Alto Ristorante e Bar, Scottsdale

Inside Spa Avania, natural light streams through oculus windows, settling on black granite fixtures and cherry hardwood furniture. Everything here draws inspiration from the beauty of the surrounding Arizona desert. But you likely won't be spending too much of your time there. The indoor-outdoor concept spa sprawls out over nearly 3 acres, opens into a soothing, open-air Xanadu, complete with manicured grounds and lush garden treatment areas.

Jettisoning the outmoded idea of a la carte therapies, spa concierges create personalized itineraries by blending six spa ingredients into tailored tapestries of health and relaxation. Read on for a more in-depth look at the six elements.

• Mineral Water Therapy: Outdoors, the heated French Celtic mineral pool uses enriched water to help strengthen the body's immune and circulatory systems.
• Halotherapy: The spa's private Himalayan Salt Room is encrusted floor-to-ceiling with Himalayan salt, and boasts a halogenerator that releases bursts of healing salt air particles for an additional fee.
• Musical Therapy: Seven different musical zones complement the daily progression of the body's physiological rhythms, invigorating clients with sunrise music in the morning, soothing with classical music at midday, and calming with sitar music in the evening.
• Fine Tea and Cuisine: A selection of fine teas that correspond with the time of day, and works in tandem with a healthy sampling of fresh fruit and spa bites.
• Spa and Salon Services: For all the attention paid to treatments you won't experience anywhere else, the experts at Avania still pour monumental energy into making familiar treatments special. Massages and facials take place in garden suites, and salon services include decadent products sourced from Spain, Italy, and elsewhere.