• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The Mondrian's Agua spa.   (Photo: Courtesy of Mondrian Scottsdale)

Scottsdale’s been perfecting the art of the spa since 1936, when its first resort, the Camelback Inn, was built. Now there are so many body-enhancing centers in town, it’s hard to know where to begin. Ease into things at the tiny, still-off-the-radar Agua, where the Desert Hydramemory facial ($130) uses desert plants to restore dry, dull skin. It’s the perfect antidote to the arid climate. Organic devotees should head to the FireSky Resort’s Jurlique Spa, where the Tea Tree Body Polish ($125), a 60-minute scrub, rub-down, and mini-facial, leaves you refreshed and invigorated. Holistically minded spagoers will like the Hotel Valley Ho’s VH Spa, which has a fitness room and movement studio alongside a full-service treatment center. Shed some calories with a belly-dancing class then some dead skin with the red-flower hammam ($185), a vigorous exfoliation. Then get the knots and kinks literally pummeled out of you with a full-body massage. End your spa wanderings with some Zen time at the Sanctuary Spa, which has Asian-inspired treatments, a meditation garden, and a Watsu pool. For ultimate seclusion, reserve the Sanctum, a private, stone-walled outdoor retreat with a hot tub and double-headed shower ($125 half-day; $250 full-day).

Published on Jun 6, 2007 as a web exclusive.