By Barbara Penny Angelakis

SPA AVANIA
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa At Gainey Ranch
7500 E Doubletree Ranch Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
480-483-5558
www.spaavania.com

As far as I am concerned Spas are the pleasure palaces of the modern world; for a few hours, days, or more, you are pampered, indulged, cared for and the focus of healing, beautifying and relaxing attention. There are different types of spas but for most people, men and women alike, the day spa with its focus on a quick fix, will provide their primary experience. For those with time and desire, there are health and well-being spas which seek to alter unhealthy life styles through diet, exercise and behavior changing programs. In between are the onsite resort spas that offer a relaxing, rejuvenating, pleasurable time-out between business and/or leisure activities.

Spa Avania offers such an escape, with a liberal sprinkling of holistic well-being, as the motivating force behind their one-of-a-kind “science of time” philosophy. Located in its own building at The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, Avania is a lush new, $9-million indoor/outdoor oasis of tranquility for adults of both sexes. Set against the striking backdrop of the McDowell Mountains and covering 2.7 acres, the spa’s treatment rooms, gardens, pools and meditative spaces, make full use of the Sonoran Desert environment out of which it was carved. Therapeutic pools of water – hot, cold, and mineral – are artistically placed at random, amidst beds of river rocks out of which desert plants and ferns grow. Many of the inside public rooms have glass walls or doors so that you feel connected to the outside landscaping and the healing quality of natural light as much as possible.

To achieve equilibrium throughout the day in body, mind and spirit, Avania offers their unique personalized program based on the “science of time”; a system that harmonizes with the body’s daily rhythms. The spa’s atmosphere, music, refreshments and treatments, all conform to this program. Services are provided based on the body’s biorhythms; to awake in the morning, rejuvenate at midday and unwind in the evening. The treatments and products used are attuned to the body’s cyclical needs to achieve balance and harmony and leave one feeling in sync and at their maximum.

We arrived at the spa in the morning for our treatments: an Avania Massage for Manos and a Progressif Facial for me. We were warmly greeted by the receptionist who showed us to our respective locker rooms where we were given cozy long robes and size appropriate nonskid slippers. By the time I was changed and seated in the waiting room, the ambience of the spa had already begun to work its magic on me. The aromas, music, and gentle tones of the friendly attendants, had me feeling comfortable and completely at ease, prepared to enjoy the experience to come. After being offered a choice from the Sunrise tea selection we were each led into a treatment room.

A word about the tea selection; there are “15 distinct, first-flush, biodynamic, certified organic, fair trade certified teas planted and harvested according to the lunar cycle”, offered at the spa. Many are rare, single-estate harvests from the premier tea growing areas of the world, i.e. the Himalayas, China, Japan, etc. And like everything else in sync with the “science of time” program, different teas with different properties are offered according to the time of day; Sunrise, Midday and Sunset. It is hoped that the signature teas offered at Avania will educate the public “about the extraordinary tastes and high antioxidant benefits of the world’s most exotic blends”.

After making sure I was comfortable on the state-of-the-art table with moving parts that adjusted to the body for ultimate comfort, my cosmetologist Naira explained every step of the procedure. As she plied my face with potions appropriate to the time of the day, my age and condition of my skin, she explained what she was using and why she had chosen that particular product. Her hands felt like butterfly kisses as they soothed away tension… and hopefully wrinkles as well. By the end of the hour I felt one with the table and desperately in love with Naira’s hands. Alas, it ended and I literally floated out of the spa and into the privacy of our room where I drew a bubble bath in the oversized tub and while soaking, contemplated the rejuvenating effects that a one hour treatment can have on the psyche.

© January 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.