Looking at The Canyon Ranch Spa on QM2

Part of the Cunard heritage is a reputation for luxury. Queen Elizabeth 2 in her heyday was particularly synonymous with luxury and deluxe style with such things as the first seagoing Harrods and other amenities that drew celebrity studded passenger lists on her transatlantic voyages. Since tradition and heritage are watchwords at Cunard, when the time came to build Queen Mary 2, she was designed to be superlative not just in her size but also in her amenities.

This is particularly evident in the ship’s spa complex. It covers 20,000 square feet over portions of two decks. The facilities are well-laid out and impressive. Moreover, Cunard arranged to have one of the most prestigious resorts in America, Canyon Ranch, operate the spa complex.

Canyon Ranch began in the 1970s with a resort in Tucson, Arizona. This ranch in the Sonoran Desert combined luxury with a total approach to healthy living encompassing fitness activities, outdoor sports, education in health and preventive medicine and award winning cuisine. The winner of numerous awards, it has built a second resort at Lenox Massachusetts, a hotel and condominium complex in Miami Beach Florida and has opened smaller facilities called SpaClubs at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and the Gaylord Palms resort in Florida.

The spa operation on the Queen Mary 2 is another SpaClub. However, it is not part of a chain of seagoing Canyon Ranch spas. It is the only one of its kind. It encompasses the spa itself, the ship’s fitness center, the beauty salon, its own lecture program and is involved with the dining.

One thing I wondered about was how much is Canyon Ranch actually involved in operating the spa on QM2? However, in talking with the spa’s director, I came to the conclusion that this is not a Canyon Ranch spa in name only. There is a specific Canyon Ranch philosophy and the operation at sea is linked to the land.

My article about the QM2 Canyon Ranch SpaClub along with a series of photos of the spa are at: http://beyondships.com/QM2-CanyonRanch.html