Canyon Ranch Is Opening Its First International Location

In 1979, the idea of a wellness center targeting travelers with a longing for a healthy escape, sparked the opening of the first Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona. As the ultimate spa destination sprawling in the Sonoran desert, Canyon Ranch would offer extensive spa services, fitness activities, nutritional programs, spiritual sanctuaries, and many more services to promote the wellness of guests’ mind, body, spirit (and skin!).

Fast-forward 36 years and most sufferers of wanderlust are well-acquainted with the health hub. The oasis in the desert branched out to New England (Lenox, Massachusetts is home to its second resort), Nevada (beyond the slot machines, you can win big at its SpaClub in Las Vegas), and at sea with SpaClubs aboard four luxury cruise lines that sail across the globe.

Now, the luxe wellness center is shipping its services overseas, instituting its first international health resort in Kaplankaya, Turkey. Why Turkey? “The property is beautiful—an idyllic location on the edge of the Aegean Sea,” Canyon Ranch’s newly appointed CEO Susan Docherty tells Fortune. “It’s also an area of ancient healing. When I lived in Europe in the ’90s, everybody wanted to go to the French Riviera or Mallorca. Now international travelers want to be in the Turkish Riviera. It’s attracting people who want to stay current and understand what’s going on in that part of the world.” Indeed. Over the past few years, Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula (neighboring Kaplankaya) has developed into a stylish stretch of lavish resorts, sparkling harbors, and historic landmarks.

But Canyon Ranch’s addition to the (fairly) newly glamorized Turkish Riviera is not merely a magnet for tourists alone. Docherty tells Fortune that the wellness center will equally be an attraction for locals as well. “In our research, people in Europe and Turkey placed a higher value on wellness than even what we saw in the US. Europeans and Turks totally understand that they need to take care of themselves.”

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View of the Aegean Sea—not bad! (Photo Courtesy of Canyon Ranch)

They may already do a fine job of taking care of themselves, but with exclusive access to the Canyon Ranch Spa, Fitness and Wellness Center—a 107,500 square foot site with 40 treatment rooms overlooking the Aegean Sea—we imagine Turks and travelers alike won’t mind the resort staff doing all the pampering for them during their stay. Now that’s what we call Turkish delight.

You’ll have to sit tight until July 2016 to visit Canyon Ranch’s Kaplankaya Resort, but sit tight. It’ll be worth the wait!

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