FOUR SEASONS RESORT & CLUB DALLAS
by Josephine Matyas
The Spa: The Spa and Salon at the Four Seasons Resort and Club, Dallas at Las Colinas, Texas
The Location: The largest property in the Four Seasons chain is this Irving location (just outside Dallas), offering their most comprehensive range of services and amenities. Centre stage is The Sports Club, the resort’s private membership country club, where hotel guests can mingle with and share all the wellness and fitness privileges enjoyed by local members.
The Environment: Texans like to live large, and this property certainly delivers wide, open spaces. It starts outside, with over 400 acres, including two golf courses – one that is home to a prestigious annual PGA tournament, the Byron Nelson Championship.
Health and wellness is the resort mantra – from the 17,000 sq.ft. spa (with 16 treatment rooms and 80 attentive staff) to The Sports Club, an earth-toned Spanish colonial complex that houses two restaurants, saltwater pool, pro shop, indoor and outdoor jogging tracks and a 6000 sq.ft., well-equipped fitness centre.
The Distinction: There’s a chic country club atmosphere across the entire property – a feeling of familiarity among the guests (many are local members) with programming choices - i.e. tennis and golf -that reflect a certain club-like personality.
The Experience: I don’t want to touch ‘em, but I sure don’t mind if the spa staff peel the paddles of the Texas prickly pear cactus, squeeze out the precious gel and then go to work creating the magic of hydration and rejuvenation. The cactus gel in the Prickly Pear Cactus Body Glaze is known to tighten and nourish the skin, and the clear, mineral-rich glaze is the only product used in this relaxing treatment. Painted from neck to toe with the sticky gel, lids closed under a lavender-scented eye pillow, I was swaddled in heated towels, topped with a reflective thermal blanket and then basked in the glow for 15 luxurious minutes, the perfect length of time for the gel to be heat activated and absorbed into my skin. After a warm shower I wrapped myself in a thick robe, drained a tall glass of cucumber water and contemplated the afternoon ahead: steam room, hot soaker tub, whirlpool or a little reading and relaxation? The padded chaise lounge and a book won out.
The Spa’s emphasis is on pampering with a healthy dose of wellness. Indigenous products – like pecans, red mud and my new friend, the cactus paddle - are well incorporated into treatments that hydrate (Prickly Pear Cactus Body Glaze), exfoliate (Pecan Body Polish) and detoxify (Red River Mud Mask). If you’ve got your cowboy in tow, he may enjoy the Cowboy Shiner Soak, an old fashioned hot soak in a deep tub, a bottle of Texas-brewed Shiner Bock beer at the ready, and a full body massage once he is out of the water.
The Accommodations: This is a hotel within an exclusive club; spacious, well-appointed rooms in a mixture of 307 tower rooms and 90 poolside villas, that each has the atmosphere of a little boutique inn.
The Food: Small dining alcoves dot the spa area, with simple select menus of cold items like sandwiches and wraps, salads, yogurt, fresh fruit and herbal teas.
The two restaurants in The Sports Club complex serve American cuisine, although each menu highlights selections that are low in sugar, fat or sodium.
The Extras:
• The Sports Club offers more than 40 group exercise classes each month – including spinning, water circuit, Pilates and combination yoga classes. If you forgot to pack your gear, no worries, complimentary workout gear is available and you can rent equipment for every sport the resort offers.
• There are professional personal trainers on the floor of the fitness centre at all times. They teach the basics and safety of each piece of equipment, help you develop a customized workout plan, and can brainstorm some fitness ideas to take on the road with you.
• This is racquet heaven. Constantly ranked as one of the ten top tennis resorts in the country there’s a ball and court around every corner, including squash, racquetball, indoor and outdoor tennis.
• There's a Kids For All Seasons program.
The Cost: Spa treatments are at least an hour and prices start at $75 US (for the express massages) up to $350 US for the 80-minute couple’s massage. Most are priced in-between. The indigenous body treatments (pecan, prickly pear cactus and Red River mud) are all $130 U.S. Editor's note: Prices reflect the time of visit so please check with the spa before you go.
The Final Tally: Tucked into the Cottonwood Valley, The Four Seasons is spacious – indoors and out – calm and light-splashed. If you want a complete escape, you never need to leave the property.
For more info: www.fourseasons.com
Josephine Matyas is a travel writer based in Kingston, Ontario