Not all deserts are alike. For example, different altitudes pose different opportunities for flora and fauna at each level.
“High” deserts near Tucson, Arizona; Las Vegas; and Joshua Tree, California, experience cooler temperatures than the low deserts of Palm Springs, California, and the Phoenix/Scottsdale areas.
Graeme Hughes, vice president of Visit Tucson, calls it “the high desert difference. The ‘loftiness’ of a spiritual connection can sometimes feel contrived (you’re here for a meeting, after all!), but once you’re here, you can’t deny it because it’s all around you.”
Tucson visitors of all abilities can begin their retreat through paved gardens at the 50-acre Tohono Chul Gardens and participate in one of its weekly nature journaling workshop sessions. More active groups can take a guided hike through Tucson Mountain Park at JW Marriott Starr Pass.
Low deserts, on the other hand, boast nearly paradisical climates when different parts of the country are deep in snow. Here, various levels of hiking can be comfortably done from December through April, although it is strongly advised to use licensed guides. In Palm Springs, hikes and tours by the red Jeeps of Desert Adventures take guests deep into the Coachella Valley to visit wind-carved rocks and walk along tranquil oases like Murray Canyon.
'Star Bath' Excursions
With light pollution now a part of everyday life, desert visitors may see the real night sky for the first time! It can be an unforgettable experience.
Joshua Tree Conference Group CEO Steve Lefkovitz particularly loves Joshua Tree as a destination to view and “reconnect with the timelessness and the time scale of the stars. It's similar to Sedona, Monument Valley, Flagstaff and all of New Mexico as a place for people seeking the balance of the night sky and the peace of confirming our relative place in the cosmos.”
Contact Tucson-based Dark Sky International for a selection of certified locations near your desert meeting place. Again, guides are recommended.
For groups that like (or need) to stay closer to the meeting site, Coachella Valley’s Rancho Mirage Observatory, part of the Library Campus, has star-gazing programs with glimpses through its PlaneWave Instruments CDK700 telescope without ever leaving the Desert Cities’ main drag.
In Scottsdale, Mountain Shadows Resort offers Cocktails Under the Cosmos—astrology-themed cocktail hours to celebrate such events as supermoons and meteor showers—conducted with an expert astronomer (and telescope).
[Related: 4 Tucson Venues for Space and Science Fans]
Roll Out Your Yoga Mats
Most desert resorts have a connection with yoga programs or have their own. In Phoenix/Scottsdale, Zodiac Yoga and Sound Healing offers one-hour sessions on the rooftop deck at Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale, where horoscope insights include the perfect poses based on your sign followed by a mini sound healing session with Tibetan healing bowls (more on that later). Another unique yoga setting is Butterfly Wonderland, an enclosed tropical conservatory filled with 3,000 species of butterflies. (Butterfly Wonderland is available for special events.)
In Palm Springs, where a yoga class is never more than a stone’s throw away, there’s Hot Yoga, Power Yoga (which offers Saturday sessions in Ruth Hardy Park), Coachella Yoga and much more. Tucson’s Out There Yoga offers on- and offsite yoga and sound bath sessions. Planners can work with them to create custom pop-up events for private groups in Saguaro National Park, the local lavender farm or Catalina State Park.
If your group is “all in” for a yoga + detox program, the Diaita Yoga School of Wellness runs several SoCal and Las Vegas retreats featuring yoga, wellness and meals. Desert Hot Springs, California, also includes warm mineral spring waters for soaking, bathing and showering.
A Matter of Wellness
“In Phoenix,” said Ron Price, president and CEO of Visit Phoenix, “wellness isn’t just a priority—it’s a way of life. From world-class spas to serene outdoor escapes, this is where wellness thrives naturally, making Phoenix the ultimate place to reset and refresh."
His is no idle boast: There are 12 Phoenix/Scottsdale properties certified as Wellness Hotels and Resorts by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT) (see below).
"The best wellness programs offer a balanced mix of mental, physical and emotional wellness practices that resonate with participants,” said WITT CEO and Founder Robin Ruiz, who likens its rating to a “Michelin Guide” for wellness travel. “Programs that integrate education on stress management, self-care and long-term habit-building often leave lasting impacts, allowing participants to take what they learn back into their everyday lives.”
[Related: How Phoenix Can Help Your Event Prioritize Wellness]
Sound Baths and Spirituality
Sound healing, or sound baths, are part of the mainstream wellness experience. Ruiz says these “use vibrations to help participants release tension and improve mental clarity, leaving them refreshed and more focused.”
Having a sound bath can be as easy as having a practitioner play Tibetan bowls made to create specific sounds during a meeting break or yoga session. Or, like the Integraton near Joshua Tree, it can be the main event.
There, guests lie comfortably in a circle while 22 quartz crystal “singing bowls” are played for the better part of an hour. Planners can book the 60-minute public sessions or a private session for up to 20 people. In Las Vegas, a group can experience a sound bath at Caesars Palace while floating in its spa’s Garden of the Gods Oasis pool.
When meditating, group members might use their personal beliefs to help concentrate their thoughts. But at desert meetings, they have the opportunity to explore the beliefs of others.
In Tucson, JW Marriott Starr Pass features a daily Native American morning gratitude ritual called Mitakuye Oyasin. In Phoenix/Scottsdale, the Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort celebrates Pima and Maricopa culture and traditions, while its spa features ingredients like red clay from the Gila River and Cholla cactus buds. In Albuquerque, groups visiting the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center can learn about New Mexico’s 19 Native American Pueblos and dine on Indigenous cuisine at Aji Spa at Sheraton
Last year, the Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians opened its museum in Palm Springs. The museum introduces visitors to the tribe’s origin beliefs. It is adjacent to the 40,000-square-foot Spa at Sec-he, a truly impressive facility that features hot mineral baths and botanical elements from the tribe’s reservation.
[Related: My Transformational Experience With Body & Brain Wellness in Sedona, Arizona]
WITT’s Certified Hotels and Resorts
These desert destinations are among 100 early adopter properties of the Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT) certification, an independent program that recognizes the wellness efforts at top hotels and resorts.
Arizona
- Phoenix/Scottsdale: Sanctuary Camelback Mountain-A Gurney's Resort & Spa; The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort; The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa; The Wigwam; Arizona Biltmore; ADERO Scottsdale Resort; Boulders Resort & Spa; CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa; Fairmont Scottsdale Princess; JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa; JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa; Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia
- Tucson: Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
- Sedona: Enchantment Resort & Mii amo Spa; L'Auberge de Sedona.
California
- Palm Springs: La Serena Villas, A Kirkwood Collection Hotel; La Quinta Resort & Club; Two Bunch Palms Resort (Desert Hot Springs)
New Mexico
- Albuquerque: Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm
More meeting and event news in Arizona, California and New Mexico.
