Once winter hits I start to dream of my yearly girl’s spa trip, and this year was no exception. Following last year’s trip to Palazzo Fiuggi outside Rome (which you can read about here) we decided to keep this years trip closer to home. After extensive rumination we decided on Mii Amo, nestled in the dramatic Red Rocks in Sedona, Arizona. While Palazzo Fiuggi was Oprah’s favorite spa, Mii Amo happens to be Gwyneth Paltrow’s favorite getaway so our expectations were high. Billed as more of a wellness retreat rather than a spa, we discovered that there was a real dichotomy between our expectations and what we encountered at Mii Amo.
First the logistics, we flew from Bozeman, Montana to Phoenix via Denver and were then picked up by a car service for the 2 hour plus journey to Mii Amo; so not a short travel day, but it was without any delays or issues so for that we were grateful.
As we approached the entrance to Mii Amo we noted that it shares a location with their much larger sister property Enchantment Resort. To get a sense of scale, Mii Amo has just 23 Casitas, while Enchantment has 218. If you are staying at Mii Amo you are paying an all inclusive rate that includes meals and your accommodation as well as select exercise/yoga/meditation classes along with an allowance for spa treatments. If you are staying at Enchantment you are able to book services at Mii Amo if there is availability.
Upon arrival our bags were quickly whisked away and we were checked in by “Journey Advisors” who are integral in both the pre-trip planning and choosing of spa treatments as well as adding additional services and activities while you are in residence. One thing we noticed upon check-in, and throughout our visit was that there is definitely a shortage of Journey Advisors as well as people tending to the front desk. Everyone was helpful and accommodating, but there just weren’t enough bodies.
Once we completed check-in we grabbed a quick smoothie at the juice bar which is open continuously throughout the day with unlimited access for Mii Amo guests. The choco-latte was the perfect thing to tide me over until dinner. An important thing to note, Mii Amo serves both alcoholic drinks and coffee if you desire, so definitely not a traditional spa.
Next on the agenda was a tour of my Casita, #19. I had opted for a Junior Suite which was nice and spacious, and featured a gas fireplace that was especially cozy during the cool nights. I believe that the Jr Suites have the added benefit of bathtubs while the King Casitas only have showers. During our stay I was impressed by the housekeeping staff as they kept everything spotless and seemed to pop in as soon as I headed to a meal or spa service.
As far as I was concerned the setting actually stole the show. I had never been to Sedona before, or experienced the Red Rocks, (specifically Boynton Canyon where Mii Amo is located) and I have to say I was totally blown away, it is stunning. There is a lot of talk about the Boynton Canyon Vortex, and all of the cosmic forces that are present there and I have to say I kind of felt it.
Mii Amo takes full advantage of the energy forces swirling around which translates to an emphasis on meditation and exploring one’s own spiritual journey. In all truth I came to Mii Amo with a skepticism about such things, as well as the inability to meditate, and while I did give it a try, I left just as skeptical (and still unable to meditate).
Back to the property, it was the perfect combination of sumptuous cozy interiors and gorgeous outdoor spaces which take advantage of nature. The intimacy of the resort encourages conversation among strangers, and a general feeling of bonhomie. It was a little to chilly to take advantage of the pool, but it sure was beautiful to look at.
A few things I loved about Mii Amo include the setting, the food (healthy, satisfying and served by an incredibly accommodating staff), my Casita and the weather. There were a couple of things I didn’t love, the lack of fitness classes and activities offered by Mii Amo, as well as the difficulty in tracking down staff to try and adjust my schedule. It may seem like minor complaints but having visited many spas in the past, I really think there is a dearth of options as far as fitness goes (there are a few yoga classes, many meditation and chanting classes and most annoyingly just one opportunity for a guided hike which turned out to be a tour of Enchantment). Following the Mii Amo “hike” we ended up doing an on-property trek to the iconic Kachina Woman on our own as well and then booked a private hiking guide the following day.
Some may consider the Javelina (also known as a peccary) a pest, but the resident squadron (yes, that is what a group of Javelinas are called) are really super cute.
The photos I am posting here truly just give a taste of the natural beauty surrounding Mii Amo, and to be honest this may have been all I really needed to restore my sense of calm.
A little more about the food, certainly not dietetic (nor was it meant to be) but well balanced, nutritious and very photogenic!
Last but not least, the treatments. Mii Amo offers a very wide array of services ranging from facials, massages and wraps as well as hypnosis, energy clearing, past life regression and chakra balancing. I stuck to the more mundane while my friends dabbled in the more woo-woo spiritual options. The spa staff was incredibly competent and friendly, my anti-aging facial and ancestral stone massage were two treatments I had that really stood out.
As mentioned, an all inclusive stay comes with a spa allowance, though you can obviously book as many as you like and then pay an additional charge. In a perfect world, it would have been much nicer if Mii Amo was completely private and only catered to the in-house guests rather than accommodating the folks from Enchantment, but I guess it is not feasible monetarily.
Our group decided to take advantage of the Mii Amo Volvo (complimentary on a first come first served basis) and go off property to check out some Navajo jewelry at Garlands as well as the upscale shops at Tlaquepaque. Our plan was to shop for a few hours and then find a cute place for lunch, but we ended up heading back to Mii Amo after about an hour.
The skies above Mii Amo are filled with stars and one of the highlights of our stay was doing some star gazing with an astronomer that visits the resorts on a weekly basis. The photo of the moon below was taken by attaching my iphone to the eyepiece of his telescope, truly amazing.
Our stay soon came to an end and while we had a terrific time over-all, it wasn’t exactly the spa experience I was craving. The final verdict: Mii Amo might be the right destination for you if you are more focused on a spiritual journey rather than a traditional fitness spa. I might return to Sedona to soak up the beauty, but I may give the Auberge a try rather than Mii Amo.
Before we knew it it was time to return to snowy Montana and fortunately the travel gods smiled upon us once again and we enjoyed a smooth day of flights and connections.
If you have a spa experience you have truly loved, please reach out and share it with me, I would love to hear about it.
Sad I missed it! Looks beautiful.
Good ! You can meditate! Xx
[…] have been pretty spoiled in past years (you can read about last years trip to Mii Amo in Sedona here and 2024’s visit to Palazzo Fiuggi outside of Rome here) so the bar for Golden Door was set […]