Miraval's new spa to open May 1

I had a wonderful stay at Miraval Spa a couple of years ago. One of America's great destination spas, it offered excitement, adventure, good food, beautiful accommodations, friendly company, and blissful treatments. There was only one real shortcoming. The spa facility itself was dated. Not anymore. On May 1, 2012, "Miraval Life in Balance Spa with Clarins" will open. Mithun Architects and Clodagh Design emphasize the spa's connection to the earth by seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces. The spa is in the same place, and retains its outstanding view of the Catalina Mountains, which you can enjoy from a plush indoor chaise, an outdoor patio or the pool below. In the evening, a fire bowl is lit, symbolizing the sense of community and shared experience that is part of Miraval. Anyone who has hiked in the southwest knows that people like to build stone cairns, or add a stone to one that is already there. It can be a meditation, a landmark, or a way to mark a trail. Miraval calls on this ancient custom in the welcome walkway, which leads to an enormous bowl of round stones, from which you can build your own cairn or add to an existing one in three long steel troughs filled with pebbles. The new spa also features a VIP Spa Suite with its own private entrance and such private luxuries as a two-sided fireplace and a stucco-walled courtyard with a sunken whirlpool tub and an outdoor shower. Again, there's an indoor-outdoor feeling, with a glass wall between the courtyard and the indoor relaxation area and treatment rooms. It all sounds very romantic. There's a new spa menu featuring exclusive Clarins-inspired treatments using the brand's PRO Formula products. Miraval is known for its one-of-a-kind spa treatments, and the Naga Thai Massage is one of the new ones. In Buddhism, a naga is a water serpent associated with protection and wisdom, and Miraval says in some stories nagas take the form of a half-human half serpent. It's derived from Thai massage, and the idea is that you're going to get a good stretch. Your therapist uses strands of richly colored silk suspended from above, both as an extension of their body and wrapping and supporting your body, taking you deeper into stretches and releasing restrictions that impair full movement. Nâga is experienced while wearing loose comfortable clothing and resting on a Thai mat or futon.