Can Resort Amenity Spas Compete with Destination Spas?

Count Phoenicians lucky in the summer. Yes, the mercury routinely crests above 100+ F but it is at that time that many of the best resort amenity spas in the Valley of the Sun roll out terrific deals and discounts - 40% off is the norm - through Travelzoo, Groupon, Amazon Local, you name it. And this summer that is how I spent my vacation: I took many up on their offers.

The purpose: to see just how much progress hotel spas have made as they have continued to mature over the last five to ten years. Dial back ten years and the gulf between a top-flight destination spa and a hotel amenity spa was enormous. Is it still?

First, though, big congratulations are owed the creative DoSMs at leading hotels in Phoenix - including five-diamond properties - for exploring what deals and discounts can do to help a property in a traditionally slow time. Some hotels eschew the mainstream deals for fear that, somehow, just being on Travelzoo would "cheapen" their brand. I applaud top hotel brands, including Four Seasons and Fairmont, for embracing these marketing tools in tough times. They are the smart marketers.

So, just how good are amenity spas in 2015? Here's the blow-by-blow at four.

Well & Being Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess knocks it out of the park. The facility is gorgeous, and guests who book a 60-minute treatment or more can enjoy many amenities such as the co-ed grotto waterfall of warm water that acts as a natural massage, and the rooftop adult pool, an elegant retreat with monogrammed towels tucked over the backs of lounge chairs, curtained cabanas, and large floats in the pool. The array of "heating and cooling experiences" in particular set this spa apart: Swiss shower, wet steam room, hot therapeutic whirlpool, cold plunge pool, eucalyptus inhalation room and Swedish dry sauna.

Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia is the place to feel like a pasha for the day. The Moorish design theme lends an exotic and colorful edge with beautiful tilework, furnishings and textiles. A ritual of choosing a stone and setting an intention at the blessing bowl is a nice beginning to the spa experience, and the darkened "Whisper Room," a co-ed relaxation space featuring large, sheer-curtained day beds with cozy blankets, ends the experience on a high note.

The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is distinguished by its service and attention to detail. Not surprising for a Four Seasons resort, but lovely to see in action. While this spa does not have the range of amenities of the larger spas, it goes the extra mile to make the experience memorable. An attendant made frequent trips through the spotless locker and lounge area to tidy up and replenish amenities. Nice touches included extra-plush spa robes, strawberry spa water, a eucalyptus steam room, exotic teas and housemade chia shortbread in the lounge, plus a chocolate-dipped strawberry after each treatment.

Agave, The Arizona Spa at The Westin Kierland smartly builds its theme around Arizona's indigenous agave plant, used in many of the treatments as an ultra-moisturizing element. It's a perfect fit for the desert, complemented with an intriguing menu of tequila treatments--body glow, massage, facial, manicure and pedicure--that utilize a spritz of tequila, organic lime, agave pulp and coastal salt.

Note: the summer costs, with discount coupon, at these spas for a full day on premises including a one-hour treatment, ranged from $99 to $109 (excluding gratuity). Many included fun extras such as a glass of wine or bubbly, a fitness class, and a retail credit. (Four Seasons offered two treatments in their deal, with access to amenities and the resort pool, for $199). In season, the beginning cost for a treatment only ranges from $149 - $169.

As enjoyable as all these spas are, there is room for improvement: Some spa robes at Well & Being looked a bit worn, and blankets would have been welcome in the lounge area. Joya staff can run through the opening ritual a bit too quickly, which makes it seem perfunctory rather than mystical. Four Seasons we hope will expand their spa facilities under new owners, and the floor in the women's locker room at Agave could have used a good sweeping.

The conclusion? Amenity spas, at least at top hotels, provide a highly competitive product. Are they as good as top destination spas? Let's say this: they are different. A destination spa, by design, offers multi-day treatments with personalized story arcs. An amenity spa cannot do that.

But what an amenity spa can offer - treatments of choice, delivered a la carte -- represents powerfully personal flexibility. It's spa exactly your way, on your time table.

A smart spa-goer could create a bespoke, multi-day spa experience cobbled around these amenity spas that in some ways would rival the offering at a destination spa. And some larger resort spas who have a wellness team on board, like Well & Being, offer to design a multi-day program around your needs.

Amenity spas really have come that far.

That's why I'll be back, certainly next summer when we locals likely will see a new round of great spa deals.