6 Spa Treatments to Get You Through the Summer

In Phoenix New Times' 2018 Summer Guide, we're giving you plenty of ways to stay cool for the next several months in metro Phoenix, from jazz and cocktails to spa treatments and frozen delights.

Whether because it’s been baked by the sun or dried out by the constant assault of high-powered air conditioning, one thing is for sure: Your skin could use some extra TLC this summer.

Luckily for all of us who inhabit this desert paradise, this town is not only chock full of sweaty people, it’s also bursting with world-class spas. During the summer, these oases not only provide a perfect place to de-stress and detox, most of them offer treatments specifically designed to help you cool off.

Gainey Village Health Club and Spa in Scottsdale might not come to mind when you’re thinking “luxury spa bliss,” but this premium fitness club has more to offer than top-of-the-line treadmills and a great spin class. It’s also home to a full-service day spa where you can indulge in the HydroLight Five-in-One facial. Combining hydrodermabrasion, microcurrents with green LED light, radio frequency with red LED Light, and ultrasonic therapy with blue LED light, this ultimate face treatment concludes with ice-cold cryotherapy to reduce puffiness, tighten pores, and leave your skin feeling super-refreshed.

And if literally freezing your pores just isn’t quite your style, the Spa at Camelback Inn serves up something a bit more chill. The Dr. Perricone Anti-Aging Facial will turn back the clock on your countenance with patented alpha lipoic acid formulations and microcurrents, or low-level electrical currents, which are intended to offer immediate anti-aging results. After your skin is buzzed into beautification, the service wraps up with cool beauty globes to tone and firm your skin. All of that plus a gentle upper body massage? Not too shabby.

Of course, if you’re in need of a full body experience, the Aji Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass has you covered. Not only is this spa one of the best places to find Native American healings (the word “aji” even means “sanctuary” in the Pima language), it’s also home to something called the Indigenous Collection, a handful of treatments designed and practiced by Aji’s Pima and Maricopa cultural caretakers.

That collection includes Vachk or “the Pond,” a cool water massage that, with gentle rocking motions, will loosen up your spine while rhythmic movement, massage and stretching relax your muscles.

Looking for something a bit more modern? No problem, try the VH — that’s short for Vitality and Health — Spa at the Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale. For a treatment that’s designed specifically to soothe your summer sorrows, we suggest the Capri-inspired Blood Orange Cool. There’s no blood involved, just a nice opportunity to drift away on a cloud of Italian blood orange aromatherapy before experiencing the healing benefits of a chilled marble message.

And as anyone who’s ever dunked their toes in a cold pool on a hot summer day knows, cooling your feet is a key way to battle the heat. That’s why we’re partial to the Thai-inspired Sabai Foot treatment at the Sanctuary Resort Spa in Paradise Valley. “Sabai,” which means to relax and be comfortable, starts with a refreshingly cool kaffir lime exfoliation followed by a foot and lower leg massage. That’s followed by an herbal poultice, wooden dowel, and cool peppermint cream treatment.

The Well & Being spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess also offers a cool treatment for your tired dogs. The Tuscan Pedicure combines essences of olive oil to exfoliate, soothe, tone, and revitalize your legs while a cooling and purifying mint mask works to detoxify and tighten. The service finishes with a leg and foot massage using cucumber body cream for a cooling, soothing pedicure. Desert heat? What desert heat?