The Miraval Group, which runs the flagship Miraval Resort & Spa at Tucson, Ariz., has opened the Miraval Life in Balance Spa at Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. That resort currently is operating as the St. Regis Monarch Beach. On June 1, the new operator, KSL Resorts, will rebrand the property as, simply, Monarch Beach Resort. Its new Miraval spa is part of a $40 million renovation, which also redid the 400 guest rooms, public spaces, pool and pool bar. Five new food-and-beverage outlets also are being introduced.
The new facility represents Miraval's efforts to expand its wellness destination concept outside of Tucson. The 30,000-square-foot spa features 24 treatment rooms as well as suites for couples, a spa boutique, a full-service nail salon, relaxation and tranquility zones, and a Miraval Spa Café. More than 70 of the treatments developed at Miraval Arizona are offered at the new spa, in addition to new treatments developed for Monarch Beach that incorporate "coastal-inspired" ingredients such as sea salt, crystal salt stones, algae and marine muds.
Miraval seeks to expand this spa concept, described by Miraval Group president and CEO Steven A. Rudnitsky as "a branded lifestyle, wellness and spa facility designed to replace traditional spas and generate greater returns by augmenting the opportunities that exist within an existing four-star-plus hotel or resort." Miraval Group is promising owners a gain in revenue per available room, as well as additional income from area-resident memberships at the spas.
The group also intends to open more full-service wellness resorts outside of Tucson, according to Rudnitsky. "Our success operating a destination wellness spa and resort in the Arizona desert can be transferred to the California wine country, the Rocky Mountains, vacation destinations in the Northeast, the beaches of the Southeast and the inland markets of the Southwest," he said.