W

hat with all the cruise lines, tour operators, hotels and resorts, and even monthly travel magazines, that have begun catering specifically to the burgeoning, disposable-income-rich gay and lesbian travel market over the past five years, it might seem a no-brainer that someone - somewhere, somehow - had also already thought to open a high-end luxury treatment facility dedicated to pampering same-sex spa enthusiasts. However, that idea had eluded all - until last Thanksgiving, when the all-inclusive Coyote Moon Health Resort and Spa opened its doors in the cactus-covered foothills of the Tucson Mountains, just outside Tucson in the heart-achingly beautiful and hauntingly sparse Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona.

In fact Coyote Moon, housed in a 19th century stagecoach station near Saguaro National Park that later served as a dude ranch for 1930's Hollywood glitterati, claims to be the first resort spa catering to gays and lesbians not only in the United States, but the entire world, according to general manager and property co-owner Joe Stuber, a 20-year healthcare veteran and recent refugee from Boston. Stuber, along with business partners Keith Bradkowski and Todd Martin, pumped some $1 million into the once dilapidated 30-acre facility - most recently operated as the La Tierra Linda Guest Ranch, a Wild West-themed bed-and-breakfast - in order to transform it into a modern, "life-enhancing" destination offering wholesome living, learning and dining for the gay and lesbian communities.

Coyote Moon offers not only traditional and non-traditional spa treatments, but fitness classes, nutritional services, creative arts lessons, outdoor activities and excursions, and lifestyle, wellness, financial and spiritual seminars. The eco-friendly and health-conscious property - whose name signifies "balance" to local Native Americans -operates as both an overnight resort, outfitted with 16 newly refurbished guest rooms and suites, and a day spa for local clients. What's more, its top-of-the-line cuisine and treatments are presented by alumni of neighboring world-famous spa retreats; 10 staffers at Coyote Moon (including executive chef Kelly Kimpton, spa director James McIlrath and spa manager Lynne White) cut their teeth at Miraval, while guest services coordinator Molly Davis and holistic health director Dr. Janelle White were affiliated with Canyon Ranch.

Looking at the list of services offered, observers might be hard-pressed to distinguish the facility from the "average" luxury resort spa in the market. Apart from being gay-owned and operated and thereby a de facto welcoming and comfortable place for gays both single and partnered, there's little specifically, or stereotypically, "gay" about Coyote Moon.

"This is not a 'gay resort,' per se," explained Stuber. "It's a health resort and spa that happens to market exclusively to gays and lesbians, but all are welcome." In fact, he noted anecdotally, two married, older, heterosexual couples from Chicago recently visited and said they'd so enjoyed themselves, they swore they'd never book spa stays anywhere but Coyote Moon.

That broad and open-minded welcome aside, the client mix at the resort since its November 2004 debut has been preponderantly homosexual, and 90% male, mostly aged 35 to 45. Although Coyote Moon has repeatedly advertised in lesbian media outlets and has taken scores of phone inquiries from women, actual bookings by lesbians have been few and far between, a phenomenon Stuber attributes to lower female spending power and a possible aversion to the risks associated with new resort product.

"We have had women guests; in fact, we had four last week," he noted. "But gay men seem more willing to take risks, whereas women may want to be sure 15 of their friends have already visited and are able to recommend the place."

Despite the exclusively gay-male guest list and the fact Coyote Moon is an adults-only property, the ambience remained decidedly top-drawer. The resort differs from many others catering to gay men - among whom "sauna," "spa" and "massage" are often euphemisms for erotic acts or venues - in that "it's not about sex," as Stuber bluntly puts it. "Prospective guests often call up wondering if we're clothing-optional, and they're relieved when we reveal we're not," he said, noting that the biggest growing demand today among gay vacationers is intellectual - not physical - stimulation.

"Sex is wonderful and should be celebrated, but we can't be a part of that because we're trying to create a heart and mind-centered experience," Stuber explained. "If Coyote Moon had a hormone-driven atmosphere, it would be difficult to achieve a heart-centered mindset."

Further to that point, the favorite service, therapy or activity cited by past guests at the property thus far has proved to be not this or that massage, wrap or other physical therapy, but Dr. White's weekly evening "Optimal Living" lecture on achieving health and happiness during the aging process. That lecture is one of 10 seminar possibilities - along with a choice of five outdoor excursions, six fitness classes, six arts activities, nine on-one therapy sessions and 11 spa treatments. These are listed on a pre-visit "interest form" sent together with a general questionnaire to imminent guests before arrival. Individual activities, therapies, health restrictions and meal preferences are based on responses to these forms.

Upon arrival, guests are met at Tucson's airport by resort staff - in my case, Mark Favret, stepfather of co-owner Martin - for a free transfer to Coyote Moon, about 15 miles and 15 minutes north of the city on the outskirts of Marana Township. As we pulled up to the resort's clubhouse - site of reception, the restaurant, a lending library, a gift shop, a lounge and the all-day juice bar - Molly Davis strode up to greet us, quickly filled out the requisite registration paperwork, presented us with a welcome packet of information, and then escorted us on a quick orientation tour of the grounds and facilities.

The Coyote Moon complex is comprised, in addition to the clubhouse, of four buildings housing 16 guest rooms and suites, a brand-new yoga studio and gym buildings, an outdoor jacuzzi and heated pool, tennis and volleyball courts, a star-gazing observation deck, an Old West Town stage set (sometimes the venue for the occasional barbecue or hoe-down), and horse stables and a corral.

Still under construction at the time of my visit were both a new locker room complex with men's and women's changing rooms, toilets and a steam room for day-spa clients, which is scheduled for completion by March 1, and the actual spa building itself. Also planned: the addition of four new suites and an adjacent 16 acres of land.

Stuber and his partners actually have halted construction on the new spa, set in the former abused women's shelter built on site in the 1980's by actress Suzanne Sommers, while they await additional financing. When eventually completed in a second phase of construction and expansion tentatively slated for this fall, the spa will consist of four
treatment rooms (one "wet") and a sundeck. In the meantime, all spa treatments take place in guest suites specifically set up for therapy.

"I know not having the proper spa building has been a big source of worry for our staff, but we're trying to break the mold of the traditional spa anyway," said Stuber. "The Coyote Moon experience is not just about going into a spa building, getting potioned and lotioned, and then getting back in your car," he explained. "It's about spending the entire day here, having lunch in our restaurant, enjoying a treatment and then taking a fitness class, and walking around in between in robes and slippers."

An "open-living" arrangement incorporating lots of outdoor space, increasingly popular in the Southwest, is where Coyote Moon is heading with its desert spa experience. "We may not have the best spa building in the world right now, but we do have the best spa therapists in the world," claimed Stuber.

It was difficult to argue with him on that point; all treatments performed by therapists McIlrath and White won raves from both this reviewer and other guests on site at the time. The suites temporarily employed as therapy rooms are spacious, quiet and adequately outfitted. Personal privacy is respected, with therapists discreetly making themselves scarce while clients change out of clothes and slip into treatment robes. Clients are also thoughtfully offered cool water upon completion of therapies.

My first treatment, the $105, 50-minute European Botanical facial, began with an individual skincare consultation by a very sympathetic Lynn White, as I lay supine on an ergonomically-contoured heated massage table, covered in warm blankets. The deep skin cleansings - performed with Two Spirits skincare products, the resort's own, all-natural line, developed by Tucson-based, lesbian-owned firm The Aroma Tree (www.aromatree.com ) - and facial steamings that followed were complemented and enhanced by the unexpected and much-welcomed hand paraffin-wax treatments and a soothing neck and shoulder massage. In all honesty, it was the best facial I have ever enjoyed.

Since I am a regular weightlifter prone to muscle soreness, I selected a therapeutic sports massage for my next treatment. Available for 50 minutes for $95 or 80 minutes for $135, the sports massage, performed by very personable and skilled spa director McIlrath, soon had me so relaxed that I was struggling to stay awake long enough to fully enjoy and remember it.

I must admit, however, that for sheer novelty and delicious sensation, I preferred my third and final treatment, a hot-stone massage therapy McIlrath performed the following day. Smooth black volcanic stones are heated in a water bath and are then placed in strategic points about the body and also used to massage muscle groups and joints. The curious effect, both relaxing and invigorating, had me alternately dozing and then chatting with my therapist. Hot-stone massages are also priced at 50 minutes for $95 or 80 minutes for $135. After each treatment (all of which, I suspected, generously lasted somewhat longer than the allotted time), I was "sorely" tempted to break Coyote Moon's strict no-tipping policy.

Although I only had time to sample three therapies, Coyote Moon offers six types of massage including aromatherapy, Thai and craniosacral priced from $95 to $135; seven body wraps and scrubs from a $65, 25-minute Sonoran Herbal Scrub to the $145, 80-minute Re-mineralizing Desert and Re-balancing Seaweed wraps; five types of facial; hair removal; reflexology and reiki; and manicures and pedicures.

Overnight guests receive a certain number of $95, 50-minute treatment or consultation credits, based on the length of their packaged stay. For example, guests get six $95 treatments of their choice with a 7-night stay; four treatments with a 5-night stay; and three treatments with the minimum 4-night stay.

On the fitness and exercise front, the resort gym is well-equipped with resistance machines and free weights for bodybuilding, sculpting and toning, as well as aerobic equipment for cardiovascular workouts and weight loss training. Guests can avail themselves of many free fitness classes such as yoga, Pilates, aqua fitness and body conditioning. I myself took a challenging daybreak stretching class with local trainer-to-the-stars Jason Litten, also formerly of Miraval. To participate in the classes or activities such as stargazing, nature walks and horseback riding, guests can enroll in the daily sign-up book found in the clubhouse near Reception. Individual, one-on-one fitness and spiritual consultations are also available on an a la carte basis.

Outside of the spa treatments, the star attraction at Coyote Moon must be the cuisine, created and prepared by executive chef Kelly Kimpton. Never in my experience has an all-inclusive resort of any stripe offered such high-quality tasty, yet healthful fare. Although Kimpton bases the resort's three daily meals and the all-day snack selection on principles for optimal nutrition derived from the American Dietetic Association, you'd never know it. It was hard to reconcile the savory scrumptious selections we were expertly presented with in the resort restaurant with what the general public has been taught of late to be "healthy eating", meaning: low-fat, lower-carb, high-protein - and taste-free.

For example, one Thursday's menu consisted of a breakfast of Eggs Benedict, fresh fruit and chocolate-strawberry muffins; a prime-rib flatbread sandwich with caramelized onions, grilled portabella mushrooms and smoked mozzarella for lunch; and a dinner of prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with Italian turkey sausage and accompanied by sides of Swiss chard, barley and grilled broccoli, all in an orange Dijon sauce - hardly the stuff of the South Beach Diet or The Zone.

However, healthy eating isn't about eliminating carbohydrates or loading up solely on protein, noted Stuber, a nurse and nutritionist. "We want to awaken guests to sensible eating," he said. "We're about good carbs and wholesome foods in little portions throughout the day. For example, our snacks may be chocolate-chip cookies, but we call them healthy humps because they're made with 100% stone-ground wheat, oatmeal and natural peanut butter. We also try to use as much organic food as possible, but that can be a little tricky."

Some seemingly health-conscious guests have objected to Coyote Moon's pro-fat and carb-friendly fare. One guest reportedly told Stuber to "get with the program" vis- -vis carbs, so compliant resort staff are open to accommodating clients.

When not eating, exercising or enjoying a spa therapy or excursion, like my two-hour guided horseback ride with a local cowpoke through nearby Saguaro National Park, I was relaxing in my oblong room, which was decorated in a comfortable homey style that, while not the chicest or trendiest in the world, was in harmonious keeping with the Southwest theme evident in resort architecture.

Bathroom amenities, again, were Two Spirits products from The Aroma Tree (available for purchase in the gift shop), as well as handmade soaps produced on site out of olive, coconut, essential oils, and other all-natural ingredients in Stuber's weekly soap-making workshop for guests. In a nod to ecology, maids only change guestroom bedding every three days; in other eco-friendly moves, the resort uses solar heating to warm its outdoor pool to 87 degrees, and only native Arizonan plants are used in the landscaping.

Four-night packages range from $1,204 per person, double occupancy for standard accommodations in the low May 15 to Sept. 14 season, to $2,027 per person, single, for premium stays in high season, Sept. 15 to May 14. Weeklong stays range from $2,107, double, for standard stays in low season, to a high of $3,488, single, for premium stays in high season. (Discounts, special of

fers and sales are often available.)

The all-inclusive rates entitle guests to accommodations, airport transfers, all meals and snacks, spa treatments, fitness, cultural and spirituality classes, lectures, and certain excursions.

Coyote Moon Health Resort and Spa

(877) 784-7430
www.coyotemoonresort.com