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Find Your Pathway at Canyon Ranch Tucson

Article by Ava Roxanne Stritt

Photography by Ava Roxanne Stritt

The quest for the fountain of youth and the key to ultimate health is as old as time, but after a trip to Canyon Ranch Tucson, I do believe I have found the pathway to wellness for both myself and you too. 

At the end of my time there, I took a quiet walk around by myself. As I walked through the peaceful grounds at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, among the Saguaro cacti, I couldn’t help but think: I’ve found it. This place is The KEY. I really believe that everyone’s best chance for living their longest and healthiest life is to visit Canyon Ranch Tucson and explore their own wellness with one of the Pathway Programs they offer.  

If you, too, want to live your longest and healthiest life, then follow along as I let you into this magical place I would love to call home. 

Canyon Ranch is an all-inclusive wellness getaway in the mystical Sonoran Desert. It’s built in the embrace of the healing Santa Catalina Mountains and spans a newly remodeled 80,000-square-foot luxurious spa and fitness center, multiple pools indoors and out, on-site restaurants and plenty of outdoor adventure. It is known around the world as a leader for wellness travel and wellness retreats. Many call this iconic place the mothership of wellness. 

What is Canyon Ranch Tucson?

Highlights at the Arizona wellness resort include:

An 80,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch luxury spa (yes, you read that right) and organic, healthy food prepared by world-famous Canyon Ranch Tucson chefs. Hike through the scenic desert, then recover with a custom Canyon Ranch massage (my frozen shoulder was almost back to normal after mine). Guests have more than 35 different activities to choose between each day, from group bike rides to yoga to fitness classes to creative arts. Or for a less structured experience, relax in the pool, stroll through the meditation garden or play casual tennis or pickleball. 

Canyon Ranch levels up with not only a world-class spa and fitness center, but also metaphysical offerings, specialized teen and maternity services and luxurious amenities to go along with luxurious accommodations. I have visited many wellness retreats, and the accommodations here are top-notch for luxury, convenience and comfort. While there, I stayed in the newest part of the resort, The Reserve at Canyon Ranch Tucson.  

Rooms there include a sound machine, filtered water, cozy bathrobes and their own line of bath and beauty products. The shampoo and conditioner are now my favorite to use on my hair. Some rooms even have this amazing soaking tub you can see here on my @SpaTravelGal Instagram. 

Everything is included once you arrive; you don’t even need to worry about tipping. This leaves you free to think about YOU. 

Which leads me to the staff. They are there to make sure you are well taken care of and your needs are met. Their goal is to anticipate all your needs to enable you to be free to take part in your Canyon Ranch Pathway Program. The staff are some of the best I have ever encountered in the hospitality world, and you know I have been everywhere and seen it all. 

What to Expect at Canyon Ranch

Before I visited, I received many questions about Canyon Ranch like, “what makes Canyon Ranch really stand out?” Is it the staff, the luxury spa, the food, the programs, the fitness classes? Well, now I can say it is all of that—plus how it uses a science-driven, data-based approach to health and wellness. Also, everything is personalized and precise. 

At Canyon Ranch Tucson, you are not part of a mega group or lumped into some kind of demographic survey. You are seen as an individual. Staff presents you with a personalized experience and also skills that you can take home to apply to apply to your own day-to-day life to improve your wellness—for life. My doctors at home always seem so busy when I visit and seem like they are only checking the boxes. Here at Canyon Ranch, I had what felt like unlimited time with health care professionals that allowed them to ascertain my exact needs to move forward with any issues or illnesses I had been experiencing both physically and/or mentally. 

I discovered so many things I can do for myself at home to drastically move my wellness meter forward. Like how my Canyon Ranch Tucson dietician set up a specific prescription for healthy eating for me for osteoporosis and weight loss. We will be in contact for the coming year. I receive menu plans from her daily, and I stay on track using my Eat Love App that she programs for my own personal wellness pathway. 

All of the health professionals at Canyon Ranch Tucson work together to create a plan for you to follow on your personal pathway to wellness. 

What are the Canyon Ranch Experience Pathways?

Some guests come to the resort with a plan or specific goal—something they want to transform in their lives. Others arrive with an open mind and curiosity, the desire to grow into the best version of themselves. Return guests told me either way they come, they have learned something new about themselves and grown their wellness while there. The guests that I spoke to that have been over 10 times all say they come to be excited about what they will discover about themselves while there, and they are never disappointed. 

As such, every guest takes away something different from Canyon Ranch, depending on what they need and desire. Some people find more inner peace or a different approach to physical fitness. Others learn healthier eating habits or awaken motivation and drive within their inner spirit. The resort places you up-close and one-on-one with experts in fitness, nutrition, medicine, spirituality and more, so you can learn from the best—truly the best in the world. This is more than a vacation. You will learn and you will grow here. 

Canyon Ranch’s tagline is not just empty words; it’s a promise that the resort fulfills for each guest:“Life Changes Here.” For me, I found that everyone advances their wellness while there, including myself! 

At the heart of Canyon Ranch’s magic are the unique Experience Pathway Programs. It’s highly recommended that first-timers pick a pathway via this program because it provides you assistance with planning your activities so you can get the most out of Canyon Ranch. Pathways provide a focused intention for three-, five- and seven-night stays.

Pathways include themes like: Lifestyle Reset, Personal Discovery, Reconnect With Joy, Transition Purposefully and Optimal Health Exploration. As an example, for the latter, you meet with a wellness team to examine your wellness and create a plan. Guests may receive a Dexa body composition consultation, then meet with a physician, a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist, who all come together to look at various test results to provide the best possible advice on how to improve your wellness to help you grow into the best version of yourself. 

Then, in addition to “core” activities (such as various daily activities, healthy food, access to the spa and fitness center), you can pick add-ons, based on your interests, such as yoga, massage, hypnotherapy, sound healing, acupuncture and more. 

Then don’t forget the shops! Be sure to venture by the CR Shop to get your cell phone sleeping bag. Think about disconnecting to reconnect with yourself while there. I promise you will enjoy it. 

Whatever wellness goal you are pursuing, you can find it here. You can also find some activities you didn’t expect or even know that you would benefit from. That is one of the glorious benefits of the Pathway Programs. My Lifestyle Reset Pathway definitely had activities I may have never chosen for myself, but afterwards it may have ended up being one of not only my favorite activities, but also most beneficial too. It may benefit guests to take one pathway multiple times or switch it up; the growth is limitless. But no matter what path you choose, you will find more than you could ever imagine about your health and wellness at Canyon Ranch. 

I visited Canyon Ranch with my college-age daughter, and we both benefited from our Pathway Programs. Alexis is in the health field and was extremely impressed with all of their pathways. The Lifestyle Reset Pathway was the perfect fit for me, and my daughter loved the Personal Discovery Pathway

The Lifestyle Reset Pathway is for when it is time to step decisively away from old ways. Your team of talented integrative wellness experts will guide you to a new path of greater energy, purpose, and better health than ever. This pathway is designed to customize a foundation for lasting change in small, achievable steps. The Lifestyle Reset program will help you—set goals for, and remove barriers to, healthy living, jumpstart healthy eating and food choices, develop a personalized exercise plan, find more connection to purpose in daily life and enjoy many options and luxury amenities of Canyon Ranch Tucson including the spa. You will be able to personalize your plan.

The Personal Discovery Pathway allows you to customize your options and stay your way. It is the perfect choice for first-timers or return guests. You can shape your own journey to self-discovery and personal growth, with a schedule and program designed for you, by you. You get to select from popular options in fitness and movement, spa and beauty, wellness, or just for fun. I do see it as a huge deal for both your pocketbook and self-worth. With the Personal Discovery retreat, you can go as deep or as wide as you like: seek expert advice from physicians, behavioral therapists, or exercise physiologists; guide your yoga, Pilates, or meditation practice; rejuvenate with a massage, facial, or reflexology session; choose ropes course, rock climbing, outdoor hiking, hands-on cooking, or spiritual adventures. You will get tools to eat healthier, find purpose, or reduce stress. 

It’s hard to find the words to describe a place like this, as there’s nothing that compares. Neither my daughter nor I ever wanted to leave. If we could have only moved our family and pets where—we knew we would be good if we never even had to leave. 

Why do Guests Return to Canyon Ranch Tucson?

It’s no surprise there are many return guests to Canyon Ranch. I met one group from Georgia that has been returning for nearly three decades. I connected with another woman who has been coming to Canyon Ranch for more than 20 years. Yes, she told me that some of her results are data-driven, but she knows that Canyon Ranch Tucson is much more than that. She told me that every time she visits, she discovers something new about herself that she would have never imagined. She loves to come without a plan, knowing she will be enlightened at the end of her stay about herself. 

Return guests also say they come back since one feels like family at Canyon Ranch Tucson. Staff always remembers everyone's names and any specific they desire, especially in the cafe. Allergies and special dietary needs here are not seen as a burden. The staff is happy to accommodate you for your health. 

As guests return year after year, they learn more about themselves and they often share it with friends and family. Mothers share it with their daughters, and the circle of Canyon Ranch fans continues to grow. I know personally it grew by two this year: my daughter and me.

People who return see the benefit of returning year after year to track their own growth and keep it going. This is a community and feeling that I want to be a part of forever.

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