Canyon Ranch Tucson is the wellness resort Mel Zuckerman founded at the end of the 1970s, and it still sets the pattern for the genre. It lies on 150 acres of Sonoran desert a few minutes outside Tucson, beneath the Santa Catalina Mountains. Stays are all-inclusive and built around a personal plan: before you arrive, an adviser talks through your goals and books the sessions that fit them, from fitness classes and medical assessments to coaching, art lessons and spiritual practice. More than 35 optional activities run every day, so between appointments there is always a hike to join or a class to drop into. The spa offers over 200 treatments, with whirlpools, cold plunges, hydrotherapy and four pools, and the health and performance programme brings medical, nutrition and mind-and-spirit specialists together on one property. Meals are cooked by chefs, healthy without being joyless, and no alcohol is served. The rooms and suites are calm and modern. Return transfers from the airport are included, and there is a two-night minimum stay. It rewards guests who are ready to take an active part in their own visit.
- Nearest airport
- Tucson International Airport (TUS)
- Rooms
- 176 rooms and suites
Insider tip Use the planning call before you arrive to book at least one session in a field you have never tried, whether medical, spiritual, life management or nutrition.
Why I choose it The original destination spa, with the depth of expertise to make even a short stay change how you live, in the open Sonoran desert.
