Canyon Ranch
Lenox, Mass.
By Matt Morgan
 Canyon Ranch® is a watershed for
lifestyle change, signaling the start of a person’s dedication to total body
wellness. This above all is what sets apart the Ranch from other facilities of its
kind, and lends further proof why its health resorts—in Lenox, Mass., and
Tucson, Ariz.—rate near the top of U.S. destination resorts and spas year
after year.
Changing Lives
Lenox was “discovered” in the 19th century as a retreat
for wealthy Bostonians and New Yorkers. Set in the Berkshires countryside, it
once served as inspiration for author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Since 1989, Canyon
Ranch in the Berkshires has strived to treat its guests like the privileged
residents who have called the area home.
For evidence, one has to look no further than the spa.
The 100,000-sqaure-foot spa complex has a fitness center with
six gyms; weight-training rooms; an indoor pool; courts for tennis racquetball
and basketball; an indoor running track; and men’s and women’s locker facilities with steam rooms,
sauna, cold dip and whirlpools.
All that is to say nothing of the 30 treatments rooms—22
massage treatment rooms for mud, salt and wet treatments, and eight dual-purpose
treatment rooms for skincare and bodycare.
Nearly 300 professionals are on staff at the Canyon Ranch spa
to serve the 200 or so guests who visit each day. There are massage therapists
trained in traditional massage, stone massage, shiatsu and Thai—“even
neuromuscular massage therapists work with chronic pain issues and body
alignment,” says Simon Marxer, spa director. “We have estheticians who of
course offer facials and body-treatment services. We have outdoor sports guides. We have a number of certified
fitness instructors who lead our classes and offer private consultation.”
The spa has a number of popular signature treatments. The
Canyon Stone Massage (75 minutes, $175) is one of the most requested treatments.
The Canyon Ranch Anti-Aging Facial (50 minutes, $135) was introduced in November
2003 and incorporates the resort’s signature line of skincare products. The
Canyon Stone Pedicure (80 minutes, $115) is another sought-after service.
Other featured treatments include the new Rainforest Wrapture
(45 minutes, $125), which uses a honey propolis from the rainforest. “It’s
been a huge hit for us,” Marxer says. Thai Massage (100 minutes, $210) is
popular, as is the Gentleman’s Facial (50 minutes, $95).
The two-hour EuphoriaSM treatment (100 minutes, $230)
incorporates aromatherapy with body treatment and massage, Marxer says.
 In order to keep with spa trends, Canyon Ranch conceptualizes
about 10 to 15 new treatments per year that are incorporated into the menus at
all properties. In addition to the Lenox and Tucson health resorts, there are
SpaClubs at The Venetian in Las Vegas, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee,
Fla., and aboard the Queen Mary 2.
An exciting development at the Ranch was the formation of a
line of signature products in February 2004. The new anti-aging products help
integrate the spa with the health and healing concepts at the resort. “We try
to encourage prevention over all else,” he says. “We look to aid in
regeneration of one’s skin cells.”
Canyon Ranch’s own Science of the Skin line incorporates
Pro-NAD compounds that were developed at the University of Arizona. The formula
works on the cellular level to regenerate healthy skin cells. Another new line
of cleansers, moisturizers and eye creams called Nutrition of the Skin is based
on the nutritional principles of skin’s needs.
Besides its own line, the spa offers a selection of top-line
retail products including DDF (Doctor’s Dermatologic Formula), Laura Mercier
cosmetics, Kérastase hair treatments, Phytomer, and a number of smaller lines
that are consistent with the resort’s philosophy, Marxer says.
Beyond The Spa
The spa is just one facet of Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires.
The facility has centers for sport and fitness, spiritual awareness, and health
and healing. The total package is what makes the resort so special.
“We really try to integrate the entire Canyon Ranch
experience and the spa experience into one whole experience,” Marxer says. “No one area can address someone’s health and
lifestyle needs. We endeavor to address those needs in all areas, from our
health and healing areas to our spa areas.”
The catchphrase at Canyon Ranch is “lifestyle change.”
Guests come to the Lenox resort seeking to better themselves. This is
accomplished through a combination of relaxing spa treatments, wise nutritional
choices and healthy exercise regimens.
“I think what distinguishes us is the integration of all of
our programming,” Marxer says. “Individuals can begin their days with a seven
o’clock walk, go to a healthy, enjoyable, tasty meal—that reinforces the
nutritional choices that our nutritionists or their physicians have advocated—and
go and work on stretching or meditation that perhaps their exercise physiologist
has recommended for them. It allows for an environment where individuals can
come and be educated and supported in their goals for better living. That is a
unique experience.”
There always is something to do at Canyon Ranch. In fact, at
any hour, there are seven or eight activities from which to choose, Marxer says,
including lectures, workshops, classes or spa services. “You can pick and
choose resorts to find different parts of Canyon Ranch, but it appears nobody
else has integrated it all,” he says.
Bringing It All Home
Resort staff work with guests to change their lifestyle in one
of two main ways: through relaxation and education. “Relaxation is one of the most important aspects of what we
offer,” he says. “It’s an important component to stress management.”
Education is vital because guests can understand how what they’re
doing is helping them change, and can use the information after they’ve left
the Ranch.
“The guests who get the most out of their Canyon Ranch
experience are the guests who take home the most,” Marxer says. “That really
is paramount to our philosophy. It’s extremely important that folks are able
to take home their experience here and make it work in their everyday lives.
Anyone can be relaxed at a resort. But to be relaxed and to make a lifestyle
change at home is really the test of the product that we offer.”
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