The Best Spa Hotels and Retreats in Tucson, Arizona

Get pampered while overlooking wide desert vistas by staying at a spa retreat in Tucson | © Miraval Arizona / Expedia

Writer21 December 2021

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Blending Native American, Mexican, Spanish and Anglo traditions, Tucson buzzes with youthful energy – largely thanks to the 40,000-strong student population at the University of Arizona. It’s a valley town, hemmed in from all sides by saguaro-cactus-dotted desert and nature reserves bristling with mountains. Natural attractions aside, you’ll find characterful 19th-century architecture, world-class museums, quirky vintage shops, and a varied, exciting dining scene, all rolled into one fantastic destination. Should you find yourself in need of some serious pampering, here are the eight best spas in Tucson to unwind in after all that exploring – bookable with Culture Trip.

Canyon Ranch, for a lifestyle reset

The setting is lovely: on the northern outskirts of the city, at the foot of the Santa Catalina mountains. And the wellness program at this five-star resort offers the works: 90-plus spa and beauty treatments, not to mention nutrition, health and fitness services designed to optimise your individual path to wellbeing. You might be here to seek expert-led guidance on how to achieve your desired lifestyle reset. Maybe you’re coming back as a repeat guest to partake in the likes of signature Detoxifying and Euphoria rituals. Perhaps you’re simply on a day-spa guest pass ($325) in order to lounge next to multiple pools and get massaged into a state of blissful bonelessness. Whatever your reasons, this luxe retreat is sure to recharge your batteries.

Hacienda del Sol, for custom treatments amidst desert-style decor

Overlooked by the Santa Catalina mountains, a 10-minute drive from the Sabino Canyon hiking trails, this ranch-style resort is an elegant affair, with decor that channels the surrounding Sonora Desert. The tip-top spa treatments are available to in-house guests and day visitors alike. Settle into one of the three intimate treatment rooms and consult the therapist before choosing from such signature treatments as the Hacienda Classic Custom Facial and Magnesium Leg & Foot Melt. Massage and facial enhancements are also available.

Miraval Arizona, for extensive spa facilities

The name of the spa at this all-inclusive desert resort sets out its mission: Life in Balance. Correspondingly, treatments on offer range from acupuncture and Thai massage to Vasudhara and Crystal Energy Work. Feel the need to escape the rat race for a while? Then come and reflect by the appropriately named reflecting pool, practise serenity in the spa’s community quiet room, or just take in the views of the desert and the surrounding mountains while your masseur rubs a mix of locally picked arnica and rosemary into your sore muscles, as part of a signature Deep Desert massage.

Loews Ventana Canyon, for signature Desert Herbal Cocoon Wraps

Imagine waking up in the morning, reveling in views of the Sonora Desert from your floor-to-ceiling windows and taking a dip in the large pool, overlooked by the giant pointing fingers of saguaro cacti. Then imagine hiking in the Santa Catalina foothills all day, possibly to the nearby Sabino Waterfall; or really pushing yourself on the Sabino Canyon Trail #23. As you come back, exhausted and achy, what’s missing from this picture? A soak in the adults-only hot tub, of course, followed by a massage from the spa’s short-but-sweet menu, or perhaps a tension-relieving Desert Herbal Cocoon Wrap.

Lodge at Ventana Canyon, for multiple pool access

How best to spend your vacation at this dream lodge? Admiring the scrubland-covered mountains from your private balcony or patio? Hitting the trails in nearby Sabino Canyon, where you find yourself surrounded by a living picket fence of sky-high saguaro cacti? Doing laps in the Olympic-sized pool? However you choose to lose the days, you can only ignore the lure of the on-site spa for so long. And, when you succumb, you’ll find plenty of treats in-store. Choose the indulgent likes of an Ultimate Bliss scrub, or perhaps a Coconut Papaya facial, from a wide range of massages as well as face and body treatments.

Casino del Sol, for a range of desert-inspired treatments

“Physical and spiritual renewal” is the promise at this spa, equidistant from the Tucson Mountain Park and the historic San Xavier del Bac mission (in case you’re looking for sightseeing/activity options away from the blackjack tables and the resort’s relaxation facilities). Inspired by the healing practices of the indigenous Yaqui, who call the Sonora Desert home, the Hiapsi spa aims to soothe your body and mind with its signature Flower Ritual. This serene treatment combines aromatherapy with a herbal foot bath and essential oil massage.

El Conquistador Tucson, for innovative wellness therapies

Decked out in warm hues and prints of Arizona’s striking scenery (which you can also appreciate by looking out from the balcony in your room), this Tucson spa pledges to help you in your quest to become the healthiest and most beautiful version of yourself. For that, they have an impressive arsenal of tools at their disposal, from Vibrational Singing Bowl Therapy and SpaWell Signature Facials to the Balance-Restoring CBD Wrap. If those don’t do the trick, a rejuvenating soak in the adults-only pool, overlooking Pusch Ridge, just might.

The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, for a good mix of body treatments

1a815f6e The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

What did the ancient Romans have in common with the staff at the La Paloma Spa? They believed in the concept of mens sana in corpore sano (“healthy mind in a healthy body”), which, to be fair, is a more achievable life goal if you’re vacationing at a spa in Tucson rather than perpetually skirmishing with the Etruscans, Gauls and Carthaginians. Take time away from lounging around in your desert-colored room, sharing gossip around the hotel’s fire pits, or dining on Mexican- and Cuban-inspired dishes at Contigo Latin Kitchen to indulge in a standard array of scrubs, wraps, facials and massages.

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