• One night's lodging in deluxe accommodations • Best available room at check-in! • Breakfast in Fanny's Grill • 1/2 hour Refresher massage or Aveda Focus Facial • Soak/Swim in the Homestead Crater • $128-$154 per person based on double occupancy • $255-$307.50 inclusive per couple • Does not include gratuity on spa service Promotion not valid with any other discounts or packages. Advance reservations required. Valid through March 31, 2005. Call to make reservations today: 1-888-327-7220 (Mention you want the Utah.com internet special)

Utah's dry powder is world-famous — enthusiasts call it the "Greatest Snow on Earth." During recent years our resorts and facilities have matured and now offer world-class accommodations, including great dining, shopping and nightlife. There's not much better than spending a day skiing powder and then "coming home" to an exquisite room right at the resort — no need to drive miles, fight traffic and hunt for parking. Minutes after hopping off the lift you can be enjoying a gourmet meal or a soak in an outdoor hot tub.

Major conflict is always a possibility when my wife and I plan a trip to a spa resort. I just don't understand the enticement of smearing honey/cornmeal exfoliation paste all over my body or lying around with tea bags on my eyeballs. I just want a place I can get a vigorous deep tissue massage after my muscles ache from skiing or hiking or some other adventure.

Happily, Utah has many spa resorts that combine decadent pampering with serious outdoor adventure. Each is unique; some offer surprising opportunities. We describe a few of them below:

Homestead Resort
I enjoy scuba diving in "The Crater" at the Homestead Resort, located in a picturesque little mountain valley close — but not too close — to Park City. You can descend about 55 feet into water heated by volcanic activity deep within the earth. It is popular year-round for swimming and snorkeling, and instructors are available to introduce people to the scuba experience. It's a great place to soak after a day skiing Deer Valley or other Park City-area resorts.

The Homestead offers a full range of spa treatments plus a multitude of activities: golfing on the resort's own challenging 18-hole course, horseback riding, fly fishing, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and skiing at runs just minutes away.

Cliff Spa at Snowbird
The Cliff Spa is one of the best-known destination spas in the US, offering a wide variety of treatments, salon services and body/mind/spirit programs. It is located in the mountains east of Salt Lake City, at the renowned ski resort. During summer months the area is popular for hiking and mountain biking.

Sorrel River Ranch
Located on the banks of the Colorado River near Moab, this luxury guest ranch has a new spa offering massage therapy and holistic health treatments including yoga, body treatments and salon services. The Moab area offers Arches and Canyonlands national parks, whitewater rafting, mountain biking the Slickrock and other trails, rugged 4X4 routes and innumerable hiking trails.

Red Mountain Spa
This unique facility offers all the pampering, luxury and relaxation you expect from a full-service spa in an environment that emphasizes healthy attitudes and lifestyles. Classes and group activities provide enjoyable adventure while reinforcing positive life skills. Red Mountain is located just outside St. George, at the entrance to Snow Canyon State Park, between majestic red cliffs. Guided trips to Zion National Park and adventure canyon hikes are offered through the spa. St. George is Utah's year-round golf capital and also offers excellent opportunity for canyoneering, mountain biking and other sports.

Sundance Resort
Robert Redford's Sundance Resort offers great skiing plus a spa inspired by the Sioux concept of Hocoka — a sacred environment for the restoration and healing of the body and spirit. It offers a full range of spa and bodywork services, some using traditional Native American methods. Fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding are also popular activities here.

It will soon be fall in northern Utah. By mid-September, leaves will be turning and our canyons and mountainsides will be incredibly beautiful. Summer lingers into October in the desert canyons around our national parks — there is still plenty of time for rafting, hiking, biking and other adventures.

Let us help you book trips to Utah. Call: 1-888-881-1120

— Dave Webb

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