The Unlikely Pairing of Maureen Dowd and Spas (Canyon Ranch Miami in this case)

The Unlikely Pairing of Maureen Dowd and Spas (Canyon Ranch Miami in this case)
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

I have been asked by quite a few people what I thought of the recent (and lengthy) New York Times article on the new Canyon Ranch in Miami. Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Here goes. I was very excited to see the headline “Mind, Body and Organic Martinis in Miami Beach” on the cover of the travel section of the New York Times last weekend. My first impression was – wow! This is great coverage for Canyon Ranch. Then turning the page I thought – double wow! Two more full pages of article and photos. I thought to myself – what a great score for Canyon Ranch. I know how powerful the NY Times travel section can be.

Then I noticed that the article was written by Maureen Dowd. Oh dear. This could mean trouble. I do enjoy reading Maureen’s regular columns in the NY Times – not necessarily because I agree with her – but because she is funny, smart and an excellent writer. (She did win the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary by the way.) Some describe her as “pompous and arrogant;” others call her “rude and frivolous.” She has seemingly managed to trash almost everyone and yet, I understand, remains closely connected with most of the VIPs she has written about. I would say that her uncanny ability to “get to the heart of a matter” with humor and sarcasm has served her well. I was looking forward to what she might have to say about her experience at Canyon Ranch Miami.

So I began reading. It didn’t go well at the beginning. She managed to get in quite a few punches for this new Canyon Ranch property and for the spa industry in general. Here are some of her acerbic words:

• Americans are suffering from “luxury shame.”
• Is the ax falling on extravagant relaxing?
• {It is} obnoxiously self-regarding to focus on “your Transformation.”
• Eyebrow plucking can be done at home.
• I felt like a fat Mafioso being serviced by Thai hookers.” (Maureen’s friend’s comment after a spa service.)
• I wondered if spas were a bit out of date.

Ouch. On the other hand she did throw Canyon Ranch a few bones:

• State of the art gym overlooking the blue-green water.
• An exceptionally charming group of exercise instructors.
• This instantly ranked as the most alluring – if not slimming – spa I’d ever been to.
• Condos next door to the hotel – with 90% already sold. (Canyon Ranch must have loved that!)
• and she used descriptions such as …Opulent, glamorous spa, gorgeous shimmering mosaic designs, sumptuous rooms, charming café.
• and spent time describing the vast variety of hydro and thermal experiences available… crystal sauna, an igloo, the “herbal laconium”, experimental showers with Cool Fog, Tropical Rain and Caribbean Storm.

Then, for a large section of the piece she contrasted her three-day stay at Canyon Ranch with a Saturday evening escape, when she went to “the other side.” She and a friend dined at the indulgent Miami hot spot – the Versace mansion – which has recently been opened to the public and apparently includes an amazing restaurant. Her splurge included (in her own words) “Kobe beef, fried pork belly, sea scallops with osetra caviar, black grouper, blue prawns, foie gras, several desserts and champagne.” Funny, she didn’t use the term “luxury shame” when describing this experience despite the fact that their dinner must have been more than $500 and some rooms at the mansion cost $10,000 per night!
So here are my conclusions:

• Maureen Dowd does not seem to be a spa-goer. She was much more articulate about her extravagant evening out-on-the-town than when describing her spa experiences.
• In time, I think she might have to agree that the way she felt on day three of her spa visit when she admitted to “feeling good” was a more pleasant memory than the evening she “waddled back to Canyon Ranch” after her gorge fest in South Beach.
• She does have a point. In today’s economy it is a legitimate question to ask whether spa experiences are important given the fact that many people are suffering financially.

And here, Maureen, is my answer to you: Yes, spa experiences are important in this economy, possibly more important than ever. With 70 percent of doctor visits being caused by stress-related (and largely preventable) factors, there couldn’t be a better time to go to a spa where stress is addressed directly through nutrition, exercise, spa therapies, healthy sleep and education. The opportunity to now purchase a residence and live full time at a place like Canyon Ranch, well, that is the ultimate investment in your health.

If people are willing to pay out of pocket to take preventive measures for their health rather than overindulge and make poor lifestyle choices (that end up taxing our already crippled health care system), then in the long run, I think it is a smarter and better investment. And…it avoids all of that waddling.
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