My idea of a spa had always been of people wrapped up in fluffy white bathrobes with cucumber slices over their eyes — a nice enough concept, I suppose, but not one around which I'd build an entire vacation.
It wasn't until opportunity arose to join friends at an "adventure spa" in southern Utah that I realized I'd been ignoring one of North America's hottest travel trends.
The new breed of spa focuses not on passive rejuvenation but on challenging outdoor activities. Traditional spa treatments are optional, but when you start your day with a five-mile hike and follow it up with a two-hour rock-climbing session and an afternoon mountain bike ride, the white-robe routine doesn't seem so jaded.
Just think of it as having earned your lavender adobe wrap the hard way.
Tucked into the southwest corner of Utah, just outside a red-rock canyon so visually dramatic it held me spellbound, Red Mountain Spa attracts as many hard-body types as it does softer bodies longing to be firm. The daily tab, which starts around $200, includes all meals and as many activities as you can handle.
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Filled with gym classes, pool classes, hikes, mountain bike rides and lectures on subjects ranging from glycemic load to menopause, the spa's daily schedule rivals that of a cruise ship. And the food most definitely is not intended for the rabbit hutch: It's inspirationally healthy, bountifully diverse and unconditionally delicious.
"We don't have food police here; we don't believe in deprivation," spa manager Deborah Evans said the first evening at dinner as our group mulled over which wines would go best with the molasses-seared elk or the coriander-crusted chicken.
It's not a resort in the traditional sense, though some guests treat it as one. Perhaps a quarter of the clientele, Evans says, are content to swing in hammocks, read by the pool, go for meditative walks in the surrounding desert and float from spa treatment to spa treatment. Red Mountain's location, just an hour by road from Zion National Park and not much farther from other scenic wonders, makes it an ideal base camp for day trips, either through the spa or on your own.
"We get all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons," Evans said. "Some are celebrating a special event, some are training for athletic events, some are very interested in holistic mind-body issues. Some are grieving. Some want mostly to relax. We do a lot of personal training here and encourage people to find and test their limits. For some people, that might be their first wilderness hike; for others, it might mean hiring a guide and going rock climbing.
"We call ourselves 'choose your own adventure' because there's so much to do."
Never having been to a destination spa, I quickly embraced the healthy-and-active concept. But it took a day or two for me to get it regarding the hikes. The fact that I'm an avid hiker is what brought me here — but I'm also the kind of hiker who prefers to go at my own pace, stopping to examine plants, bird-watch, enjoy the views and take photographs. Red Mountain's guided morning treks, on the other hand, are all about fitness: The guide sets the pace and the group is expected to keep up the clip with only an occasional break, every 20 minutes or so, for catching one's breath.
Once I accepted the premise, I was a happy hiker — though it pained me to give ancient Anasazi petroglyphs short shrift and to have only 10 minutes at a fabulous Snow Canyon overlook that we hiked three uphill miles to reach.
Daybreak treks at three levels are offered daily at Red Mountain. The spa also offers, for a fee, off-campus excursions and activities ranging from guided hikes in nearby national parks to challenging mountain biking, kayaking and rock-climbing programs.
Red Mountain started in 1983 as a "fat farm" with dorm-style accommodations, rigorous exercise programs and strictly controlled vegetarian meals. New owners took over a few years ago and reinvented the place for a changing market.
The spa's dozen or so buildings, painted a warm orange that blends into the surrounding desert, sprawl over several acres just outside the town of Ivins, a strip-mall community near St. George. The campus includes a scattering of older, two-story structures with revamped, motel-style rooms, and several new ones with generous square footage and four-star appointments. New construction will boost the room count from 109 to 142 later this year.
Meanwhile, Red Mountain's new Sagestone spa opened last week, improving on the old facility's somewhat cramped quarters. Fitness classes in a variety of disciplines, from yoga in a dozen variations to old-school aerobics, are held in an impressive center housing three large workout studios. Among the more unusual offerings: chi-ball dance and yoga, Feldenkrais, Cardio Core Reebok, fitness caching (using GPS devices), yoga on the ball, the New York City Ballet Workout, and Living Drums.
As with most spas, Red Mountain is a popular venue for "girlfriend getaways," with female guests outnumbering men by about 2-to-1. Visitors during my stay included two mother-daughter pairs; a group of five former college dorm mates gathering to celebrate their 40th birthdays; a reunion of former co-workers now living on opposite coasts; a group of women who had gone to high school together; and several sets of sisters.
"We do a spa trip every year — without kids and without husbands," said Devora Zack, a management consultant from Washington and the mother of three young sons.
Zack had rendezvoused at Red Mountain with her sisters.
"These three days are a time for us to reflect, to talk, to advise each other, get some perspective — a sister-bonding kind of thing. At a spa we can rejuvenate, together or independently, in many different ways," Zack said as the van we were in traveled back from a hike in Snow Canyon.
"Before this trip, we were all so stressed we thought, 'Let's cut it short, we can't do it,'" Zack reflected. "But life goes fast, and if you don't take time for this kind of thing you miss out; life passes you by. . . . "You have to make time for things that matter."
earning a respite
● Red Mountain: 1-800-407-3002 or www.redmountainspa.com/
● Resort officials say they see an increasing number of guests from Arizona. Many fly into Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines (fares from Tucson start as low as $49 one way), then take a shuttle up to St. George.
● Winter rates start around $200 per person per night (midweek) with a two-night minimum; average rate is closer to $250. Check the Web site for specials. Three daily meals, guided morning hikes, unlimited fitness classes and use of pools, whirlpools, fitness center and other facilities are included.
● Nearby is Snow Canyon State Park (named for a Mr. Snow, not the white stuff), a spectacular setting with surrealistic red-rock formations and many hiking and biking trails. Portions of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and other Western films were shot here.
● Adventure and fitness spas are springing up all over North America. A good source for learning about others is www.spafinder.com. To narrow the field, search under "hiking."
● The Star's Inger Sandal contributed to this report.
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