I remember our first girls’ trip like it was yesterday. A weekend in Cancun, Mexico, it had all the trappings of a girls’ getaway: an all-inclusive resort; colorful, barely-there clothing; days spent sightseeing and jumping off boats; seafood dinners with tropical cocktails; a nightclub tour we can’t forget; a morning flight home we almost missed. It set the stage for decades of vacations that followed, all over the globe. Sure, we’d incorporate a few cultural experiences here and there, but for the most part, we had a stacked itinerary each day and a handful of parties to attend each night. But for my birthday this year, I knew I wanted a different experience. Enter a “spacation” in Scottsdale, AZ, with my closest friends.
Spacations are trips rooted in relaxation and wellness, where the primary purpose of the vacation is pampering and self-care. They don’t exclude the opportunity for sightseeing and adventure — we certainly embraced both — but they center on spa treatments like massages, facials, or just luxuriating in a hot tub.
Spacations seemed like a natural evolution for my group of millennial friends. No longer 20-somethings with an endless reserve of energy and a short list of responsibilities, we’re now looking for vacations that are a bit more meaningful and rejuvenating. Over decades of friendship, my girlfriends had become mothers, directors, entrepreneurs, wives, long-time partners, breadwinners, and homeowners. We simply can’t afford to need “a vacation after our vacation” once we return home.
But we’re not the only ones; Gen Z isn’t embracing club culture, either. They’re house partying or “soft clubbing” at, of all places, hair salons. “It’s what happens when a generation raised on overstimulation and burnout wants the fun without the fatigue,” Samantha Leal recently wrote in The Cut. The spacation takes it a step further — fun that’s the actual antithesis of fatigue: relaxing, restful, and restorative. But would my girlfriends — including one who famously landed in Puerto Rico and went to three nightclubs with her suitcase still in tow — find a spacation utterly boring? To my delight, it was anything but.
The Idea For My Spacation
Scottsdale was the perfect destination for my first attempt at a spacation. The city is known for its spas — it has the most spas per capita in the nation. Places like Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Spa draw people from all over the world, including celebrities like Beyoncé and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Beyond the array of spa options, the desert has always been a peaceful oasis for me: its vast landscape gives me a feeling of freedom, stillness, and rest.
The great thing about Scottsdale is that when my friends inevitably tired of the relaxing agenda and found themselves in dire need of a restaurant or a nightclub, Scottsdale had those, too — they just aren’t the focus.
What better place to connect with my girls, reflect on our decades-long friendship, and literally exhale after the chaos of our 20s and amid the unrelenting stress of our 30s?
Also, ever the pop culture junkie, I always think of Arizona as the setting for “Waiting to Exhale,” the classic 1995 film about four Black women on a journey of love, sisterhood, and self-realization with the peaceful desert as their backdrop. What better place to connect with my girls, reflect on our decades-long friendship, and literally exhale after the chaos of our 20s and amid the unrelenting stress of our 30s?
Theoretically, it was perfect, but from a practical standpoint, a spacation was proving difficult to manage: I’d need to book treatments around everyone’s schedule (with friends flying in and out of Arizona at different times) and keep their specific requests in mind (e.g. a prenatal massage, a male practitioner, a lymphatic drainage facial). But I realized spacations are less about specific treatments and more about our state of mind: a rare chance to unplug, disconnect, and be present in a safe, loving, and relaxing environment.
My Experience on a Spacation
The spacation was exactly what we needed. We experienced some of the best spas in Scottsdale with day passes or treatments that felt so serene and indulgent we didn’t want them to end. And we made new memories and enjoyed quality time together which, to me, was most important.
Day 1 at The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
I arrived ahead of the group and kicked things off with a spa treatment at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, which is tucked in the valley of Pinnacle Peak. To get to the spa from my hotel room, I walked past the most stunning rock formations and cactuses shooting up into a clear sky. Walking through paradise with Chanté Moore’s “Wey U” playing in my AirPods, I felt zen before the service even started. Cactuses also showed up in my massage as the therapist rubbed warm gel from the nopal cactus on my skin, noting that it is high in vitamins and antioxidants. Afterwards, I headed to my room for breakfast with a private plunge pool and a mountain view stretching out in front of me. All the stress from my day-to-day life just melted away.
Day 2 at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Spa
The very next day, I welcomed my girlfriends with a meet-up at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Spa. We spent the day lounging in a cabana by the pool and catching up over seafood and frozen cocktails with a view of Camelback Mountain. When it was time for our treatments, we each walked down to the spa and changed into our robes for custom massages and facials.
The menu of services at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Spa is truly impressive. I immediately gravitated toward the lymphatic massage for relief from inflammation caused by my springtime allergies. The treatment helps to reduce fluid buildup while calming your nervous system and alleviating stress. I felt like a new woman after and was noticeably less puffy and tense.
My friend Deena Campbell was all about the Vita D brightening facial, which is the ultimate skin-care treatment, hydrating the skin with topical Vitamin D and a soothing marine-based mask. Afterwards, we wandered into the meditation garden near the reflection pond for pictures — it was so peaceful and secluded, we could’ve stayed there in our own little world all day. For that reason, I actually regret booking dinner plans right after. We could’ve ordered in and ate at our leisure to keep the tranquil vibes going.
Day 3 With Pure Knead Massages
Few things in life are as luxurious as an at-home massage. I wanted my friends to feel pampered — they deserve! — so we booked Pure Knead Massage to meet us at our dreamy rental property in Paradise Valley. There, the massage therapists turned the master bedroom into a mini spa with candles and oils for our treatments, which ranged from Swedish to deep tissue massages.
My initial vision for these massages was an outdoor treatment by the pool, but the therapist let me know that it leaves much to be desired: clients usually complain about the heat and mosquito bites. Indoor treatments were much more comfortable and still set us at ease. We particularly enjoyed the reflexology massages, which focus on overworked, reflex areas in the hands and feet, and the aromatherapy massages (the plant-based oils immediately transport you into a state of calm).
One note here is to make sure the rest of the group is zen while a select few are receiving treatments: the pool time happening outside was distracting during the massage, so we had to keep the noise down and the vibes peaceful. I also felt out of sorts when I wasn’t able to book a treatment for one friend due to scheduling: when the services were available, she was participating in other activities. I felt like I had failed; in my mind, a successful spacation trip would mean everyone, at one point during the vacation, was able to enjoy a service of some kind. But after sitting with it for awhile, I realized the trip should be more about self-care and relaxation, whatever that looks like for you. For her, that meant bonding with our friends in the heated pool while listening to old school music. While the spa portion wasn’t necessarily involved, her day centered around peace, comfort, and ease, which was ultimately the point.
Once we finished a round of massages, everyone felt totally refreshed and ready to hit the town, so I was glad we planned a dinner at a fancy Scottsdale hotspot for that evening to keep us occupied. Though a couple friends threw out the idea of a club, we never ended up hitting the nightlife circuit. They did stay up laughing and talking at our rental though until about 5 a.m. local time while my other friends got rest, which I felt was the perfect balance.
Day 4 at Hotel Valley Ho
For our last day, we moved to the famed Hotel Valley Ho and booked an oxygenating facial at the spa. The treatment is ideal after a weekend spent in the desert, as it’s all about revitalizing the skin by restoring moisture and brightness. One friend, Jihan Forbes, noted that her skin looked smooth and glowy after — and she was happy to follow it up with a visit to Hotel Valley Ho’s pool, which is its own party replete with a DJ. It was just enough revelry to end the spacation on a high note.
Final Thoughts on My Spacation
I’m officially sold on the spacation as the new girls’ trip. Given our hectic and demanding schedules, it felt so much more rewarding to plan a trip that focused on wellness and self-care rather than adventures and parties. Next time, however, I will be more intentional about setting the pace. When my friends first arrive at our destination, I’ll be sure to do even less, sandwiching our spa treatments with leisure activities that inspire us to relax. But as the trip progresses, we’ll do the opposite, slowly incorporating more lively experiences into the schedule to achieve a balance. No nightclubs, I hope, but a day pool party or restaurant dinner is par for the course.
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that spacations are meant to help us unwind and recharge — and that doesn’t have to fit any particular mold. It may look like four days of back-to-back services or spa day passes for nonstop pool time and girl talk as the days start to run together. Ultimately, a spacation is about peace, sisterhood, and self-care — the treatments are optional.
Jessica C. Andrews (she/her) is an award-winning editor and writer who currently works as the senior style director of PS, overseeing beauty, fashion, shopping, and identity content. With more than 15 years of experience, her areas of expertise include fashion, shopping, and travel. Prior to joining PS, Jessica held senior roles at Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and Bustle and contributed to The New York Times, Elle, Vanity Fair, and Essence. She’s appeared on “Good Morning America,” NBC, and Fox 5 New York and spoken on various panels about fashion, hair, and Black culture.
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