Spahhhhh

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If Cleopatra were alive today, you would find her sitting cross-legged on a tiled, built-in "throne" inside the herbal liconium of the new Canyon Ranch Spa in Miami Beach (canyonranchmiamibeach.com). Not quite steam room and not quite sauna, the liconium, which sounds a little bit like a cough drop brand, is just one of several quirky but refreshingly unique amenities at this new condo-hotel (live the spa dream every day!). There's also an igloo, where the temperature is set to a frigid 45 degrees. According to massage therapist Margarita Meiszner, switching between hot and cool environments is part of the spa's contrast therapy. After a visit to two self-serve footbath stations and a heated lounger that looks like a space pod, I head to the Grill, where I'm delighted to learn they serve alcohol (everything in moderation, they say.) Just to show you these guys think of everything, nutritional information is next to dishes like stuffed poblano peppers stuffed with goat cheese and veggie pasta ribbons with a mushroom Bolognese sauce that doesn't leave me pining for the real thing. Convenient three-course menus are listed to one side, leaving me to enjoy an appetizer, entrée and dessert, guilt-free - just like Cleo would have liked it.

Tags: Canyon Ranch Spa | Miami Beach | spas