Canyon Ranch opened in Tucson in 1979 with a bold mission to unify mind, body and spirit. It was a hard-won realization that came to founder Mel Zuckerman at a California “fat farm” where he was resolving to change his health and life for good. Four decades later, the pioneering resort remains true to that vision by serving guests at the desert hideaway in Arizona and locations across the country and even at sea.
Amy Hawthorne, Life Management Director-Health and Healing at the Tucson location says,
“How we feel in our bodies, and how we care for ourselves, on every level, determines our degree of satisfaction, contentment and happiness with our lives.”
Canyon Ranch Focuses on Five Pillars:
- Fitness and movement
- Food and nutrition
- Health and healing
- Mind and spirit
- Spa and beauty
Guests in Tucson have their pick of offerings, but current favorites include:
- Rejuvenating waters, a combination of steam, water, and bodywork. Guests start the experience in a hydrotherapy tub, where they are massaged in warm water from head to toe and then move to a steam-filled room for an additional massage.
- Healthy lifestyle consultation to examine a wide range of issues, such as communication, feeling stuck, grief and loss, interpersonal relationships, meditation for change, sexuality and intimacy, transitions, and work-life balance.
- Dexa body composition to assess body composition and maximize plans to reach and maintain healthy body weight. The assessment measures not only total body fat but lean tissue and visceral fat. Guests learn how to reduce their risk for disease and set realistic goals for muscle mass and body fat levels.
Hawthorne says the resort continues to draw a diverse, multigenerational audience thanks to the resort’s expertise across multiple disciplines, variety of services in the wellness space, and tailored experiences.
“The programming team continues to evolve offerings to ensure new and repeat guests learn and grow while they’re in Tucson,” she says.
Guests can expect even more at Canyon Ranch Tucson as it undergoes an extensive renovation of rooms and suites as well as other enhancements at the property.
Founder Mel Zuckerman once wrote that he and his wife Enid built Canyon Ranch “to be the perfect place to put things in perspective, reset priorities and contemplate new opportunities.” The founders have retired but those words still ring true in Tucson.
By Susie Steckner
Photo: Canyon Ranch Tucson