A bounty of lavish options
late this summer at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, replacing a smaller facility in Malibu. It joins other Biggest Loser resorts in Chicago; Niagara, N. Y.; and Amelia Island, Fla. All are loosely modeled on the NBC TV show of the same name.
But there are differences, said Dawn Ferraro, the Marriott Desert Springs spa director. “The focus … is on safety and good form. Everyone works at their own pace.”
Participants have their own dining room, chef, lecture hall, gift shop and hospitality area. But instead of wine- and- cheese happy hours, they indulge in veggies and hummus. And the mini- bars in their rooms have been stripped of highcalorie snacks and drinks.
The tariff is $ 2,995 per week ( excluding taxes), which includes hotel accommodations and amenities, lectures, meals, workouts and “tools for healthy shopping and cooking back at home,” according to a brochure ([ 844] 253- 3901, www.biggestloserresort.com).
In the world of destination wellness spas, the Biggest Loser program is relatively inexpensive. Some weeklong plans cost upward of $ 9,000. Others are as low as $ 1,820. Or you can make up your own program at a spa of your choice ( see Page L5).
But sometimes you can’t do it alone. You need someone to motivate you, help you stick to your goals and steer you in a new direction. And that’s when a fitness resort — and an army of buff coaches — may be able to help.