The perfect spot for a pre-wedding girls trip
is in the aptly named Paradise Valley.
Many spas seem more concerned with getting
you in and out fairly efficiently. The Joya Spa
takes loitering very seriously.
The spa is nestled in the beautiful scenery of Paradise
Valley, Arizona with Camelback Mountain casting shadows
down from the bright blue sky. You enter the spa through
water lined path and check in at the ground level, where
the salon is located. For spa treatments you escalate up the
stairway to the heavens to the Spanish and Moroccan inspired
award winning spa. The great thing about the spa is all the
attention to details. There are so many thoughtful, purposeful
touches.
Some of their other special
features include:
-31,000 square foot spa and
salon designed by Sylvia Sepielli,
an award-winning spa designer
-19 treatment rooms including
5 luxury treatment suites with
soaking tubs and beds Over 60
different treatments to select
from, see their spa menu here
Arrival dome topped with a
replica of a starry night in Spain –
888 twinkling lights
-Whisper room – a quiet room
with beds for deep relaxation
before or after your treatment
-Whirlpool, dry sauna, steam
sauna and cold plunge chamber,
set up with a relaxation area for
time between hot and cold rituals
-Lunch served on the Joya
Terrace poolside overlooking
Camelback Mountain
-Full hair salon with celebrity
stylist Ray Issa (wedding party
services available)
-Manicure and pedicure
services
-Indoor and outdoor technically
advanced gym and fitness classes
including yoga, spin, pilates,
muscle conditioning, ab lab, and
zumba
-Whether you are traveling with
a group, just need a personal
day, or are searching for a
romantic couples' escape, Joya
is the ultimate in luxury and
privacy. Just make sure you plan
on spending at least three hours
there to enjoy all the different
parts of the spa to the fullest
extent possible.
What is unique about the spa is the number of rituals that you
are invited to perform to immerse yourself in the experience.
One is the “Joy of Intention” where you can select from 5 jewels
symbolizing love, work, health, clarity and strength. You place your
selected jewel on the blessing blow to clarify your intentions. Next
is the “Joy of Illumination,” where you enter a circular room with
888 twinkling lights on the ceiling that represent a starry night in
Grenada, Spain. The best ritual is the spa’s traditional Hammam
(Turkish steam bath), a purification and detox ritual. You spend the
first 30 minutes in a steam-room sweat, a whirlpool soak, and a sauna treatment alternated with rinses of cold water from buckets,
and then scrub away the toxins with a Moroccan black-olive charcoal
soap.
The spa offers an extensive list of treatments, but their specialty
lies with the one of kind aromas you experience. Their executive
management team searched high and low for a scent that would
perfectly represent Joya until they found the essence of Arizona
queen of the night, a special cactus that blooms a flower at night.
The flower’s pure energy, used to enhance state of mind, increases
clarity, wisdom and insight. Joya Spa is the first ever to infuse its
signature products and treatments with essences or energies of
plants and gemstones.
Your experience is not over after spending several hours relaxing in
the spa (or even taking a nap in the Whisper Room like me)—head
outside to sunbath by the private Joya pool terrace and enjoy a
healthy lunch or specialty drink to finish off the day in the tranquil
surroundings. If you are feeling ambitious, head to the exercise area
for a yoga or spin class to complete your “me” day.
