Spa Programs in the News

New Balanced Living Programs Offer Guided Agendas for Growth at Miraval, Life in Balance - Resort offers guests new option to tailor their own program for individual needs

June 2004 (CATALINA, Arizona) – Say you’re feeling fit and healthy, but the stress of your job seems overwhelming. Or, your career and social schedules are soaring, but spiritual hollowness is daunting. Perhaps a life-altering experience has caused you to overeat and lowered your energy levels. Whatever the imbalance may be, the new Balanced Living Programs at Miraval, Life In Balance can put poise and purpose in your life by focusing your visit on what is most relevant and meaningful to you.

In our stressful day and age, creating balance in our lives is essential for establishing and maintaining lasting health and well-being. (The recipe for balance reads differently for each individual.) Miraval recently developed the Balanced Living Programs based on this understanding and from a tremendous amount of guest feedback. Miraval’s Balanced Living Programs provide guests with highly personalized plans for their stay, as well as the staff support they will need to discover what balance means to them.

“Our intent is to create customized packages for guests who arrive at Miraval,” says Suzanne Kaiser, Balanced Living Program Director at Miraval. “We’ll assure they’re offered a healthy selection of programs and activities targeted to their agenda and convenient to the length of their stay, as well as the support of experts who are anticipating their needs.” There’s no fear of guests feeling boxed into a corner, Kaiser notes, adding, “Balanced Living participants will still enjoy the freedom to enjoy as many of Miraval’s programs as they like while being attentive to their specific needs and goals.”

Available for resort stays of four days or longer, Miraval’s Balanced Living Programs begin with a pre-visit telephone conference with a personal coach who will assess guests’ needs and schedule relevant programs and activities. Upon arrival at the resort, participating guests may take advantage of coaching sessions to ensure them an optimum resort experience. And upon returning home, they can count upon personalized follow-up sessions to encourage and support their commitment to healthy and balanced lifestyle changes.

Miraval currently offers three types of Balanced Living Programs, each with a specific focus, as well as the resort’s core wellness elements of healthy eating, movement and exercise, and an emphasis on the all-important mind-body connection:

Mindful Weight Management: A healthy approach with individualized plans for nutrition and exercise, as well as steps toward developing a conscious awareness of the mind-body aspects of balanced living to enable guests to embrace and enjoy life. Includes an array of Miraval weight-management services, such as a Fitness Assessment, Body Gem Measurement and Consultation, Nutrition Wrap Up and Follow Up, as well as recommended activities like Mindful Eating, Cooking Demonstrations, Fitness Classes, Challenge and Equine activities and more.

Mindful Stress Management/Total Well Being: Effective strategies for minimizing and eliminating the damaging effects of stress and bringing life back into balance, including Measurement of the Physiological Effects of Stress, Fitness Assessment, a Lifestyle Consult, Private Meditation/Stress Reduction Session, and Follow-up, as well as recommended activities like Mindful Decision Making, Breath of Life, Meditation Classes and more.

Life Transitions: What’s important in terms of life, meaning and purpose? The answer is different for each of us, and often requires an understanding and awareness of our potential to move in new directions in order to attain peace and contentment. Includes two 90-minute Wellness/Lifestyle Consultations and subsequent Follow-Ups, as well as recommended activities like Healing Words: The Power of Pen and Paper, Healing Visualizations, Equine Experience, Interactive Meditation, and more.

Surrounded by the stunning Sonoran Desert, Miraval is known for its philosophy of “mindfulness” and bringing balance to the mind, body and spirit. The southwestern destination and adventure resort has received standout recognition. Readers of Travel + Leisure ranked it #1 Destination Spa in the World in October 2003, Zagat Survey 2003 ranked it “Top Destination Spa” in the U.S. for the second year running, and Condé Nast Traveler recently ranked it #1 Destination Spa in North America.

For more information, rates or reservations for Balanced Living Programs at Miraval, call (800) 232-3969, or visit www.miravalresort.com.

Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Southern Arizona, Miraval, Life In Balance offers luxury, privacy and a healthful focus for the body, mind and spirit. Unpretentious and thoroughly inviting, the resort’s 106 exquisite hacienda-style guestrooms sit comfortably on 320 manicured acres in the Sonoran Desert. The Miraval philosophy is one of balance, “mindfulness” and living in the moment. There is no strict regimen, and no pressure: guests are free to create daily agendas which suit their whims, goals and mood. Whatever they end up with, there is certainly plenty to choose from. Amidst paloverde and mesquite trees, wild flowers and stunning cacti are a yoga center, four swimming pools, restaurants serving healthful gourmet cuisine, a Zen garden, meditation and nutrition classes, myriad adventure challenges, hiking and biking, horse stables for equine encounters and equestrian pursuits, a spa with more than 100 treatments including Miraval’s signature hot stone massages and a nearby championship golf course. Ranked #1 Destination Spa in the U.S. by Zagat Survey in 2002 and 2003, #1 Destination Spa in the U.S. by readers of Travel + Leisure in 2003, and #1 Destination Spa in North America by Condé Nast Traveler in 2004, the Miraval experience is certain to invigorate mind, body and spirit, and promises to be a lasting experience for every guest. Miraval is a member of Leading Small Hotels of the World. For further information or reservations, phone 800-232-3969, or log onto www.miravalresort.com.