Get spoiled at the spa

Vail is no longer just a destination for skiing and snowboarding addicts — spa hoppers will have no problem satiating their thirst for luxurious facials, massages, body treatments and more. This month’s edition of Luxury Spa Finder magazine featured a 10-page spread titled “Ski & Spa — Best of the Rockies.” Journalist Everett Potter had the tough job of testing out some of the tops spas in the Rocky Mountain region and choosing his favorites. Vail Valley spas, it seems, take the cake. Out of the nine spas he profiled in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, four of them are in Eagle County: the Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, Sonnenalp Resort, The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch and the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek.

“(The Vail Valley) really is a spa mecca,” said Gaye Steinke, general manager at Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek. “I just got back from Scottsdale (Arizona), which claims it’s the spa capital of the United States, but that’s also a big city, serving Phoenix and Scottsdale. In this small valley, it’s amazing. It shows the caliber of the guests that come here. Most resort towns of this size can’t support 10 to a dozen spas, but the Vail Valley can and does.”

Lisa DeKoster, spa director at The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, agreed.

“If you come to Vail, there’s a ton of spa hopping to be done — and each spa is different, each one offers a different ambiance,” she said.

A new ‘Gold Standard’

Potter, the writer of the “Best of the Rockies” spread, visited Allegria in January, Steinke said, so while she knew the Park Hyatt’s spa was one that might be featured, she still wasn’t fully prepared for the press.

The Allegria article begins with “Book here this winter to experience the new gold standard for Rocky Mountain ski-resort spas.”

“Honestly, it was one of the most flattering things I’ve ever read,” Steinke said. “He appreciated some of the finer points people don’t notice, like the detail of the architecture, the height of the lobby. It’s also wonderful for two therapists to be recognized, as well.”

Potter credited Karin Knittel as being a “master of ashiatsu” and Catrin Harryson-Smith with giving him “the single best Swedish massage of my life.”

The only “flaw” Potter mentioned was the swinging doors that allow guests waiting for the elevator to the second floor changing rooms to catch a glimpse of the coed Thermae pool, the first of four stops on the Aquas Sanitas (”Healing Waters”) hydrotherapy area the spa features.

“There was one criticism, but I was glad to see it because it was a more balanced approach,” Steinke said.

Offseason specials at local spas and salons Aria Spa & Club, Vail Cascade Resort and Spa, 866-666-3340 Two-for-one treatments through Nov. 15. Allegria, Park Hyatt, Beaver Creek, 748-7500 Twenty-five percent off all spa services Monday through Thursday. The offseason Fall Refresher Package includes entry to the Aqua Sanitas Water Sanctuary, a 50-minute Swedish massage, 30-minute Holistic facial or 30-minute Gentleman’s facial for $185 (includes gratuity and tax). Specials valid through Nov. 16. Candi Johns Salon, Vail, 476-5908 Half price haircuts and $20 off highlights through mid-November Pure Life Skin Care, Edwards, 926-0906 Massages are $20 off, select facials are $65 and select body treatments are $49. Riverwalk Cuts & Tans, 926-3157 Happy hour haircuts — Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m., men’s haircuts are $13 and women’s haircuts are free with any color service. Salon Nouveau, Eagle-Vail, 949-0602 Twenty percent off salon services with Jamie and Emily. Sonnenalp, Vail, 479-5404 Twenty five percent off any treatment through the end of the month. Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, Vail Athletic Club, Vail, 476-7721 Forty percent off spa treatments and 20 percent of nail treatments. The Bachelor Gulch Spa at the Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, 343-1138 Value pricing between Oct. 8 and Nov. 16 includes 50-minute facials and massages for $99, as well as other specials.

Healing versus pampering

When it comes to spa lingo, “pamper” is a word that gets thrown around all the time. Lisa DeKoster, spa director of The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge, spends a lot of her time focusing on the theraputic qualities of the spas treatments. The goal is that every treatment will contribute to the overall health of the client, she said, “rather than having something on there that’s just pampering. I never use the word pamper. It’s very easy to put a pampering treatment together,” DeKoster said. “Here eveything is geared towards making the client comfortable and luxurious, but we want it to be very healing to the skin.”

The treatment to try — The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge features a treatment called Steamed Herbal Poultice and Massage (75 min., $200). Muslin bags of aromatic, anti-inflamatory herbs like tumeric, cayenne and lime are steamed and rythmically pressed and worked into pressure points along the body to ease soreness, stiffness and inflammation, said spa director Lisa DeKoster. “If I skied all day long and could come down and have a treatment, that one would be it,” she said. The treatment ends with a full body massage. “It’s a really unique treatment,” DeKoster said, “I don’t think anyone else is doing it here.” — At Allegria Spa, try the Tropical Enzyme Facial (60 min., $140). The facial features Epicuren products, including pineapple papaya enzyme scrub, organic sea mineral mask, South Pacific Noni fruit gel and bee propolis to heal and rejuvenate the skin. The tropical face treatment also includes a neck, shoulder and arm massage that leaves you feeling utterly relaxed. — At the Bachelor Gulch Spa, try the Moisture Drench Facial (50 min. $135), an ultra-hydrating facial for dehydrated or damaged skin. “’Crème de Cassis,’ a collagen producing and hormone balancing cream fortified with antioxidant black currant oil, restores moisture at the cellular level and produces a healthy glow. This facial is ideal for dry climate skin conditions,” according to the Ritz Carlton web site.

Now is the time

Fifty percent off entrees and cheap three-course dinners aren’t the only deals to be had during off season. Local spas also offer specials to help lure locals in for a pre-ski-season-madness treatment.

“It’s become customary in Vail to (offer specials) and the locals wait, they don’t come in until we do that, which is great, because most of our business comes from word of mouth,” DeKoster said. “We love it when the locals come in, we’re used to working with the tourists and the locals come in and they’re so excited to come. Spa is a luxurious decandent treat.”

Arts & Entertainment Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.