Preparation for your trip to Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA I believe is essential in helping you maximize the overall benefits of your stay. This includes taking the time to think carefully about what to pack, scheduling appointments, looking over the class schedule, and more. Keeping in mind that this is a time meant for you and your health and wellness, I would recommend that you look at all that is available to you and choose those items that really speak to you. If you find you are overscheduled at home, don’t make the mistake of trying to fill every moment of every day at Canyon Ranch as that would be a huge disservice to you.
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| Indoor pool (photo courtesy of Canyon Ranch) |
You may not realize this, but you will be able to walk inside from your room, to the Spa, to the various classes, and to the dining room without ever having to walk outside. You can if you choose to, but you don’t have to. This is important to know when packing for hot summer weather, cool autumn weather, or brisk winter weather and you will find you can pack far less than you might otherwise have. Definitely pack at least one pair of sneakers, socks, plenty of activewear including yoga pants or other type of pants for working out, shorts, t-shirts or breathable tops, and a bathing suit. There are two pools on the property, one indoors and one outdoors along with three hot tubs so why not take advantage of them? When classes aren’t taking place, which usually happens in the morning, the pool is open and available for swimming laps or just relaxing. I definitely overpacked by bringing a few sweatshirts and light jackets and found I didn’t need them at all.
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| Canyon Ranch schedule |
Before you arrive, you’ll receive a schedule of events for the week that you will be at Canyon Ranch. You might be tempted, as I was, to choose one of many activities for every hour of the day. You can certainly attempt this and maybe even try to squeeze in eight exercise classes in a row, but that’s probably not the best approach for your relaxing stay. Canyon Ranch recommends taking an exercise class, an educational class, or a treatment and rotating that throughout your day or at least some variation of this method. You can start your day after breakfast with meditation, then a short abs class, then a stretching class, and then Zumba before a class on Women’s Health: An Integrative Approach. This was what was on the morning schedule for Friday, September 28th, but the schedule does change constantly. You can find a way to schedule those classes you’ve thought about taking while back at home, but never have and then balance it out with other classes like yoga, meditation, stretching, and other classes you might already take. Squeeze in a cooking class, an art class, or a trip to the museum before your afternoon massage or facial. In general, most of the classes take place during the day and the treatments take place in the afternoon or evening. After a hard day of TRX, Glute Camp, Ballet Barre, or a Tabata Workout, you’ll want to relax in the sauna, steam room, or hot tub before heading to dinner.
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| Lunch salad from the salad bar in the dining room |
For meal times you might think you need to dress up since you are at a resort, but have no fear, dressing up is unnecessary here. Yes, there are people who will dress up for meals, but if you showed up in your workout clothing you are not going to be turned away. The atmosphere is casual and inviting and if you are looking for a quick meal between classes, you don’t have to get all dressed up to do that. Keep in mind that they suggest you allow 45 minutes for breakfast, 60 minutes for lunch, and 90 minutes for dinner in the dining room. However, if you tell your server that you are expected somewhere at a certain time, they can absolutely accommodate you. For lunch, you can definitely enjoy a salad and skip the entree entirely if you were in a real rush, but remember, you’re here for you so try not to rush, rush, rush. Alternatively, you could grab a quick lunch at Café Jardin adjacent to the main dining room.
Some other items for your packing list that you shouldn’t forget include pajamas, slippers (I never walk around in a hotel room barefoot), ponytail holders, and Tylenol or ibuprofen for post-workout discomfort or pain. If you are used to a feather free room like I am, you might want to bring your own pillow, too. Each room has two alarm clocks so you won’t have to worry about oversleeping or bringing your own. You can bring your laptop or iPad since Canyon Ranch offers free WiFi, but remember, the idea is to focus all on you and to relax. When you check in you’ll receive a bag with a Canyon Ranch water bottle, which will absolutely come in handy during your stay along with a Canyon Ranch t-shirt. When you check in at the Spa, they will give you a robe and a pair of sandals for your stay so you won’t need to bring extras if you don’t want to. For cool autumn weather, especially if you are thinking about going out on the trails, you might want to consider bringing gloves, a hat, and maybe something light to wear over your clothes. Follow my suggestions and you’ll definitely be prepared for an amazing once in a lifetime experience. Up next is more information on the accommodations, dining, treatments, and classes available at Canyon Ranch in Lenox.