The Canyon Ranch Experience

When I hear the name Canyon Ranch, I think of THE spa. You know, the spa resort type of place that only the uber-rich are allowed to enter. The place where all the cares of the world are left behind and visitors are treated to days upon end of full body massages. Well, a few years ago I was in Las Vegas for the first time. I stayed at The Venetian with my friend Luanne, and I was very excited to find out that Canyon Ranch had a SpaClub there, but then I looked at the prices. Oh my word, was it expensive!

Fortunately, I found a lucky slot machine. It was Elvis themed and after watching his hips shake a few times on the machine, I found myself $400 richer. What did that mean to me? Canyon Ranch, baby! Off I went to book a treatment.

I usually rave about awesome spa treatments and fantastic places to stay, but I just want to state that I walked in to Canyon Ranch SpaClub with my own expectations of what I would find, and I was highly disappointed. It was spacious and open with a massive rock climbing wall. There was a big area of men dressed in black sleeveless shirts and running shorts riding stationary bikes in sync while dripping sweat. It felt sterile and not what I look for in a spa.

The treatment I wanted, The Royal King’s Bath, was booked for the day. I settled for a hot stone massage, which I had never experienced before. It was okay. Definitely not the best treatment I ever had, but then my mind was already disappointed by the atmosphere and I may have brought that into the treatment room with me. Then I paid my bill and almost choked. The hot stone massage was $250!

I had to sit down before I had a heart attack, so I settled at the Canyon Grill bar. I really needed a glass of wine, but guess what? No wine. I could have a healthy carrot juice blend. Um, no. I’m a Louisiana girl and I like my wine. I like chocolate, too. I just plain like to eat good food, not good for you food.

What is the moral of this story, you might ask? Don’t go into a place with a preconceived notion of what your experience will be like. Any other time, if I would have taken the time to do a little research, I would know exactly what Canyon Ranch is.

• It is a health resort, which offers wonderful benefits for healthier lifestyles.
• Vegas isn’t exactly the place to find a relaxing vibe. The Tucson Canyon Ranch Resort is more of an area to find that.
• I wish I would have watched a video like this one available at ExploreCanyonRanch.com. Maybe then I would’ve had a better understanding of the entire Canyon Ranch philosophy that would make my experience better.