Sweet Treatments:
What’s New at Sedona Spas
From a Coconut Rub to an anti-aging facial, acupuncture to couple’s massage, rejuvenation awaits

By Erika Ayn Finch
Photographs by Debbie Weinkauff

Since our last look at the Sedona spa scene in December 2005, three new spas have opened up – at Amara Creekside Resort and L’Auberge de Sedona, as well as the Infusion Spa in the Village of Oak Creek – while four area favorites have spiced up their menus with new restorative treatments featuring the latest and greatest products and techniques. More than ever, Sedona spas say they are focused on results. An afternoon at the spa is not just about a few hours to escape from the kids and the cell phone; it’s about wellness at Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa, healing at Sedona Spa at Los Abrigados, celebrating romance at Sedona New Day Spa, and detoxification at the Spa at Sedona Rouge… with a pinch of stress relief (and peace and quiet) tossed in for good measure. We’ve got the inside scoop on recommended treatments at all seven of these alluring Sedona spas. And, as a special bonus, learn what it’s like to spa from a man’s point of view – it’s not all about bubble baths and scented candles, guys!

Amara Resort and Spa
Right before Christmas, Amara Resort cut the ribbon on its brand-new 4,000-square-foot spa, one of only five U.S. spas affiliated with Elemis of London (www.elemis. com) – and the first in Arizona. Elemis specializes in aromatherapy and a philosophy of "sensory heaven" tied to "rituals of ancient understanding." Treatments incorporate the Ten Cultural Touches of Elemis, massage techniques of Bali, Thailand, China, and elsewhere. "Elemis trainers from London came to the spa for two weeks and all our therapists had to pass extensive training courses in order to work here," explains Melissa Siet, Amara’s spa director, and project manager for its construction.

Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa
Hilton has a big focus on wellness this year," says Marlene Hubbard, fitness supervisor at Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa. "We want to teach people to work their body and be nice to it at the same time in order to be healthy."

To that end, the spa recently began working with individuals one-on-one to pair personalized fitness programs with its spa treatments. With a variety of workout rooms, weight rooms and classrooms within the 20,000-square-foot facility, there’s plenty of flexibility to find the right regimen – for example, a private instruction session on yoga, pilates, or T’ai Chi coupled with any of a variety of spa treatments, including two new ones with specific goals: the 90-minute Timeless Repair Facial and the Integrated Massage.

L’Auberge de Sedona
Walking through the doors of L’Auberge de Sedona’s new spa isn’t much different from walking through the doors of one of the resort’s French country cottages and that’s exactly how it was meant to be, says Joe Mottershead, general manager.
"When Tarsadia Hotels purchased the property in January 2006 we spent several million dollars landscaping, cleaning up the creekside, and changing the guests’ arrival experience," he says. "We had two cottages we could either remodel or convert into a spa so we opted for the spa. We really wanted to keep that cottage feel."

L’Auberge guests are given spa menus at check-in and, during evening turn-down
services, spa cards are left on the bed highlighting a particular treatment. "We had so many guests leaving to go to other spas – now the only time they need to leave the resort is when they get in a Jeep for a tour," Joe says.

Sedona Spa at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa
Even though she’s a licensed acupuncturist, Katharine Stewart says she’s also needlephobic – if you’re nervous about trying acupuncture for the first time, she’s sympathetic, and can say with confidence that it really does not hurt. Katharine practices acupuncture in a variety of treatments at Los Abrigados, home of Sedona’s oldest spa (now in its 20th year). The spa recently added acupuncture, acumassage and acufacials to its menu – each treatment involves inserting sterile, ultrathin needles (about as thick as a strand of hair) into key points of the body to allow the person’s energy, or "chi," to flow properly and promote well-being.

Aside from managing pain, acupuncture is deeply – and perhaps surprisingly – relaxing.
Sedona Spa is open to locals and guests and includes a fitness center with a schedule of classes. Last year, the spa added pilates and one-on-one pilates reformer training to its schedule. Check with the spa for times and rates.

Sedona’s New Day Spa
Sedona’s New Day Spa continually adds new treatments, such as the Wedding Relaxation Ritual (see Sedona Monthly, Jan./Feb. 2007) and eyelash extensions. The new 90-minute Pamper Me Pedi Treatment and the 60- or 90-minute Sedona Signature Hand Rejuvenation incorporate the spa’s exclusive turquoise sage cream scrub and body butter and a Sedona red clay mask.

This year, the spa introduced the Sedona Anniversary Package. "We have so many couples who get married in Sedona and then come back for their anniversary," says spa manager Chaya Mueller. "We wanted to create a package just for them, with elements of the desert."

The Spa at Sedona Rouge
Beginning this month, The Spa at Sedona Rouge unveils a new menu including manicures and pedicures and a new signature treatment, the Hammam, combining multiple spa treatments into one luxurious two-hour experience.

The Hammam begins with a Moroccan mint tea silt purifier applied to the entire body to increase oxygen and cleanse the skin. After a brief, in-room shower, a lemon coffee blossom olive stone scrub exfoliates the skin, followed by a long soak in a whirlpool bath. Next, a jasmine rose clay polish the color of Sedona mud is applied to draw out impurities and detoxify before another rinse. Back on the massage table, the body gets an orange quince mist prior to a deeply hydrating massage using a tangerine fig butter créme made with shea butter, black olive butter and fig.

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