Destination Spa Finder

(PRWEB) — Spa travelers have spoken, choosing Destination Spas as the “Best of the Best” for Spa Finder and Travel + Leisure magazines. Both companies recently announced the winners of their readers’ choice polls. Despite being a small sector of the spa industry, Destination Spa Group members were honored in most of the categories and dominated the overall results.

Travel + Leisure announced the Top 15 Destination Spas in the world, as ranked by their readers. Chiva-Som International Health Resort, a Destination Spa Group member, won the title of Best Destination Spa. Other Destination Spas that made the highly coveted list include Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Golden Door, Rancho La Puerta, Lake Austin Spa Resort, and Canyon Ranch in Lenox.

The Spa Finder awards were announced  in New York City. When asked about the awards, Spa Finder President Susie Ellis stated, “Of particular note this year is the number of Destination Spas that ranked as readers’ favorites.” The biggest honor went to Chiva-Som for Favorite Spa in Asia, which is 1 of the 6 Crystal Awards presented this year by Spa Finder. The crystal awards represent the crème de la crème of the spa world and reflect overall favorites rather than specific categories. Another exceptional winner was Rancho La Puerta for the Favorite Spa of Mexico category.

In addition to Destination oriented awards, Spa Finder readers named favorite spas for specific offerings – activities, programs and services. Destination Spa Group members swept the Best Spas for Affordability category, taking all 10 awards. This demystifies the thought that all-inclusive Destination Spas are only for the rich and famous. In reality, they are for everyone.

Destination Spas are dedicated to creating an entire environment geared towards life enhancement and Spa Finder readers overwhelmingly rewarded Destination Spas for their strong programming efforts by nominating Destination Spa Group members in almost every award category. Destination Spa Group members comprised at least 80% (8 or more out of 10) of the winners in the following categories:

• Best of Hiking
• Best of Yoga
• Best of Fitness
• Best Cuisine
• Best for Going Solo
• Best of Mind-Body-Spirit programs
• Best for Weight Loss

Overall, seventeen Destination Spa Group members were honored with a Spa Finder reader’s choice award:
Cal-a-Vie, Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Chiva-Som, Copperhood Inn & Spa, Deerfield Spa, Golden Door, Green Mountain at Fox Run, Green Valley Spa, The Heartland Spa, Lake Austin Spa Resort, New Age Health Spa, The Oaks at Ojai, Rancho La Puerta, Red Mountain Spa, Regency Spa, and Tennessee Fitness Spa.

A destination spa is defined as a facility that is dedicated to life enhancement through a full-immersion program of physical activity, nutritious cuisine, wellness education, special interest classes, therapeutic massage and body treatments. DSG is an organization of destination spa owners dedicated to educating the public about destination spas. Member spas must meet specific criteria for membership and be committed to providing a health renewing experience. A Destination Spa Vacations guide listing member spas with photographs and pricing information can be obtained by calling DSG at 888-772-4363 or by visiting http://www.destinationspas.com