon's lecture was kind of a sneak peak into its contents. The bottom line is that he believes we have overactive immune systems and they are causing us a whole lot of medical problems. The barometer of how active our immune systems are can be measured by what is called the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test. You want the number to be as low as possible so that your rate of aging is slowed dramatically. A level of three is considered normal but he argues that you are better off having a number less than .7. Then he shared seven ways to lower your CRP.

Since I was in LA for our press breakfast, I decided to take the 30-minute ride to visit the brand-new California WellBeing Institute in Westlake Village that I had been hearing so much about. I knew few specifics except that it is the vision of David Murdock; that it opened in conjunction with a new Four Seasons Hotel; that it has a spa as well as a medical wellness component; and that a great deal of money had been spent in building it!

I learned a great deal more during my visit, which I will share with you tomorrow. But suffice it to say that the range of medical offerings was the biggest surprise…all kinds of the very latest diagnostic equipment, dermatology, and even dentistry. It was a peek into the future of luxury wellness.

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.

Sunday’s New York Times (December 12) ran a short, somewhat humorous piece, entitled “Spa Trends: Goodbye Pampering, Hello Rehab.” Jennifer Colin poked some fun at Spa Finder’s top spa trends for 2007, in which we predicted a new emphasis on healthy sleep at spas, detox programs, retreats, medical tourism, spa lifestyle communities with kids, bottom-line considerations, social spa-ing, and words such as "green," "beauty inside out and outside in," and "spa fusion." Apparently, it all seemed a bit too strenuous for her.

I will give her credit for her point, however. For people who are not very familiar with the spa world, it might be a bit overwhelming to think that all these things are now available at spas. After all, we know that the number-one reason people go to spas is to relax and de-stress. That list of trends might not sound very relaxing!

So let me correct the perception. Spas are still about relaxing and de-stressing – even pampering and taking baths – but they are also about a whole lot more. The trends we see are making it that much more worthwhile to go to a spa.

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."

This observation was shared by Ed Burstell, the Senior VP of General Merchandise for Bergdorf Goodman at an event that I attended last Thursday evening. He was part of a panel for the Luxury Marketing Council, a group that meets regularly to share insights on marketing to the luxury consumer. The panel was entitled "The Impact of Spa & Wellness on the Luxury Market".

I thought Ed's point was fascinating. Luxury retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman have found that their spring, summer, fall, and winter fashion seasons now have a new sibling. Resort wear (formerly a short segment squeezed between winter and spring including a few outfits to wear on a cruise) has now blossomed into a season unto itself. As Ed mentioned, interest in spa and wellness vacations has created a robust resort season that affects virtually every retail department! Traditional buying and selling cycles for retailers and consumers are changing to accommodate the spa and wellness lifestyle that people are adopting both at home and when they travel. This means workout clothes, casual clothes to wear to the spa and at the spa, evening resort wear, jewelry, handbags, shoes, hats, swimwear, etc.

An exciting development. Now, if we can just get retailers to understand that we spa enthusiasts consider the "spa season" to be year round!

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