Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Boot Camp Spas Latest Health Craze
Aired December 20, 2003 - 12:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: In this weekend "Get Away" segment, a look at spas, but not just any spa, a Boot Camp spa. And as the name suggests, you get less pampering and more workout.
Carolyn Haberfeld is the executive director of "Departures" magazine and she joins us from New York.
Welcome.
CAROLYN HABERFELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, "DEPARTURES" MAGAZINE: Hi, how are you?
FIRFER: OK. Now, a Boot Camp spa? What is it?
HABERFELD: It's this is a little bit of spa and probably a lot of torture. But they're becoming increasingly popular. I think people just want more out of their spa vacation. Spas have really changed over the last 10 years and gone from sort of weight loss programs to luxury pampering. And this is sort of the next incarnation of that. Which is that it's not just -- you know, it's not just about your body, but about your mind also. So it's a little bit of challenge with your massage.
FIRFER: It would seem if you're going to go on vacation you want a little R&R, we have such a frenetic society. Who is choosing to go to these Boot Camp spas?
HABERFELD: It's funny actually. It's sort of split between men and women. I think the men are interested in something a little bit more challenging. And the women are interested in sort of a combination of athletics and weight loss. So it's definitely attracting both men and women.
FIRFER: So obviously by the name Boot Camp, you're going work out more. And it's probably not going to be maybe as luxurious as another spa or is it? How does the treatment differ?
HABERFELD: It's funny because like at the Ashram, for instance, in Calabasas, California, that's hard-core. That's like, up at 6:00 in the morning, hiking all day. You know, you get one spa treatment at the end of the afternoon, which is a massage. And then you go to bed really early because you're so tired. As opposed to like, maybe Miraval, which is a men's program where you get both. You get sort of pushing yourself during the day and sort of hard-core workouts during the day. And then you get the advantage of being at this luxury spa, which can really give you amazing massages, all different kinds of treatments that are sort of more aligned with the regular pampering in a spa.
So, it can be both things depending on kind of what you're interested in.
FIRFER: OK. So you mentioned the Ashram. You mentioned Miraval. There's a few others I want to talk about. Park Hyatt, Beaver Creek, what can you tell us about that place?
HABERFELD: Park Hyatt, Beaver Creek is, first of all, one of the most spectacular locations. They've paired up with Beaver Creek Hiking Center. So they do these sort of mini hikes every day and build up towards this much, bigger hike at the end of the week. So you have this amazing sense of accomplishment.
And then they -- you also have the advantage of the Park Hyatt Spa services. So that's sort of this amazing combination also, and those are real hikes, the mountains are 14,000 feet high. So that's not -- it's not just sort of playing around. And they really -- they give the gear that you need and take care of you. And then, you know, at the end of the day, you can have this sort of amazing, pampering experience also.
So I think you have sort of a deep sense of satisfaction and relaxation there.
FIRFER: OK. And how about the Red Mountain Spa, sort of a rock your world type spa.
HABERFELD: Exactly. I mean also spectacular setting. I mean they literally are red mountains. That's a little bit more of a personalized; in a sense that, you can pick the program that you want to be right for you. The other programs are, you know you go, they're structured, and you do exactly what they want you to do. This program is you pick among about 50 classes, everything from snowshoeing and hiking, yoga, and medication. So you can sort of mix and match to get the Boot Camp that's right for you.
FIRFER: And a popular destination spot is Hawaii, and there is Pure Kauai. I'm sure a lot of people would choose Hawaii if they could.
HABERFELD: It's true. And you know, you want to be in a place, you know, where you also want to have -- it is your vacation, so you want to be in a beautiful place. And that's sort of an interesting idea. They actually hook you up with where you stay, that's not already like a Park Hyatt where, you know, it's the hotel where you choose to go to. But they connect you with either a hotel or a villa or private house. And then they bring the Boot Camp to you.
It's all private instruction, and it's everything also from yoga meditation to hiking. They have great kayaking. Obviously, they take advantage of where they are.
And the prices of these places, actually they range, it's really quite reasonable. Park Hyatt is about $1,500 for the week, the Ashram is a little bit more expensive, it's $3500 for the week. So you have a range. You definitely of price options also.
FIRFER: And you mentioned so many of them. So how do you know if it's the right spa for you? The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money and take what little vacation time you have, and go to somewhere you might be miserable. So how do you know what to pick?
HABERFELD: Well, I think, you know, I always say this about vacations is you want to go do your homework before you go. And you want ask the right questions. So you know, pick a -- figure out how active you really want to be. I mean do you want to be completely beaten up? Do you want to have sort of a mixture of being really pushed athletically, but also have some pampering at the same time? And you sort of have to determine, you know, what you're interested in getting out of your vacation. And then sort of tailor it to your needs.
FIRFER: And you -- also you briefly mentioned cost. So if I wanted to do something like this, what is the most inexpensive place? What kind of money am I talking about? And are there some that are just outrageously priced but if you can afford it, hey, that's great.
HABERFELD: Well, Pure Kauai, actually depending on where you stay, gets up to $10,000 a week. Which is you know, it's pretty pricey for a spa. But you can be in this incredible villa right on the water. So you know, that sort of depends on where you stay, that gets expensive.
You know, the Ashram, because they hardly feed you at all, is actually quite expensive also. Except for that it's a completely tailored program for you. Also, I think, Park Hyatt runs about, the least expensive, it's about $250 a night. Which really isn't that expensive and can be quite reasonable. So you really do have a lot of different options.
FIRFER: All right, Carolyn Haberfeld, thank you so much for your time today.
HABERFELD: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 20, 2003 - 12:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: In this weekend "Get Away" segment, a look at spas, but not just any spa, a Boot Camp spa. And as the name suggests, you get less pampering and more workout.
Carolyn Haberfeld is the executive director of "Departures" magazine and she joins us from New York.
Welcome.
CAROLYN HABERFELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, "DEPARTURES" MAGAZINE: Hi, how are you?
FIRFER: OK. Now, a Boot Camp spa? What is it?
HABERFELD: It's this is a little bit of spa and probably a lot of torture. But they're becoming increasingly popular. I think people just want more out of their spa vacation. Spas have really changed over the last 10 years and gone from sort of weight loss programs to luxury pampering. And this is sort of the next incarnation of that. Which is that it's not just -- you know, it's not just about your body, but about your mind also. So it's a little bit of challenge with your massage.
FIRFER: It would seem if you're going to go on vacation you want a little R&R, we have such a frenetic society. Who is choosing to go to these Boot Camp spas?
HABERFELD: It's funny actually. It's sort of split between men and women. I think the men are interested in something a little bit more challenging. And the women are interested in sort of a combination of athletics and weight loss. So it's definitely attracting both men and women.
FIRFER: So obviously by the name Boot Camp, you're going work out more. And it's probably not going to be maybe as luxurious as another spa or is it? How does the treatment differ?
HABERFELD: It's funny because like at the Ashram, for instance, in Calabasas, California, that's hard-core. That's like, up at 6:00 in the morning, hiking all day. You know, you get one spa treatment at the end of the afternoon, which is a massage. And then you go to bed really early because you're so tired. As opposed to like, maybe Miraval, which is a men's program where you get both. You get sort of pushing yourself during the day and sort of hard-core workouts during the day. And then you get the advantage of being at this luxury spa, which can really give you amazing massages, all different kinds of treatments that are sort of more aligned with the regular pampering in a spa.
So, it can be both things depending on kind of what you're interested in.
FIRFER: OK. So you mentioned the Ashram. You mentioned Miraval. There's a few others I want to talk about. Park Hyatt, Beaver Creek, what can you tell us about that place?
HABERFELD: Park Hyatt, Beaver Creek is, first of all, one of the most spectacular locations. They've paired up with Beaver Creek Hiking Center. So they do these sort of mini hikes every day and build up towards this much, bigger hike at the end of the week. So you have this amazing sense of accomplishment.
And then they -- you also have the advantage of the Park Hyatt Spa services. So that's sort of this amazing combination also, and those are real hikes, the mountains are 14,000 feet high. So that's not -- it's not just sort of playing around. And they really -- they give the gear that you need and take care of you. And then, you know, at the end of the day, you can have this sort of amazing, pampering experience also.
So I think you have sort of a deep sense of satisfaction and relaxation there.
FIRFER: OK. And how about the Red Mountain Spa, sort of a rock your world type spa.
HABERFELD: Exactly. I mean also spectacular setting. I mean they literally are red mountains. That's a little bit more of a personalized; in a sense that, you can pick the program that you want to be right for you. The other programs are, you know you go, they're structured, and you do exactly what they want you to do. This program is you pick among about 50 classes, everything from snowshoeing and hiking, yoga, and medication. So you can sort of mix and match to get the Boot Camp that's right for you.
FIRFER: And a popular destination spot is Hawaii, and there is Pure Kauai. I'm sure a lot of people would choose Hawaii if they could.
HABERFELD: It's true. And you know, you want to be in a place, you know, where you also want to have -- it is your vacation, so you want to be in a beautiful place. And that's sort of an interesting idea. They actually hook you up with where you stay, that's not already like a Park Hyatt where, you know, it's the hotel where you choose to go to. But they connect you with either a hotel or a villa or private house. And then they bring the Boot Camp to you.
It's all private instruction, and it's everything also from yoga meditation to hiking. They have great kayaking. Obviously, they take advantage of where they are.
And the prices of these places, actually they range, it's really quite reasonable. Park Hyatt is about $1,500 for the week, the Ashram is a little bit more expensive, it's $3500 for the week. So you have a range. You definitely of price options also.
FIRFER: And you mentioned so many of them. So how do you know if it's the right spa for you? The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money and take what little vacation time you have, and go to somewhere you might be miserable. So how do you know what to pick?
HABERFELD: Well, I think, you know, I always say this about vacations is you want to go do your homework before you go. And you want ask the right questions. So you know, pick a -- figure out how active you really want to be. I mean do you want to be completely beaten up? Do you want to have sort of a mixture of being really pushed athletically, but also have some pampering at the same time? And you sort of have to determine, you know, what you're interested in getting out of your vacation. And then sort of tailor it to your needs.
FIRFER: And you -- also you briefly mentioned cost. So if I wanted to do something like this, what is the most inexpensive place? What kind of money am I talking about? And are there some that are just outrageously priced but if you can afford it, hey, that's great.
HABERFELD: Well, Pure Kauai, actually depending on where you stay, gets up to $10,000 a week. Which is you know, it's pretty pricey for a spa. But you can be in this incredible villa right on the water. So you know, that sort of depends on where you stay, that gets expensive.
You know, the Ashram, because they hardly feed you at all, is actually quite expensive also. Except for that it's a completely tailored program for you. Also, I think, Park Hyatt runs about, the least expensive, it's about $250 a night. Which really isn't that expensive and can be quite reasonable. So you really do have a lot of different options.
FIRFER: All right, Carolyn Haberfeld, thank you so much for your time today.
HABERFELD: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
