''What is this again?" I mumbled, lost in my spa-induced reverie.
''It's a remineralizing desert wrap," James cooed. ''It's called aroma tree."
By now, I was nodding off in bliss as the seawater and salt mud wrap penetrated my tired pores.
''Two lesbian partners created this line," he added. ''They used pure essential oils and natural ingredients from the local desert."
As James washed off the sweet-smelling wrap and spritzed me with a soothing body spray, I completely surrendered to his gentle ministrations, savoring my weekend at Coyote Moon Health Resort and Spa, the first (and so far, only) spa resort geared specifically to gays and lesbians.
Nestled in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, enveloped by the quiet, lush beauty of the Sonora Desert with its wildlife and saguaro cactuses, the 30-acre resort and spa has been getting lots of buzz in the gay and lesbian community. Besides offering a gay-attuned environment (open-minded heterosexual guests are fully welcome, though), part of the resort's appeal lies in the flexible, individualized services offered by founder Joe Studer and his well-trained staff.
Studer, a Chicago native and a former hospital administrator, lived in the South End and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston from 1991-2000. During a trip to Tucson for Chicago Cubs spring training in 2000, he decided to give up Beantown for the ideal climate, dramatic vistas, and quieter, small-town life of southern Arizona. In the face of the uncertainty and deep malaise that gripped the country after 9/11, Joe, his partner, Todd Martin, and friend Keith Bradkowski decided to embark on a new and challenging endeavor in the health and wellness realm.
