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An Arizona Spa That Rocks The Kasbah

Mar 4, 2010; 12:47 PM ET

Proof that hammams are hot? The gorgeous Joya Spa at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, which opened a little over a year ago. It imports the old-world, Mid-East bathing ritual--and makes it the basis the spa's chic design. Call it a terrific example of mod Maroc.

The look is all thanks to Sylvia Sepielli, a doyenne of spa design, who used handmade Moroccan tiles, carved-wood furniture, silk pillows, copper bathtubs, and even Bedouin jewelry as design accessories. Despite the spa's grand size--19 treatment rooms and two floors that encompass a salon, gym, and shop--it has a rabbit-warren, souk-like vibe. (I got lost a couple times.)

This starts with the spa entry where you pass a purification fountain, followed by several crystal illumination and intention-setting chambers that are meant to transition you from reality to spa reality. (No one will think less of you if you proceed directly to your treatment room.)

There's a dreamlike (hooka-pipe?) quality here that the treatments, like the design, help cultivate. A brisk, black soap scrub takes place with a therapist in steam-filled hammam-style bathing chamber, for example.

Melisse Gelula for ShermansTravel.com

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