Bringing spirituality into the spa
Guest blog: Life in Balance Spa at Miraval Arizona has introduced healing rituals that work with guests' energy. Simon Marxer, corporate director of spas sheds light on the treatments.
Over the years we have found that many guests don’t just come to Miraval Arizona to relax but also to transform, building a deeper connection with themselves and something greater.
We created a collection of spiritual treatments to honour guests’ past experiences while opening doors to renewal. We have seen significant increase in guests booking these offerings that we believe stems from a growing desire to experience long-term change.The aim is for guests to leave feeling not only rejuvenated, but with a better sense of their own wellbeing.
Two of our newest treatments – Vasudhara and The Path of the Jaguar – combine ancient traditions with new modalities. Drawing from the powerful healing effects of sensory deprivation, Vasudhara ignites the sense of touch as guests don blindfolds while experiencing the weightlessness of water.
The service begins with a ceremony of letting something go by lighting a candle and symbolically floating it away in the water to evoke the change to come. The pulses of sound from underwater speakers and the relaxing stretches of Thai massage combine to create a sensory experience that relaxes the body and mind to find true inner peace in the darkness. While inspired by the fundamentals of Thai movements, the true focus of the Vasudhara treatment is on the internal feelings of the guest, creating an environment that removes a sense of place to draw attention within.
The interactive and transformative Path of the Jaguar treatment focuses on the healing powers of energy work. Encouraging guests to leave the past behind and let go of their fears, this treatment inspires them to embrace the path ahead and follow the path of the jaguar. To assist along this new path, ancestors of the location and desert are called upon for guidance.
Through a series of chakra-clearing healing practices led by a Shamanic healer, guests expel their negative energies into hand-selected crystals, which are then buried on the property and left behind. The entire service, inspired by a jaguar’s nine lives, helps guests restore their internal energetic balance and encourages them to follow a new path in life, continuing the transformation for years to come.
Simon Marxer is corporate director of spas for the Miraval group. Miraval’s portfolio is currently comprised of Miraval Arizona, the brand’s flagship wellness resort in Tucson, Arizona; two Miraval Life in Balance Spas at Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California and at Park Hyatt St. Kitts; and two new wellness resorts under development in Austin, Texas (2018) and Berkshires, Massachusetts (2019).
