What makes a destination spa among the best in the world? Location, high caliber of therapists, and the overall spa experience all certainly play into the mix, but there is one simple formula for putting and keeping a destination spa on the path to success - read on to learn it.

A lot that is exciting is happening now in the competitive destination spa space, where wellness and medical spa trends are mashed up with the latest fitness routines. Real destination spas are about more than indulgent pleasure - though that certainly is a part of the package. It's about choices that speak to improved well-being and a healthier lifestyle, where spa personnel serve as guides to better living.

A great destination spa offers a treatment program with a story arc. It needs a beginning, a middle, an end, with the elements playing together in pursuit of a goal selected and articulated by the guest before arrival. For example, at Mii amo, a destination spa in Sedona, AZ, guests are presented with five overarching themes as a primary focus for their journey, which is then customized to the individual guest's needs prior to arrival. The minimum three-night stay provides time to immerse in a program and be inspired.

Look at the 10 world's best destination spas in the recent Travel + Leisure ranking. What jumps out is the top three – Golden Door (a longtime leader dating back to 1958), Rancho La Puerta (which dates to 1940 and shares heritage with Golden Door), and Ten Thousand Waves (started in 1981) – all were created and live with a passionate belief in the value and importance of the spa mission, established more than 30 years ago. The creators are spa evangelists.

What I have come to believe in 15 years of working with some of the best known destination spas in Arizona and beyond, is that lasting spa success requires a true commitment on the part of senior management to the spa lifestyle.

If a destination spa is only about profit - and, yes, a well-run spa can be profitable - the spa little by little begins to collapse on itself. All the great spa personnel I've met truly believe in the spa mission. They believe they are making a difference in their clients' lives. That is why they love their jobs.

The destination spa commitment starts at the top - it has to. So, if you want to succeed with a destination spa, start with a leadership that gets it, that lives it, that believes the world is a better place with destination spas. Can they articulate in a passionate, persuasive way why spa is integral to a life lived well. Do they walk the talk?

A great destination spa is about empowering each guest to live the good life. And that is a wonderful thing.