[Image: Courtesy of Allegria Spa]To help with post-holiday sleep deprivation, the Joya Spa at Omni Resort Montelucia Scottsdale in Arizona offers a Restorative Sleep Ritual (80 min./$239 Mon-Thur or $249 Fri-Sun). First, the client is lulled into a state of calm with a Swedish massage that employs an organic body cream containing blue chamomile and lavender, followed by full-body reflexology. Next, the feet are exfoliated with a turbinado sugar scrub, then wrapped in a ginger root balm cream. “The ritual is great for this time of year because the holidays are wonderful but can also cause a lot of stress, and with that come restless nights,” says spa director Erin Stewart. “Getting proper sleep is so important for both the mind and body because without it, our memory, metabolism, mood, cardiovascular health, immune system and even our safety can be affected. This treatment induces a sense of tranquility that leads to a peaceful state of being,” she adds.
The Slumber Massage (80 min./$220 or 105 min./$285) at Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, Colorado, was created with input from Nancy H. Rothstein, aka The Sleep Ambassador, who co-developed the resort’s Sound Sleep Initiatives program. In addition to exhausted guests, it’s geared toward “adrenaline junkies” with a view to restoring their sleep for optimal performance. Calming elements such as lavender compresses, hot stones and Swedish massage are incorporated into the service against a backdrop of soothing sounds. Finally, a 20-minute neck and scalp massage takes clients to the next level of drowsiness. “So many of us are overloaded and over connected, and as a result we’re having difficulty relaxing and sleeping,” says spa director Christine Copertino. “Guests love this treatment because it teaches them about elements they can introduce at home: aromatherapy, white noise machines and so on. It can really improve their daily lives as well as their sleep.”
At the Ritz-Carlton Spa, Naples in Florida, the aptly named Drift to Sleep treatment (80 min./$240 or 110 min./$295) has a built-in trip to the Land of Nod. Designed to promote sleep “at a deep level of subconsciousness,” it begins with a sleep consultation over a cup of chamomile tea. The shorter service continues with a relaxing foot scrub and soak, while the longer version features a lavender infused aromatherapy milk bath. Both include a body massage with warm aromatherapy oils, during which time the protocol can be customized using techniques such as reflexology or guided meditation. Finally, the therapist tucks a fluffy pillow under the client’s head and a heated duvet over them, turns off the light and leaves the room for 20 minutes. “With many spa treatments, the guest starts to drift off just as they’re wrapping up,” explains spa director Michelle Kelthy. “That’s the beauty of this one—it doesn’t end when the massage ends.”
–by Lesley McCave
