Canyon Ranch Celebrates Its 25Th Year Still Motivated By The Power Of Possibility

The power of possibility is what Canyon Ranch offers its guests, and certainly what inspired Mel and Enid Zuckerman to embark upon their life-changing venture of opening a spa in Tucson, Arizona, 25 years ago this December. Those possibilities have not only become a successful reality for the Zuckermans, but continue to fuel the creative fire in expanding the Canyon Ranch brand in the next quarter-century.

"Canyon Ranch has moved the concept of wellness into the public arena," says Mel Zuckerman, the former asthmatic, hypertensive developer who made his own life-changing discovery at a spa in California in 1975. "I am proud that we have contributed to the expansion of the consciousness that one can make choices that can positively impact the quality of their lives - short and long term."

The world’s most celebrated collection of life-enhancement properties, Canyon Ranch has destination health resorts in Tucson, Arizona, and Lenox, Massachusetts, and SpaClubs (spa, wellness & fitness facilities designed to give guests a taste of the more intensive resort experiences) at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, and most recently debuting onboard Queen Mary 2 luxury ocean liner in January 2004.

Now, in Canyon Ranch’s 25th year, the Zuckermans are moving forward with their vision to create a community devoted to wellness. After statistics from a Canyon Ranch-commissioned national study in 2003 confirmed that Americans are actively seeking to live in an environment built on the premise of healthy living, the Zuckermans announced plans to build Canyon Ranch Living, the nation’s first healthy living community, in Miami Beach, Florida, slated to open in 2005.

“No other corporation can provide the depth of choices available in the Canyon Ranch portfolio of businesses – solidifying our position as the world’s foremost life-enhancement company,” says Kevin Kelly, Chief Strategy Officer for Canyon Ranch. To further distinguish this point in its history, Canyon Ranch launched a marketing campaign using “The Power of Possibility” to express the exceptional range of opportunities available to those who embrace the Canyon Ranch lifestyle.

In the late ‘70s, “fat farms” were the only type of destination catering to people who wanted to look and feel better. However the weight-loss methods practiced at these places were most often successful only for short periods of time, with the majority of people gaining back the pounds after their visits. The Zuckermans’ idea for Canyon Ranch was way ahead of its time; they wanted to create a place where people could experience a total sense of wellness with the help of doctors, nurses, behavioral therapists, nutritionists and exercise physiologists – where knowledge would be gained and applied to everyday life.

The Zuckermans knew they had found the perfect site for their fitness resort when they came across Tucson’s Double U Ranch. They instantly felt the magic of the property – once an active cattle ranch dating back to the ‘30s before becoming a dude ranch the next decade – and, after major renovations, transformed it into the first Canyon Ranch Health Resort.

As a result of the overwhelming response to Canyon Ranch in Tucson, especially from East Coast guests, the Zuckermans opened another Canyon Ranch Health Resort in the Berkshires of Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1989.

With two successful health resorts serving nearly 25,000 guests each year, the Zuckermans decided to expand the reach of Canyon Ranch with the development of new properties and projects. In 1999, the Zuckermans introduced Canyon Ranch SpaClub, a spa, wellness and fitness facility designed to give guests a taste of the Canyon Ranch experience with massage and bodywork, fitness and yoga classes, consultations with wellness experts and healthy cuisine served in the SpaClub Café.

The first Canyon Ranch SpaClub facility opened at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the opening of SpaClub, the Zuckermans also introduced the flagship Canyon Ranch Living Essentials boutique.

The brand expansion of Canyon Ranch SpaClub began in 2002 with a second SpaClub at Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Soon after, the Cunard Line invited Canyon Ranch to design and operate the spa and fitness facility onboard Queen Mary 2. The $800 million, 150,000-ton luxury ocean liner, featuring the first sea-based Canyon Ranch SpaClub, entered into service in January 2004.

Currently, the Zuckermans are expanding the scope of their enhancement opportunities to include Canyon Ranch skin care and body products: Canyon Ranch Science for the Skin and Canyon Ranch Nutrition for the Skin – two exclusive and scientifically based skin care product lines for men and women that protect skin against aging and the environment, and can actually strengthen and repair existing damage – plus a line of amenities available in guest rooms and locker rooms at all properties.

Looking Ahead – The Next 25 Years
Canyon Ranch Living, a six-acre oceanfront property in Miami Beach, Florida, featuring 151 luxury hotel suites and 467 condominium residences and traditional Canyon Ranch facilities and services, is scheduled to open in 2005.

“Canyon Ranch Living is the next step in Canyon Ranch’s evolution. It is the fulfillment of our ongoing mission to inspire in each person a daily commitment to healthy living, and to provide the tools and knowledge to turn intentions into reality,” says Zuckerman.

And that mission expands to spread the word about healthy living to benefit people of all ages, all walks of life and all levels of health – not just those who visit Canyon Ranch.

The best and most efficient way to do this is to align with other high-quality health institutions and organizations that espouse the same initiative:

• Recently, Canyon Ranch forged an association with The Institute for Health & Healing at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, the largest integrative medical center in the nation, to enhance the continuum of health services available in their respective communities. This unique collaborative venture will include faculty exchange and education, joint programming and referrals, workshops and lectures.
• Canyon Ranch and the Zuckermans have funded the Harvard Cancer Risk Index project at the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, to develop a program designed to help people increase their ability to understand their risk of cancer.
• A healthy donation by the Zuckermans to the Arizona College of Public Health, whose mission is to promote the health consciousness of individuals and communities with a special emphasis on diverse populations and the Southwest. Programs concentrate on the reduction of health disparities, the development and maintenance of healthy communities and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

“Many of today’s prevalent lifestyle diseases, including some types of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, can be avoided by preventing excess weight, avoiding tobacco use, and adopting a healthy diet and increased physical activity – the same tenets supported by Canyon Ranch,” says Zuckerman, who boasts the biological age of a man about 20 years younger than his chronological age of 76. “Our future incorporates the desire to significantly increase our society’s focus on prevention and self-responsibility rather than just on disease care and management – through our own ventures and other significant affiliations.”

The Zuckermans have achieved a great deal since Canyon Ranch's opening in December 1979. They have gorgeous resorts, many awards and a successful, growing business. Yet if someone asks Mel Zuckerman what is most satisfying to him, he quickly says: “My most gratifying moments are when guests tell me, ‘I got it! Canyon Ranch helped me turn my life around.’ ”

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