Over holiday break I had the full mind-body pleasure of staying at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach Hotel & Spa, an immaculate, modern haven of health and wellness overlooking the ocean blue. My experience was so incredible, in fact, that I have been procrastinating the blog post because I’m overwhelmed with so much I want to tell you about it, replete with flowery adjectives and rave reviews. The staff! The cuisine! The yoga classes! The 100 minute spa treatment that turned me to mush! Well, the blogger rule goes something like… the longer you wait, the more indebted you feel, and the better blog post you have to make it. So it’ll be really good. Eventually. Promise.

But in the meantime, the other night Canyon Ranch launched their new apps, including 360 Well-Being App for iPad with the aim of delivering Canyon Ranch lifestyle, health, and fitness regimens to your every day life. Canyon Ranch every day, if only! I had to miss the launch party at the last minute, but luckily I had invited my friend Vanessa. She tried out the new app, which I can’t wait to do once I buy my iPad (waiting on that camera and USB port… please let it really come out in February!) The lifestyle tips and videos I’ve seen definitely mirror the real thing. Read Vanessa’s blog post here.

Check out all three of the apps below. Each is $3.99 in the app store.

360 Well-Being
Encompassing Canyon Ranch lifestyle, health, and fitness regimens, 360 Well- Being brings Canyon Ranch calm to your everyday life. Categorized by Mind, Body and Spirit, learn to keep a Zen state-of-mind all the time with a collection of 21 fitness and food videos, 91 actionable articles and tips, 20 meditations and 3 audio meditations from Canyon Ranch experts. As the pioneers in the evolution of wellness lifestyle and the industry leader for over 30 years, Canyon Ranch helps you integrate a 360 degree approach to healthy living.

Features:
- DISCOVER 91 Mind, Body and Spirit articles and tips, including 20 meditations; 21 fitness and food videos; and 3 audio meditations
- READ actionable articles and tips to help keep balance in your home and work environment
- CONTROL + BALANCE life, spirit, health, weight, and overall well-being
- ADD all videos, articles, and meditations to your favorites with a single click to return with ease
- IMPORT your iTunes music library for a more personal experience
- REINVIGORATE with Today’s choice. Every day at 8am, a different article or video is highlighted

Everyday Fitness
Featuring 79 fitness videos and 25 actionable articles and tips, the application helps you reach your fitness goals anytime, anywhere. Providing multi-disciplinary fitness, yoga, Pilates, flexibility, strength, and posture tips and exercises for the beginner, the Canyon Ranch Everyday Fitness iPad application helps you fit fitness into your lifestyle. As the pioneers in the evolution of wellness lifestyle and the industry leader for over 30 years, Canyon Ranch helps you integrate fitness into daily activities.

Features:
- DISCOVER 79 custom, stand-alone videos that can be done anytime, anywhere
- READ 25 actionable articles and tips
- LEARN multi-discipline fitness, yoga, Pilates, flexibility, strength, and posture exercises and tips for the fitness enthusiasts
- ADD videos and articles to your favorites with a single click to return with ease
- SIMPLIFY the beginner’s integration into fitness with a point-of-entry
- REINVIGORATE with Today’s Choice. Every day at 8am, a different article or video is highlighted

Healthy Eats (Launching Soon)
Featuring 60 Canyon Ranch signature healthy gourmet recipes, 19 how-to technique videos, and 34 actionable articles and tips, the Healthy Eats application infuses healthy cuisine and nutrition into your daily diet. As the pioneers in the evolution of wellness lifestyle and the industry leader for over 30 years, Canyon Ranch helps you integrate healthy cuisine into everyday life.

Features:
- TAKE nutrition wherever you go with simple rules for healthy eating
- DISCOVER 60 Canyon Ranch signature healthy gourmet recipes and a wealth of cooking tips
- READ 34 actionable articles and tips to achieve a healthier eating style and diet
- ADD all videos, articles, recipes to your favorites with a single click to return with ease
- LEARN how to choose colorful carbohydrates, heart-healthy fats, calcium rich foods, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates
- REINVIGORATE with Today’s choice. Every day at 8am, a different article or video is highlighted

Click here to learn more and buy. Enjoy your virtual trip to Canyon Ranch, and take a real one too sometime soon if you can!

Guest Spa Contributor: Vanessa Alfano, Healthy Style NY

I am a spa junkie. I love anything to do with relaxation and a good dose of pampering. So when my good friends at Spa Week asked me if I wanted to check out new salon/spa in Westchester, I was more than happy to oblige.

When I walked into to Cherylyn Salon in Westchester, NY, I felt as if I had just passed through the pearly gates. Sure, a lot of spa/salons are my idea of heaven, but this place was the definition of ethereal. Washed in white, yet still warm and welcoming, even the halo-like lamps over the stylists’ chairs had me looking for St. Peter.

Instead, I was greeted by Candice, the massage therapist who I would be spending my next couple hours with. She too was endearing, (a cherub in my perfect heaven) sweet and personable, yet, I must admit her petite stature had me questioning if she could deliver the deep massage I was in need of.

We ascended a spiral staircase to where the massage rooms were located. At first glance the room appeared fairly typical of a nice spa, but I quickly realized that it too was a step above the rest. Beyond the candles and tranquil music, this little sanctuary boasted a private bathroom, lux shower, and adjustable heated massage table that had me instantly relaxed.

Of course, a nice space isn’t everything, and the heart of the matter is the service provided. And mind you, I am discerning with my massages. I’ve concluded that two decades of getting them qualifies me as an expert. I’ve also come to realize that a high-end spa doesn’t always guarantee a great massage.

Vanessa Alfano, Founder of Healthy Style New York

Fortunately, the massage too exceeded my expectations. I shouldn’t have pre-judged (isn’t that a sin of some sort?) for Candice delivered one of the best massages I have ever had. She got deep at my knots and even worked out a terrible kink in my neck that had been killing me for days! She paid attention to small details and spoiled me with a soothing scalp massage, a touch of reflexology.

Beyond the massage itself Candice’s warmth, and dare I say gentle spirit made my experience pure bliss. She had me relaxed, and seemed to sense what I needed deep down. She even gave me a mini-facial to wrap up my experience. After all, indeed my skin too should be glowing after visiting such a place.

Cartoon courtesy of offthemark.com

Vanessa from Healthy Style NY is a real trooper. She ventured off the island of Manhattan, ALL the way to up to Westchester (for those of us in the NYC “bubble,” this can seem like quite the journey) to spend a day at Facelogic Spa, Mt. Kisco. Rough day? Not so much– Vanessa’s video and blog post take us through her Microdermabrasion treatment in the lovely “countryside” spa setting, and how the treatment is not nearly as abrasive as she had thought.

Facelogic in Mt. Kisco is offering this treatment for $50 during Spa Week, April 12-18. Want to try “roughing” it with a microdermabrasion in your area? Visit our Spa Directory and start booking now!