85054 Travel Guide

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Scottsdale Spas: Getting Our Rocks On

Where: 5350 E. Marriott Drive [map], Phoenix, AZ, United States, 85054
January 17, 2008 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

On our recent trip to Scottsdale to get massages, pedicures and bodywork treatments in the name of, um, travel research, we learned that this desert oasis plays host to more than 40 spas, many of which are located in swank destination resorts. When you're in such close proximity to your five-star competition, you've got to offer something wacky, niche or ultra-luxe to win over guests--your basic Swedish rubdown or hydrating facial just won't cut the epicurean mustard.

Making our appointment at The Revive Spa at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge, we were urged to try The Turquoise Blue Sage Body Ritual, a 3-in-1 combination therapy designed to cleanse and purify our senses. As the name implies, the products used throughout the 80-minute experience feature the area's most recognizable rock, plus fragrant ingredients like sage and organic essential oils.

Guiding us into the treatment room, our spa therapist explained that turquoise possesses a kind of healing energy. We pondered this, more than a bit skeptical, as she began working a mineral-rich salt scrub into our skin. But as she coated us in a desert clay body mask, wrapped us inside a hydrating cocoon and worked us from head to toe in a full-body massage, we started to come around to her way of thinking. By the time the treatment rounded out with an energy ritual designed to cleanse our aura and balance our spirit, we were totally down with the whole desert healing vibe.

The Southwestern zen lingered for hours--at least, until we came inches from stepping on a live rattlesnake during hike in the nearby Sonoran desert. After such a traumatic, near-death event, we felt totally justified in booking another extra-long treatment at Revive.

Related Stories:
· Revive Spa [Official Site]
· Spas coverage [Jaunted]
· A Taste (or Ten) of Tuscany [Jaunted]

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Table Crashing: A Taste (or Ten) of Tuscany

Where: 5350 E. Marriott Drive [map], Phoenix, AZ, United States, 85054
January 3, 2008 at 11:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

Amanda loves her spas... and Italian food.

When my sister Jenn, best friend Holly and I arrived at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona at the end of 2007, we confessed that we hoped the getaway would jump start our New Year's resolutions to get healthy (read: stop inhaling Christmas cookies). After all, didn't spas serve the kind of bland, tasteless gruel that makes hospital fare seem like Jean Georges by comparison?

Lulled into a false sense of caloric security (and perhaps in an endorphin haze, thanks to multiple hours of kneading, buffing, steaming and soaking beforehand), we floated down out of the relaxation room and down the hall to Ristorante Tuscany. As three of the last patrons to arrive for dinner, we had the good fortune to meet the twentysomething chef du cuisine, Brian Archibald, who strongly encouraged us to try his tasting menu.

Tiny plates, he promised.

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