Destination of the Month: Spa Avania at Gainey Ranch

All over the globe, the spa industry is booming, and today’s savvy travelers are seeking out the best each destination has to offer. From old-world European mineral hot spring “cures” to modern day spas featuring the latest technology, it’s all just a plane ride—or mouse click—away. Every month, we profile one of our favorite spas, and whether international or domestic, each one is out of this world.

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa (Spa Avania), Scottsdale, Arizona
Need to dry out? Stress evaporates into thin air at this arid desert destination.

In 1956—just five years after being incorporated as a city—Scottsdale, Arizona was proclaimed "one of the most desirable communities in the West" by Life magazine. Flash-forward 50 years and this dusty, one-horse town that was once little more than orange groves and roaming cattle ranches has blossomedinto a thriving vacation destination. Amidst a landscape dotted with enchanting saguaro cactus and Sonoran golfdesert vegetation, Scottsdale and its surrounds is home to more than 200 meticulously groomed golf courses, 600 dining destinations, a bevy of upscale boutique shopping and most enticing of all—a hot seat of top resort and day spas. And at the heart of it all sits the 27-acre Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa, where the intermingling of inspired architecture and personal service captures the relaxed luxury of the Scottsdale lifestyle.

Designated as a flagship property among the Hyatt resorts, the Hyatt Regency boasts sweeping views from the three-story lobby atrium across the greens and bordering McDowell Mountains, 500 guest suites and casitas, a 27-hole championship golf course, world-class tennis, a 2 ½ acre water park with 10 pools and a sand beach, acres of waterways with authentic Venetian sandolo boats, jogging and cycling trails, kids and cultural programs and the newly unveiled 21,000-square-foot Spa Avania. Bons vivants will raise their glasses to a hearty choice of dining options including the crowning Vu Restaurant, where the New American contemporary cuisine recently got a nod from Esquire Magazine as one of the "Best New Restaurants in 2005." And should a bit of retail therapy be on the schedule, the resort is convenient to The Shops at Gainey Village, Kierland Commons and The Borgata – each offering open-air, high-end boutique shopping and bistro dining. 

spa avaniaPerhaps the most appealing aspect of the resort—at least to us spa enthusiasts—is Hyatt Regency's new Spa Avania, where the offerings are uniquely orchestrated to the time of day and the body's own internal time clock. The architecturally splendid oasis meanders across 2.7 acres of indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, gardens and meditative spaces. Bucking the conventional practice of offering a menu of isolated spa services, the spa coordinates treatments with the time of day—morning (awakening and revitalization), midday (restoration and balance) and evening (relaxation and repair). Men's and women's changing rooms ease guests into a tranquil transition with oversized vanities, steam rooms, saunas, spacious storm showers and adjacent gender-specific indoor/outdoor relaxation lounges with cold and hot plunges and outdoor showers. The centerpiece of Spa Avania's co-ed outdoor courtyard features dual mesquite wood-burning fireplaces where guests can gaze out over the signature French Celtic mineral pool, lotus pond, black granite water wall and, just beyond, the majestic Camelback Mountains. Of the 18 treatment rooms, three oversized rooms can accommodate couples while five luxurious indoor/outdoor garden suites offer private entrances, relaxation areas and pools. The spa also caters to men with a self-contained men's suite complete with a flat-screen television and a well-stocked mini bar.

 

The epitome of laid-back luxury, the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa embraces the timeless art of relaxation. The only requirements at this luxury destination are sunscreen and plenty of time to linger.

spa scenery

 

For more information on the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch,
please visit www.scottsdale.hyatt.com.

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch
7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road
Scottsdale, Arizona, 85258
Tel: 480 444 1234

 

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