SCOTTSDALE TRAVEL NEWS: AUGUST 2008

NO SHORTAGE OF SHOWS FOR THEATER UNDERGOING $14 MILLION RENOVATION
The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is currently undergoing a $14 million renovation that includes a complete makeover of its Virginia G. Piper Theater, which consists of improvements to the stage, acoustics, lighting, sight lines and more.

Adding to the theater experience will be a new café and wine bar for visitors. Hard hat tours will be offered to the public during renovations, and the theater's Stage 2 will remain open for long-running shows like Late Night Catechism. And although the theater is undergoing a major renovation, that doesn't mean there's a shortage of entertainment for art lovers. Performances will be taken "on the road" as the theater will present shows at Theater 4301 and the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall Amphitheater. Various other venues throughout the Valley of the Sun also will play host to shows like An Evening with Edward Albee and Pilobolus, a collaborative dance performance. The theater is set to reopen for the 2009-10 season.
For more information, visit www.scottsdalecenterfortheperformingarts.org or call (480) 994-2787.

RELIVE YOUR YOUTH WITH SCOTTSDALE'S ANTI-AGING SPA TREATMENTS
While we can't turn back the hands of time, the latest anti-aging products can help combat those fine lines and wrinkles. For those wanting to relive the days of their youth, Scottsdale's spa offerings are the next best thing to finding the elusive fountain of youth.
Try caviar a different way at the Golden Door Spa at The Boulders Resort. Lovers of the delectable treat will want to bathe their skin with the spa's Caviar Ageless Facial, which uses Sevruga caviar, Chinese botanicals, caffeine, and co-enzyme A to increase moisture, improve elasticity, promote skin regeneration, and provide anti-oxidant protection. For $250, guests receive the facial and a hydrating paraffin hand treatment. For more information, visit www.theboulders.com or call (480) 595-3500. For media information only, contact Debi Bridges at db@bridgesmediagroup.com or call (602) 466-2128.
Live like a queen with the Cleopatra Gold Facial at The Spa at CopperWynd Resort and Club. In a quest for eternal beauty, Cleopatra wore a customized facial mask made of pure gold to sleep every night. CopperWynd's gold facial helps to restore qualities such as softness, smoothness, elasticity, resilience and radiance. For $275, pampering starts with a detoxifying clay smoothed over your feet followed by a facial cleaning, glycolic peel and exfoliation. Next, your youthful glow will be rejuvenated as 24 karat gold is applied to your skin. The treatment ends with a relaxing Reflexology Foot Massage and an application of mineral gold dusting flakes. For more information, visit www.copperwynd.com or call (480) 333-1900. For media information only, contact Doug De Long at ddelong@copperwynd.com or call (480) 333-1870.
Beauty and science collide at La Bonne Vie Day Spa. The spa's anti-aging DNA Cryo-Stem Facial series involves the topical application of a unique skin stem cell serum. The serum includes all the elements found naturally in the skin and contains live DNA cultured by the DNA Health Institute as well as vitamins, minerals, enzymes and collagen, and elastin builders to nourish the skin and repair damage. For $175, spa goers enjoy a deep skin cleanse followed by a spinach mask application and vitamin A cream massage. Once everything is stripped from the skin, the stem cell serum is tapped onto the face, neck, hands and décolleté to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. For more information, visit www.cameocomplexions.com or call (480) 941-0100.

SCOTTSDALE TO ADD FIRST U.S. INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT TO PORTFOLIO
InterContinental Hotels Group is scheduled to open its first InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property in the United States in Scottsdale on Sept. 16. More than $250 million was spent to purchase and renovate the former La Posada Resort and convert the property into a world-class Andalusian-style resort and spa called InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa. The resort will offer 253 guest rooms and 40 suites (293 rooms total) plus 34 luxury villas that are separately owned by the residents, but managed by the resort. Joya Spa will be a 31,000-square-foot luxury spa built to focus on health, beauty, and fitness, and feature Moorish architectural accents reflecting the vibrancy and energy of Morocco and the soul of Southern Spain. An interpretation of the Spanish word jewel, Joya will feature 19 treatment rooms including five couples suites, a modern interpretation of a traditional Hammam experience, an outdoor rooftop pool, salon, and more. Other resort features include seven restaurants and bars, five pools, 27,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, and a private wedding chapel with cathedral ceilings and wooden beams. Resort guests can enjoy activities such as wine tastings, star gazing and cigar rolling. For more information, visit www.monteluciaresort.com or call (877) 889-4443. For media information only, contact Kirsten Schaefer at kirsten.schaefer@ihg.com or (480) 627-3141.

DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE CONTINUES WITH COMPLETION OF SOUTHBRIDGE, FIRST ARIZONA W HOTEL
What's old is new again as downtown Scottsdale's ancient Indian canal system is transformed into the city's hub of pedestrian activity and urban vitality with more than 50 lounges, bars and nightclubs, 85+ restaurants, and nearly 50,000 visitors on any given weekend night. A highlight of the more than $3.3 billion renaissance in the downtown area is the $41 million SouthBridge development, a no chain-oriented collection of independent restaurants and unique boutiques. Local restaurateur Peter Kasperski will open his three remaining restaurants in the coming months (Mexican Standoff in September; Sea Saw and Shell Shock in December), which will mark the completion of the first of three phases of SouthBridge. And just across Scottsdale Road, Arizona's first W Hotel – W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences – will open by the end of the summer and feature 224 guestrooms, 18 residences, Bliss spa and two bars. The exterior design of the hotel promises modern sophistication with an all-glass shell featuring moveable exterior blinds that will constantly change the look of the hotel. The hotel also will boast Sushi Roku, a stylish Japanese restaurant with locations in Hollywood and Las Vegas, where diners will enjoy dishes like calamari salad with cilantro citrus ponzu and mouth-watering sushi. For more information, visit www.ExperienceScottsdale.com or call (480) 421-1004. For media information only, contact Tatum Luoma at tluoma@scottsdalecvb.com or (480) 889-2719.

INDULGE IN SOMETHING NEW AT ONE OF SCOTTSDALE'S LATEST SPAS
Beauty connoisseurs, rejoice! Scottsdale is adding three new spas to its luxury resort and day spa collection for your primping pleasure.
Eco-luxury and beauty meld under one roof at Arizona's first eco-luxury spa that opened in April 2008. Moss Wellness Spa is located in downtown Scottsdale and offers all natural, organic and environmentally friendly products. While guests delight in a day of rest, they can feel good knowing Moss is designed to be eco-friendly. Moss's notable design elements include wall insulation made from recycled denim, LED lighting and repurposed wooden doors. Some of the spa's specialty treatments include the Espresso Mud Embrace exfoliant, Moss Signature Tea soak and Moss Signature Facial. Featured organic products include Anakiri, Eminence Organics and Naturopathica. For more information, visit www.mossspa.com or call (480) 945-6772. For media information only, contact Holly Harmon at holly@olsoncomm.com or (480) 368-7999.
Wash your worries away at the new Joya Spa, slated to open in November at the new InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa. Named after the Spanish word for jewel, Joya offers unique rituals know as the Jewels of Discovery to help guests focus on the spa experience. The spa's modern interpretation of the Hammam prepares the mind and body for spa treatments and includes a scrub with traditional Moroccan black soap and essential oils. Joya features 19 treatment rooms, including five couples suites, and the Palace Suite, which is furnished with a queen-size daybed, oversized bathtub, indoor whirlpool, fireplace, treatment tables, and floor-to-ceiling doors leading to the outdoor spa pool deck. The spa was designed by distinguished spa expert Sylvia Sepielli, the brains behind renowned spas such as Grand Wailea's Spa Grande on Maui and Mii Amo in Sedona, Ariz. For more information, visit www.montelucia.com/spa or call (480) 627-3200. For media information only, contact Kirsten Schaefer at kirsten.schaefer@ihg.com or (480) 627-3141.
Feed more than just your skin at the new bliss Scottsdale spa set to open this summer at the new W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences. The spa's signature brownie buffet will delight your taste buds as you indulge in bliss spa's trademark menu of services. Signature treatments include the quadruple thighpass, youth as we know it facial and thinny thin chin. Bliss also boasts a nail lounge with two manicure and two pedicure stations, seven treatment rooms, and men's and women's lounges. Spa goers can even enjoy rhythm and blues tunes in this upbeat spa atmosphere while pampering themselves. For more information, visit www.whotels.com or call (480) 575-0164.

August 5, 2008   Posted in: United States SouthWest