Entrance to the Aji spa.
Because everyone at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort is kinder than kind, when they found out that I wanted to have a spa experience while we there for for only one night, they arranged it so that we could check in very early in the afternoon so I could work it in.
These people know the importance of the spa experience.
After we checked in and spent a little time enjoying the view from our window, I left Tom to relax in the room and headed down one of the paths through the desert to the Aji spa building. Being the geographically challenged person that I am, I managed to get lost but had a quite lovely time wandering around, enjoying the scenery. Luckily, I had allowed plenty of time so I walked in at just about the right time for my treatment. The Aji Spa is in a beautiful building, designed like all the others in the resort to pay homage to the local cultures, and is actually only a short walk from the main resort building if you go the right way unlike me. It has a beautiful, sparkling private pool where you are welcome to relax before or after your treatment, along with a nice lobby and gift shop, comfortable locker rooms, waiting areas and both indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis.
The beautiful pool at the Aji Spa.
Aji means “Sanctuary” in the Pima language and the spa is named for the nearby Aji Mountain located on the Gila River Indian Community. The Aji Spa is where sacred Pima and Maricopa traditions are practiced and shared. The spa offers the only authentic Native American spa menu in existence and was designed and practiced by Aji’s Pima and Maricopa Cultural Caretakers. The local culture is also obvious in the design of the spa and the legends they share during your treatment. They offer a wide variety of treatments, which you can peruse here which all look incredible and which make me want to go back right now and experience them every single one.
But let me tell you about my treatment. I had trustingly put myself in their hands and told them to choose an interesting, signature treatment and that turned out to be the Blue Coyote Treatment.
Nurture your body, refresh your mind, and revitalize your soul with our full day spa program. Start your program with a 50-minute scrub or wrap of your choice. Follow that with one of our luxurious 50-minute massages and a delicious spa lunch. Complete your day with one of our 50-minute customized facials and our Blue Sky Foot Therapy and Rosemary Citron Hand Treatment.
Sadly, oh so sadly, I only had an afternoon and not a whole day so I didn’t have lunch or the facial, foot and hand treatments but one can always hope that I will go back and get the whole experience someday. Because the part I got? Was wonderful. First, I was escorted to the luxurious locker room with very nice amenities where I donned the requisite robe and spa slippers. It’s when you put on the spa robe and slippers that you slip into the spa mood. That relaxing, wonderful spa mood that you can’t duplicate anywhere else. Then I relaxed in the waiting area which smelled wonderful, had some soothing music playing and had some quite lovely tea to drink.
This tea smelled fabulous!
I had some warm tea and was close to falling asleep in the extremely comfortable leather chair when my therapist appeared.
Just about to nod off here.
My therapist led me to a room where I beheld a raised bathtub device with a cover that looked like it was designed to fold shut, much like the lid of a baker you insert in the oven. This first impression turned out to be startlingly accurate. I climbed up on the apparatus and draped a towel over myself, then my therapist entered the room and proceeded to cover my entire body with a blue, clay-like substance. After I was covered with clay, the therapist lowered the top of the gizmo over me until just my head was sticking out. Then she turned on the steam. I was just a trifle concerned when she mentioned steam and visions of becoming a turkey dinner were dancing in my head but the steam was warm and soothing and I soon relaxed and enjoyed it as she massaged my head and scalp. As I gently steamed, she told me a Pima legend about a blue coyote. Since I spent years and years telling Native American legends to elementary students in my library media center, this was both entertaining and amusing.
I was just about to nod off from the euphoria induced by the scalp massage and the warm steam when she lifted the lid, told me to take a shower and dry off, then my massage in the other room would begin. I rinsed off in the warm shower and languidly strolled to the massage room where I enjoyed a fabulous, relaxing massage. So relaxed and mellow, I was about to melt off the massage table when she finished, I managed to get dressed and explore around the spa a little before I had to head back to the room to get ready for our marvelous dinner at Ko’Sin.
I would have loved to relax in one of the jaccuzis or in the private pool which looked sparkling clean and inviting in the desert heat.
The outside jacuzzi - there is also one inside.
Reluctantly, I left the wonderful, wonderful atmosphere of the spa wishing I could just go out and relax by the pool for an entire day. And possibly work in a facial. And a mani pedi. Maybe a day is not quite enough. I think I might need several days at the very least.
Full disclosure: My spa experience was provided by The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, but as always, I will share my honest opinion about any travel experiences I have.
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