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Sanctuary Zara Spa
Movenpick Dead Sea, Jordan
by Paris Permenter & John Bigley
We arrived at the Movenpick Dead Sea
just before sunset. We quickly wound our way along the mud-colored buildings
of the resort, one designed to recreate an Arabian village, and headed
down to the seashore to catch the last rays of light. The sun was setting
over the world's saltiest body of water, turning it a brilliant orange.
It was the perfect end to a day of touring the many historic and natural
sites of Jordan.
But the day wasn't over yet. We both
had spa treatments planned at the resort's Sanctuary Zara Spa. Located
on the sea's northeastern shore, the 6,000-square-foot spa carries on
the local style of the resort with domed ceilings, walls of local stone,
and mosaics.
 We
parted in the tranquil lounge and headed our separate ways, to the men's
and women's sections of resort's newly-opened spa. For the next half hour,
we each enjoyed one of the treatments for which the spa is best known:
the Dead Sea Salt Scrub. Using giant granules of salt mixed with rich
oils, we were each scrubbed until our skin felt as smooth as a baby's.
After a quick shower to rinse off the salt, our skin was treated to a
moisturizing rub, perfect at the end of a busy day of touring.
Along with the salt scrubs, another
often-requested treatment is the Dead Sea Mud Wrap. "Because the
Dead Sea is a terminal lake, the minerals all remain in the mud,"
explained Zein Khreino, marketing and sales manager for the spa. "They
produce a calming effect and help balance the minerals in the body."
Unlike the medical spas of Israel,
this spa is for relaxation and beauty. "The concept of the spa is
holistic -- to treat the mind, body and spirit," noted Khreino. Relaxation
at the $6 million spa begins in the Tranquility Lounge, where Japanese
massage chairs invite weary guests to start to unwind before their treatments.
From there, visitors unwind at other spa facilities: the Thermariums which
offer traditional Hammam massages of the Turkish bathhouses, Tropical
Rain Showers scented with mint, an Indoor Dead Sea Pool with 23% concentration
of the heavily salted water, and more.
After unwinding, guests move on to
their choice from a menu of over 60 treatments. "Two to seven-day
packages give you the whole Dead Sea experience," explained Khreino.
Many of the treatments use  locally-made
Dead Sea products; the most popular treatments include mud wraps, mud
facials, and even mud wraps with anti-cellulite oils.
For us, the additional treatments would
have to wait for another day. Feeling energized, we were ready to go explore
the resort and to sample a Jordanian feast. We had the feeling that the
real feast was just beginning as we looked forward to several more days
spent exploring attractions both old and, thanks to the Mövenpick
and the Sanctuary Zara Spa, new in this fascinating land.
For more about the Sanctuary Zara Spa,
check out their website at http://www.sanctuary-zara.com.
For more on the Mövenpick Dead Sea, see http://www.movenpick-hotels.com.
For more about travel in Jordan, see the Jordan Tourist Board site at
http://www.seejordan.org.
Photos courtesy Sanctuary Zara Spa.
Copyright Paris Permenter &
John Bigley
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