Pre-Wedding Pampering at Arizona Day Spas

Ideas & Inspiration

(Left & center) Get serene at the Meditation Atrium and main entrance of The Phoenician’s Center for Well-Being. (Right) A therapist uses natural herbs during a masage at Aji Spa within the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.

Pre-Wedding Pampering at Arizona Day Spas

No one ever said planning a wedding was easy. With all the hustle and bustle of booking vendors, managing a bridal party and collecting every last RSVP, many brides forget to set aside some much-needed “me” time. Let this serve as your reminder: Get thee to the spa! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite treatments at resort spas around town to ensure you’re rested, relaxed and ready for the big day.

What: Shea butter wrap with honey avocado foot therapy
Where: Center for Well-Being at The Phoenician
Some brides might balk at the thought of a body wrap. If you’ve never gotten one before, the treatment sounds strange—you’re swaddled in layers like a giant burrito? In fact, wraps are one of the most soothing, tension-releasing treatments out there, leaving you feeling warm and nourished. Better yet, many wraps incorporate additional relaxation techniques—hello, massage!—into the process.
     Such is the case with the Center for Well-Being’s shea butter wrap with honey avocado foot therapy. The 80-minute treatment starts with a full-body massage using shea butter, then the esthetician wraps you in warm layers of towels, creating a comfy cocoon of rejuvenation. Next comes a gentle foot exfoliation and masque designed to slough off dead skin and smooth your weary tootsies. The treatment culminates with a scalp, neck and foot massage—by then you’ll be so relaxed you’re practically drooling. You exit your cocoon feeling fully refreshed and closer to a Zen-like state than you ever thought possible.

What: Native herbs cleansing wrap
Where: Aji Spa & Salon at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass
Aji just might be the most spiritually connected spa in all of Arizona. Located within Wild Horse Pass Resort on the Gila River Indian Community, Aji—which means “sanctuary” in the Pima language—incorporates many Native American traditions into its practices, so guests can soak up the area’s rich culture and history along with your luxurious treatments.
     One such service is the spa’s 50-minute native herbs cleansing wrap. In addition to the typical exfoliation and massage that comes with wraps, this treatment uses warm towels soaked in natural herbs like lavender, sage and chaparral. Not only will you feel like a million bucks afterward, you’ll smell nice too.

What: So-Sound Therapy
Where: Joya Spa at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort
Picture this: You’re zoning out on the massage table, listening to a soundtrack specially created for the experience; as the rub-down begins, the table starts vibrating in time to the music, hypnotizing all your senses at once. What could be more mesmerizing?
Joya Spa is one of the few spas in Scottsdale—heck, maybe even in Arizona—with a state-of-the-art vibrating massage table. Pair it with any of the spa’s dozen massage techniques, from lymphatic or neuromuscular to pre-natal or hot-stone, for 50 or 80 minutes, for a total relaxation experience.

What: Invigorating salt scrub
Where: Golden Door Spa at The Boulders Resort
If you’re anything like us, Arizona’s dry air isn’t always kind to your body’s biggest organ (that’s your skin, silly!), which means that every so often you need to get a little reptilian and shed that top layer.
     There’s no better way to do it than with an invigorating salt scrub at Golden Door Spa. The 50- or 75-minute treatment starts off with a 15- to 20-minute soak in the spa’s hydrotherapy tub, which boasts more than 200 jets, along with healing minerals in the water. Afterward, the esthetician uses thermal salts rich in minerals to slough off dead skin, then scrubs you down with a loofah covered in bath gel, before soothing your entire body with ultra-moisturizing lotion and body spray. As relaxing as the process is, the best part, hands down, is how soft and smooth you’ll feel for days afterward.

What: Saving Face hydrating facial
Where: The Spa at JW Marriott Camelback Inn
Scientists have yet to develop a skincare method that guarantees a blemish-free complexion on one’s wedding day (which should be bumped to the top of the priority list, in our opinion), but you can get pretty close to perfect skin with The Spa at Camelback Inn’s most hydrating facial.
   Clocking in at 60 minutes, the Saving Face hydrating facial uses a combination of enzyme-rich masques and head, neck and shoulder massages to exfoliate, moisturize and soothe your skin, resulting in a healthy glow and the perfect complexion for wedding-day makeup. Top it off with a hand massage and you’ll leave feeling like blemishes are but a distant memory.

What: Rollersage
Where: Agave, The Arizona Spa at The Westin Kierland Resort
Veterans of the spa life can shake things up with one of the newest types of massage hitting the beauty world. In a technique called Rollersage, the therapist applies pressure to the body using heated, locally mined, custom-shaped, semi-precious rocks and minerals that fit into a special tool.
     Each rock contains a different healing property, benefiting everything from circulation to the digestive system. The technique also allows for deeper effects on the muscles with less stress on the therapist’s hands. Sessions can be as short as 50 minutes, but we recommend going for the gold and treating yourself to a full 80-minute relax-a-thon.
     No matter which resort you visit or which treatment you choose, remember to arrive at least 30 minutes early to take advantage of the spa’s amenities, which often include a whirlpool, sauna, steam room, tea and snacks, and ultra-comfy lounges. You’ll thank yourself come the big day.

Get more from Arizona Bride! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.