The desert landscape is one of our planet’s most interesting and exciting ecosystems. Perhaps that’s why there’s no shortage of unforgettable experiences on the Las Vegas Strip, and while casinos are aplenty, visitors can also take a gamble on the myriad dining, entertainment, and wellness options available. At the brand-new Awana Spa & Wellness at Resorts World Las Vegas, it’s a safe bet that guests who roll the dice and visit will leave feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated. That’s because at Awana, guests can choose from a variety of treatments inspired by healing rituals from around the world that encourage social interaction. “Awana Spa & Wellness is truly the first of its kind, complete with personalized treatments, immersive facilities, socialization moments, and approachable wellness offerings,” says Jennifer Lynn, spa director at Awana Spa & Wellness. “Our guests are invited to spend the entire day with us and enjoy each of our touchpoints privately or in a group. We place an importance on socialization.”
One of the biggest highlights of the 27,000-square-foot spa, which opened in September 2021, is the theatrical Art of Aufguss, which is inspired by European saunas that provide rejuvenation and encourage social gathering for the shared goal of greater wellbeing. The spa showcases a theater-inspired heated room with aromatherapy, choreographed music, lighting, and dancing towels. This avant-garde experience helps guests relax and enjoy the entertainment as the sauna meister curates a 30-minute themed experience. “We are the first in the U.S. to offer the event sauna, and educating guests on this new wellness experience has forced us to get creative,” says Lynn. “We are currently working to create video content to help tell this unique story and share the experience with spa guests.”
In addition to the Art of Aufguss offering, guests looking to turn back the clock can enjoy the spa’s state-of-the-art Fountain of Youth experience. Inspired by tales of the mythical spring that restores the youth of anyone who bathes in its curative waters, the Fountain of Youth experience boasts six vitality pools, a heated crystal laconium room, tepidarium chairs, vapor-filled steam rooms, cool mist showers, and the experiential rain walk. The co-ed facility features LED screens and immersive experiences that change throughout the day to transport guests to multiple picturesque destinations. The room’s temperature, as well as other added touches, match the displayed setting to complete the experience.
Seen throughout the spa is its modern, yet warm design that includes rounded rooms and curved walls to promote a transformative and holistic experience. “Our goal was for our guests to feel welcomed and included from the moment they step through our doors,” says Lynn. According to Lynn, all 19 treatment rooms are approximately 150 square feet and contain a stunning arch detail. “Arches are a repeating architectural element throughout the spa,” she says. “The rooms also have a beautiful chandelier light in the center of the space, a three-globe wall sconce, tile floors, ebony oak wood cabinetry, and black-and-white marble countertops.”
The spa’s menu is also intentionally designed to ensure there are options to satisfy the needs and desires of all guests, and help rejuvenate the mind, body, and soul. Awana Spa & Wellness offers an assortment of massage treatments and body therapies such as the Himalayan Salt Stone (starting at $220, 60 minutes) massage, which utilizes warmed salt-crystal stones to gently exfoliate and nourish the skin with 84 trace minerals, and help promote deep relaxation; and Into the Redwoods (starting at $360, 90 minutes), a massage that helps restore the mind, body, and skin and leaves guests feeling refreshed and grounded with a cleansing, guided inhalation, and tension-releasing deep massage, mud mask, and scalp massage. In addition, the Tokyo Escape (starting at $480, 2 hours) includes carefully applied pressures to the back, scalp, arms, legs, and feet to alleviate areas of tension, while essential oil blends provide a calming feeling for the guest.
The menu of services also includes a number of facials like the In the Clouds Ritual (starting at $400, 2 hours), which begins with a kombucha back ritual cleanse and exfoliation, an application of warm body oils to moisturize the skin, and a nourishing facial infused with orchid stem cells and hydrating glacier tonics; and the Gold Hydra Lifting Facial (starting at $360, 90 minutes), which includes an application of Hungarian moor mud, a rose-scented gold mask, and gold shimmer oil to add sparkle to the arms and décolleté.
Awana Spa & Wellness also offers healing traditions from around the world that are dedicated to specific ailments such as jet lag, sleep health, muscle recovery, and more. Inside the Foot Spa Lounge, for example, guests can rest and pamper their feet, as well as their hands and shoulders, with Malaysian-style treatments. Among the healing services offered in the Foot Spa Lounge are the Phoenix Rising ($85, 30 minutes), a Malaysian foot massage; Neck and Shoulders ($80, 30 minutes), a massage that relieves tension and pressure in the neck and shoulders; and Hand Treatment ($80, 30 minutes), which helps soften hands and relieve soreness from overuse or excessive typing. The Foot Spa Lounge must be reserved either with a Fountain of Youth Passport or a 60-minute-or-more spa treatment, and can be reserved for groups of up to 20 people for the ultimate private spa experience.
What’s more, guests at Awana Spa & Wellness can enjoy healthy meals during their visit, such as a bento box breakfast or lunch, which incorporate clean and organic ingredients for a delightfully delicious detour from the standard Las Vegas buffet line. “We have a breakfast bento that includes avocado toast, fresh-cut fruit, yogurt parfait, and homemade granola, and we also offer Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian and cheese bento boxes,” says Lynn. Additionally, the spa offers flights of freshsqueezed juices, fruit and protein smoothies, and non-alcoholic and collagen-infused beverages, beers, and kombucha. “It was important to us that our beverages tapped into the ‘Immortal Health Elixir’ that has been consumed for nearly 2,000 years and is believed to have antimicrobial powers, relieve arthritis, boost immunity, help with digestion, and detoxify the body,” says Lynn.
Just like the eclectic menu of services and food options are carefully selected, Lynn ensures that all items available in the retail area of Awana Spa & Wellness are a perfect fi t. “I have two primary objectives when selecting the companies we work with at Awana Spa & Wellness,” she says. “First, it must be a brand fit—the product or service must fi t our brand concept and operations plan. Second, the company and sales representative should make a great partner. The relationship with spa operators and vendors is extremely important. I want to genuinely believe in the product, the company, its values, and the people that represent the brand. I am making decisions on people that I will work with for years to come, so I never underestimate the relationship and connection I have with the representatives.” Guests can browse a range of expertly curated wellness items, beauty, and clothing from brands including Ambre Blends, Aromatherapy Associates, Bannister Swimwear, EmerginC, Mr. Swim, Wrap Up by VP, and more.
A visit to this new wellness retreat on the Las Vegas Strip allows guests to relax, be pampered, enjoy time with family and friends, and leave feeling more rejuvenated, refreshed, and fulfilled than when they entered. “Not only are our guests looking for spa treatments, they are looking to experience an escape with their friends and family,” says Lynn. “Given our spa has many social elements, it allows our guests to go beyond just one treatment and have a true spa day experience.”