Year-old CIVANA filled the wellness-resort void within the Valley when it opens its doors in Carefree in 2018. With remarkable spa and state-of-the-art fitness offerings, top-notch cuisine and fresh, tranquility-inducing accommodations, here are the top three reasons to check out CIVANA this season.

 

• Just breathe. CIVANA offers up to 12 wonderful—and complimentary—classes and programs daily to its guests. Restorative yoga, bodyweight training, Zumba, indoor cycling, hiking and culinary clinics are all on the agenda regularly, but sometimes one just needs to wind down. That is where the Stretch & Breathe class comes in. During this 50-minute class, students are able to increase flexibility and, most importantly, soothe stress. Instructors, like the wonderful Michelle, walk students through unique stretches that can be used at home or the office to keep the muscles feeling happy and healthy. Plus, who doesn’t appreciate a chance to simply slow down and breathe for an hour? Tip: for an extra dose of peace and quiet, head to the little-known rose garden lawn where you literally have to stop and smell the roses.

 

• Pamper palace. The Spa is undoubtedly the resort’s pièce de résistance. The 22,000-sq.-ft. spa not only offers unique, healing and soothing treatments, but there is plenty of r-n-r to be had before the session even starts. It features unique hydrotherapy immersions that include a tepidarium, a hot/cold walking pool, a cold-plunge shower and saunarium, as well as a heated pool with sundeck, a eucalyptus-inhalation room, cozy lounges and much more to prep the body and mind. It truly is easy to spend the entire day here, completely losing track of all time (can you ask for more from a vacation?) Among its lineup of massages, water therapies, facials and well-being therapies is the Sonoran Sea Facial. This unique 90-minute treatment is a massage-focused facial that melts away facial tension (a great pick for those with tension in jaw, headaches, anxiety and dehydrated skin) while treating and hydrating the skin. Rose quartz crystals, protective turquoise and obsidian are all woven into the treatment lending their energetic and chakra-balancing properties.

 

• Feel-fine dining. The renowned Chef Justin Macy oversees the culinary team at CIVANA and its restaurants, Terras and Café Meto. The beautiful, date night-worthy Terras has a health-focused, veggie-forward menu with farm-to-table produce, grass-fed meats and sustainable seafood. (The restaurants welcomes locals, in addition to resort guests.) Appetizers like the wood-roasted beet carpaccio, roasted carrots and turnips and roasted veggie hummus greet diners. For the main entrée, seared scallops served over a cauliflower risotto and topped with grapefruit wedges, brown butter and crispy sage, is a decadent but nutritious pick. (There is plenty of goodness for meat lovers with a hearty appetite, too.) Café Meto is a more casual and cool indoor/outdoor eatery, perfect for grabbing a quick breakfast. The cinnamon raisin granola bowl tastes like it could be dessert, but is actually a fabulous and filling breakfast option. The dish features sprouted buckwheat grout granola, cinnamon, raisins, dates and housemade vanilla-banana milk. The bowl is finished with fresh fruit.