Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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GUIDE relax The Conservatory at Canyon Ranch SpaClub offers soothing music. Hammam's the Word LOOKING EAST FOR INSPIRATION, LAS VEGAS SPAS ARE ENTICING GUESTS WITH TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN AND TURKISH COMMUNAL EXPERIENCES—WITH A LUXURIOUS TWIST. BY DAVID LANDSEL This now-classic facility was an early adopter on the luxury front, its rich slate interiors and moody ambience almost single-handedly revolutionizing the way Las Vegas looked at spas. At just 14,000 square feet, it feels marvelously intimate—even its sleek soakingpool areas. Unwind with your friends in the sauna, steam room, and plunge pools, then take it private with a relaxing and restorative Moor mud bath (for women only). THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, 877-632-9636; mandalaybay.com Canyon Ranch SpaClub Treatments are almost an afterthought at this cavernous pleasure palace—at 134,000 square feet, one of the world's largest day spas. The Aquavana bathing circuit (suit optional) is the centerpiece of your experience, with steam, rain showers, a sauna, an herbal laconicum, massage fountains, and the bone-chilling Igloo, featuring frigid air, cooling mists, and soothing, colorful fiber optics. Venetian and Palazzo, 702-4143600; canyonranch.com/lasvegas Drift Spa and Hammam Kicking off the trend, this 30,000-square-foot escape offered 126 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 126_V_BOB_G_Relax_Nov13.indd 126 the city's first luxury hammam, a romantic, richly lit coed room that fills with sensuous, aromatic steam. It's the perfect way to start a spa day, whether you're relaxing solo, as a pair, or as part of a group. Couples can book treatments in special rooms with relaxing private gardens. Palms Casino Resort, 702-9443219; palms.com Reliquary Spa & Salon The gorgeous highlight of this 25,000-square-foot shrine to sybaritism is the coed bathhouse, which suggests a historic bathlover's paradise like Budapest or Istanbul more than Paradise Road. The signature treatment, Drum Sticks, uses bamboo reeds to work deep muscles and rebalance the body's energy flow. It's an experience best followed with a long, relaxing soak. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 702-693-5520; hardrockhotel.com Sahra Spa & Hammam This labyrinthine gem was built with more than 400 tons of Nevada sandstone, and the design transports you far to the East and back in time, even while it stays rooted in the here and now. The traditional hammam experience here is more personal: Therapists offer a private soap ritual—a scrub-down, steam, and anointing, using Red Flower's Hammam line. Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7171; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com Spa & Salon Vdara Take things down a few notches by retreating to this intimate facility, hidden steps from the action at CityCenter. While the steam, sauna, and plunge pool areas in the locker room encourage a communal vibe, Vdara is all about exclusivity, with six popular spa cabanas, perfect for a day of poolside luxury. Featuring entertainment systems, stocked refrigerators, and relaxation areas, the spa cabanas offer guests a menu of poolside spa treatments. Vdara Hotel & Spa, 702-5902474; vdara.com The Spa at Mandarin Oriental The city's most traditional—and perhaps most opulent—experience is offered here, with items such as cotton wraps (or peshtemals) and kese exfoliating mitts sourced from Turkey and Morocco. In the rhassoul treatment areas, guests are rubbed with a rich, thick clay (hardened in a dry heat, then softened with steam and rinsed in a gentle rain shower) that releases toxins and firms the skin. Mandarin Oriental, 702-5908886; mandarinoriental.com/ lasvegas V SPA TALK Behind the bath with Mandarin Oriental spa director Jennifer Lynn. How does the hammam experience start? The ritual begins with guests lying on a marble stone heated to 102 degrees as technicians drizzle and splash warm water across the body, creating different sensations, so you become like melted butter. What makes it authentic? We had Turkish tellaks [bath experts] advise us on how to authentically deliver the traditional treatments— but in a luxurious way, with fine products and gentle therapeutics. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LAS VEGAS (LYNN, MANDARIN) Bathhouse The tranquil hammam at Mandarin Oriental. 10/22/13 10:10 AM