Lifestyle Cuisine

In Greater Phoenix, spas are taking healthy offerings to new levels, far beyond soy, wheatgrass juice and plain salad.

By Pam George

If you think spa cuisine means alfalfa sprouts, plain tofu and bottled water, think again. In Phoenix, spas are changing the way they look at food. Consider the dining options at Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Mouthwatering selections include mango-glazed chicken and shrimp and scallops seared in basil oil.

At Aji Spa’s café at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, guests can nibble on a jumbo lump crabmeat and watermelon salad, drizzled with a zesty chipotle-citrus vinaigrette. And at Sprouts, the Camelback Inn’s spa restaurant, the menu showcases vegan chili, coconut beef skewers with soba noodles and a salmon club with turkey bacon, served on whole wheat.

Spa guests today not only appreciate such culinary options, they expect it. It is not unusual for Spa Avania, located at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, to receive calls from would-be guests asking if there is a spa café. In fact, the spa serves its menu at various locations throughout the spa property.

Why the interest? “People like the idea of treating themselves well on the inside and on the outside,” says Milana Knowles, a vice president with SpaFinder, a spa marketing company.

And that treat does not include sub-par food. “People are well-traveled and food-savvy these days,” says Noah Bekofsky, executive chef at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. “That makes it impossible to do the same old thing that has worked in the past.”

The concept of spa cuisine was born in destination spas, where meals were included as part of the stay. Menus often revolved around weight loss or detoxification, but because destination spas had to impress well-to-do guests, the dishes also required a gourmet element.

Resorts and day spas picked up on the idea, and no wonder. Including food with a package can sweeten its appeal. Guests also appreciate that they don’t need to dress to enjoy a meal.

With good food available, they may book more treatments and stay longer in the spa. “They’re relaxed and don’t want to leave that ambiance,” says Michael O’Dowd, executive chef at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass.

That is certainly the case at the three-story Willow Stream Spa, which has a rooftop pool, as well as areas where guests can simply relax for the day.

At some spas, food is an edible treatment. Spa Avania’s “spa flights” have been an integral part of the spa’s services since they debuted in 2005. “Our food is one of the pillars that our concept is built on,” says Dzeneta Arslanovic, the spa director. The spa designs its treatments based on the body’s daily cycle: morning is for awakening, midday is for restoration and evening is for relaxation.

In crafting the menu, the Hyatt’s executive chef, Eric Howson, considered how nutrition and digestion impact the body throughout the day. “It is important that the guest receives the same end result from the food as they do from the treatments,” he says. Guests looking to jump-start their bodies in the morning, for instance, can order granola with peppermint leaves or wild berries and yogurt, which they would eat after an invigorating massage. Dinner options include peekytoe crab with lavender, English peas and bulgur wheat.

Food is also part of the philosophy of Willow Stream Spa, which stresses taking care of the necessities—food, water, rest—in a self-directed manner. The “Lifestyle Cuisine” menu lets guests build a bento box by choosing one selection in five categories: protein, legumes, grains and rice, dairy, and sweets. No matter the combination, the box is a balance of carbs, fat, protein and complex carbohydrates, says spa director Jill Eisenhut.

Alternative selections include lobster claw and pasta salad with a pesto emulsion, rotisserie chicken salad with papaya-and-sesame vinaigrette, and a chilled crab quiche with corn and asparagus relish. Public areas feature organic cookies, muffins, tea and water.

Spa cuisine can also reinforce a spa’s theme. The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass is located on the Gila River Indian Community, and the restaurants, including the Aji Café, reflect the culture of the Pima and Maricopa people. Olives, for instance, are grown on the reservation.

“All of our olive oil is from reservation olives,” O’Dowd says. “We use basil, cilantro, rosemary, chiles, eggplant, squashes—all grown at the Gila Crossing schools.”

Like the Sheraton, a growing number of resort spas are installing dedicated eateries. Perhaps the largest is Sprouts at Camelback Inn, which is open for breakfast, lunch, snacks and cocktails. And the menu lists the fat, carbs, protein and other nutritional stats of each dish.

Located in Scottsdale, The Phoenician’s Centre for Well-Being spa, which is currently planning to expand and add a new building, offers healthy lunch dishes for its guests. “It’s important to teach the guest what’s healthy and drive them toward that, and we want to encourage them to stay,” says Sheryl McCormick, the spa director. Currently, the spa offers food as part of its packages or on demand.

Whether served in a restaurant or on a terrace, spa cuisine is not going away any time soon. Offering food is a healthy choice for resorts. “Serving spa cuisine can be a unique selling point,” says Spa Avania’s Arslanovic. “And it can be a deciding factor between a patron choosing you or your competition.”

SPA GUIDE

Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
www.willowstream.com
800-908-9540

Camelback Inn Spa
www.camelbackspa.com
800-922-2635

Aji Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
www.wildhorsepassresort.com
602-225-0100

Spa Avania at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch
www.scottsdale.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas
480-444-1234

The Phoenician’s Centre for Well-Being
www.thephoenician.com/pages/spa
800-888-8234

FINE DINING

Spa cuisine is also appearing at upscale Phoenix-area resort restaurants.

The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa (www.kierlandresort.com; 800-354-5892) has added healthy menu items (in an initiative with SuperFoods Partners) that are slated to hit all Westin properties worldwide this year. The new menu items spotlight superfoods like blueberries, salmon, soy and chocolate.

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has added its spa selections to the menus of the resort’s other dining venues, including the upscale eatery, La Hacienda.

Charles Wiley, executive chef at the Hotel Valley Ho (www.hotelvalleyho.com; 866-882-4484), believes the demand for variety is helping drive the trend. He features at least four low-fat options on the Café ZuZu menu, including grilled chicken breast served on arugula and hoisin-basted tofu, a staple for two years.

Inspired by the creativity that spa food evokes, chefs are big promoters of the movement. “I look at it as a cuisine that is full of flavor,” says Paul Carter, executive chef at The Phoenician. “It’s full of nutrients. It’s interesting food.” It’s also visually appealing, he says. Spa cuisine tends to incorporate raw and exotic ingredients with eye-catching colors.

Many techniques can make a dish healthier.

Natural au jus, made by reducing the juices from pork, chicken or beef, is taking the place of heavy cream sauces, says Michael O’Dowd, executive chef at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass.

Infusions and emulsions also reduce fat and add flavor. O’Dowd steeps grilled pineapple and cantaloupe in lavender, port wine and vinegar. “All that flavor, the woodiness and smoke, mixes with the port and we have mesquite-melon vinegar,” he says. O’Dowd uses these healthy techniques at the Sheraton’s award-winning Kai Restaurant.

Chefs agree that fresh ingredients are imperative. “If you start with the best ingredients then you can let the food speak for itself,” says Noah Bekofsky, executive chef at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. “That is really what the guest is looking for.”