Travel

Come to the Desert for Hot Springs, Floating Massages, and Sound Baths

Plus astrological journeys and dream specialists, man.

Castle Hot Springs
Castle Hot Springs
Castle Hot Springs

For centuries, the Sonoran Desert has been considered a place to get your spiritual healing on. This desert is bigger than the entire state of Oregon at more than 100,000 square miles. In fact, the Sonoran spans almost the entire southern half of Arizona from Scottsdale and Sedona right down to Mexico and into parts of southern California.

Driving through the windswept sands and looming mountain ranges peppered in a sea of towering saguaro cacti, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for the ancestral Sonoran desert people living here 6,000 years ago. Let’s put it this way: if life gave them cactus, they made one hell of a prickly pear margarita.

Indigenous tribes here not only flourished, they found hot springs bubbling just beneath the earth’s surface, rich in minerals, and a bounty of medicinal herbs. And those same natural resources are why today you’ll find a wellspring of resorts and wellness-centric retreats cropped up all across the desert in recent years.

While there’s no shortage of beautiful places to visit all across the Grand Canyon state, from soaking in geothermal water in the cradle of the Bradshaw Mountains to moonlight meditation and spirit drumming ceremonies, wellness here is as vast and wide as the Sonoran Desert itself.

Castle Hot Springs
Castle Hot Springs
Castle Hot Springs

Soak in geothermal water and scale through the sky

Castle Hot Springs, Morristown

About 50-miles north of Phoenix, in the shadow of the Bradshaw mountain range, Castle Hot Springs is centered around a series of natural pools and hot springsforgedinto the landover thousands of years.

For centuries, the springs have served as a spiritual stomping ground for native Arizonan tribes like the Hopi, Zuni, and O’Odham. They’ve long come here to experience the curing properties found in the mineral-rich water, believed to heal general aches and pains and improve mobility and skin health.

The steamy water has also become a popular sojourn for wellness-seekers over the years. Three of the hot spring pools at the center of the resort pump out 200,000 gallons of water a day and are used to heat the main resort pool as well as fill the private soaking tubs and on-site farm.Today, this all-inclusive desert oasis offers a mix of babbling creek-side cabins, cottages and bungalows and a variety of activities that infuse a bit of adventure into the wellness mix. The first adventure course of its kind in Arizona, Via Ferrata opened in 2019 and comprises of a series of rungs and cables, along with a 200-foot long aerial walkway with sweeping views over the Sonoran Desert. The course promises a physical and emotional experience that will make a dip in those healing hot springs feel like a miracle afterwards.

Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Consult a dream specialist or clairvoyant

Miraval Arizona, Tucson

If you’re looking to get your life in balance, set on 400-acres in the cradle of the Santa Catalina Mountains a touch outside of Tucson, Miraval Arizona has a range of wellness experiences geared specifically towards healing your spirit and soul. If it sounds like a big ask, well it definitely is, but if anyone knows what they’re doing, it’s these guys. Home to a variety of master healers, specialists, and practitioners, Miraval even has a dedicated dream specialist, astrologer, and clairvoyant on their roster.

Among just a few of their wellness offerings, Shuniya Sound Ceremony uses Tibetan singing bowls, gong baths, and tuning forks combined with Kundalini yoga, traditional Thai massage, and Shiatsu in a full-body healing session with the hotel’s Master Healer. Soul guidance journeys, spiritual drumming, chakra balancing classes, flower essence ceremonies, and psychic spirit guides through the Sonoran Desert are also on tap here (all for an additional fee).

Civana Wellness Resort and Spa
Civana Wellness Resort and Spa
Civana Wellness Resort and Spa

Take a sound bath or go on a meditative desert run

Civana Wellness Resort & Spa, Carefree

Set in the oh-so-appropriately named Sonoran Desert town of Carefree, Arizona, Civana Wellness Resort & Spa offers more than 70-wellness experiences, including sunrise soul flow and sound bath therapy. The definition of wellness here definitely extends from mind to body, since you can also participate in hikes, mountain biking, and paddleboard excursions. They even offer archery. If mindfully running on single-track trails past giant saguaro cacti-sometimes up to eight miles a day-sounds like your jam, the resort’s four-day, three-night Sonoran Desert Trail Running Retreat might be the perfect antidote.

Canyon Ranch
Canyon Ranch
Canyon Ranch

Bliss out and float like a baby

Canyon Ranch Tucson, Tucson

Pioneers of ‘the well way of life,’ Canyon Ranch Tucson has served as a Sonoran Desert institution since 1979. The flagship property has more than 150 “transformative” wellness offerings including a brand new Blissful Floating Massage.

Designed to help guests let their stress and tension float away, the experience takes place in the spa’s warm-water pool and includes a gentle massage, energy balancing, and range-of-motion therapy, all while you’re experiencing a deep and dreamlike meditative state. Don’t worry, day passes to experience the spa, pools, and fitness classes are available too.

JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa

Lounge on a lazy river or do a sunrise ritual

JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, Tucson

For a healthy dose of wellness that that whole family can get down with, JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa starts each day on the hotel’s Salud Terrace with a sunrise ritual called Mitakuye Oyasin. Translated from the Lakota language to mean ‘we are all related,’ this traditional Native American ceremony is a modern-day mindfulness exercise unique to the Sonoran Desert that dates back thousands of years.

It’s dealer’s choice after that, from spending some much needed me time getting a passionflower CBD massage at Hashani Spa or lazing the afternoon away at the Spa Canyon Lazy River. Make sure to make it back on the Salud Terrace at sunset for a full-circle complimentary tequila toast moment to round it all out. It’s been a tough day, you deserve it.

Adero Scottsdale
Adero Scottsdale
Adero Scottsdale

Experience star suites, star dudes, and a stargazer facial

ADERO Scottsdale, Scottsdale

Scottsdale has long been hailed as one of the country’s preeminent wellness destinations. Perched 2,500 feet above the Sonoran Desert, ADERO Scottsdale has been designated as a Dark Sky Zone and is a great place to kick back and partake in the majesty of stargazing.

For an experience that’s truly out of this world, ADERO offers guests a chance to join the Star Dudes in some bonafide star party fun. The ‘dudes’ bring their telescopes onsite and guide guests on an astrological journey across the night sky.Set on the southernmost end of the resort, the hotel’s Signature Dark Sky Corner Suite and Celestial Suites includes a separate living area that extends into a wraparound balcony to take in the dramatic views in every direction.

Over at The Spa at ADERO, you can get a treatment like the Amethyst-infused massage or opt for the Spirit Stone Therapy and Turquoise Rain Scrub using a native blue corn, aloe, and turquoise infused body polish. Don’t miss the Stargazer Illuminating Facial which promises to “leave your skin as radiant as a moonlit night.” Sold.

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa

Hit the Himalayan salt room and seek out sound therapy

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale

With ten-swimming pools and a three-story waterslide, as well as award-winning Spa Avania, the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch is a 27-acre resort meets water and wellness playground. Start your day detoxing in the Himalayan Salt Room before moving on to the Spa Wave program that combines gentle sound waves with a vibrational massage to slow down the mental state while balancing the body’s chakras.

If you’re looking to be one with mother earth, The Babor Earth Ritual will leave your body polished with naturally fortified poppy seeds before being cocooned in mood elevating firming cream and finished with a lymphatic facial to sweet, silky skin perfection.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Michelle Gross is a travel, food, and lifestyle reporter. She loves a good wellness moment, especially if it involves an onsen in Japan or a Mezcal margarita.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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