Canyon Ranch
At first sight, “Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual” might remind some long-timers of the days of yore when the boorish brutes of World Class Championship Wrestling roamed the Cultural District looking to cause harm to Von Erichs.
Certainly, the Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual was something the late Bruiser Brody whipped out of his can of whoop ass, right?
Think again, and within range of a more orderly and civilized society.
The Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual is all part of the potential experience of Canyon Ranch Fort Worth, the company’s inaugural wellness club that is attached to John Goff’s $250 million development just west of downtown that includes the grand Crescent Hotel Fort Worth, where Camp Bowie Boulevard and Van Cliburn Way meet.
All this week, the club is hosting a variety of celebratory events to commemorate the highly-anticipated opening of the acclaimed wellness club, whose base of corporate operations is in Fort Worth.
“We couldn't wait to bring it here,” said Deirdre Strunk, Canyon Ranch’s senior vice president of Wellness Clubs and Spa Operations, with more than 30 years in the industry, including as an instructor. “What I think I've loved most about [opening] is that people are so excited for us to be here. The community support, curiosity, love for the brand has really come through. And I think it's a really good reminder of what we as a brand bring to people and have brought to people for 44 years.”
Canyon Ranch, which just celebrated its birthday, is trending up.
In 2017, Goff’s Crescent Real Estate became the principal owner of Canyon Ranch. Mark Rivers is the company’s newly appointed CEO.
Earlier this year Canyon Ranch, announced a long-term partnership with VICI Properties, the New York-based entertainment company that owns Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, among others.
VICI is making a $150 million investment in Canyon Ranch in addition to the $200 VICI made last year to build a Canyon Ranch spa resort in the Texas Hill Country.
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VICI is also providing new financing for Canyon Ranch legacy resorts in Tucson and Lennox, Massachusetts.
New Canyon Ranch Wellness Clubs are planned in more than a dozen locations, along with additional resorts in Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southeast.
In addition to the club in Fort Worth, a Houston location is opening this summer, and the Canyon Ranch Austin resort will open in 2025. The Canyon Ranch Austin development will be located on a Hill Country ranch on the shores of Lake Travis. It was designed by Lake/Flato Architects.
The club in Fort Worth includes state-of-the-art fitness, luxurious spa facilities, lounges and coworking spaces, and lectures and events.
The club is said to be introducing many “firsts" for the Fort Worth area,” including the area’s only Vichy Steam Table, a multisensory experience spa amenity that is used in the, yes, the Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual.
The Vichy table is a unique experience, I’m told, with circular movements, scented oils, the Vichy shower, and the gentle rocking of the water mattress.
A long list of facial and beauty treatments is available. Many of its beauty products are exclusive to Canyon Ranch, Strunk said.
One-off appointments are available, but members naturally have priority on access.
“What I always used to tell the students when I taught was it's a really big deal and a real honor for someone to allow you to massage them or do a facial on them because there's a lot of trust there and they're trusting you with their health, and we take that really seriously,” Strunk said.
“We have a lot of people that have worked for Canyon Ranch for 20 years, 30 years, therapists even in Las Vegas, which you would think it would be more transient, but it's not. That's really what we're trying to create here, too, is just this great culture that we have around all the resorts. I always say it's not like going to the dentist. No offense to the dentist, of course, but it's really amazing to be able to touch people's lives.
I’m sure there will be none taken. Even the dentist would rather be under the spell of the Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual.
