Bizarre Rich-People Secrets I Learned Undercover at Canyon Ranch Spa

Overweight and underslept, real estate executive Mel Zuckerman ignored the stern warnings from his physician: The yo-yo dieting and long hours at the office had to stop—his life depended on it. Then, suddenly, his father died, and he began to listen. It was the late 1970s, and fat camps were all the rage. But after one too many military workouts and bland, calorie-conscious meals, Zuckerman set out to develop a more satisfying and sustainable recipe for healthy living: Canyon Ranch.

Since its founding in 1979, the tony retreat has espoused a whole-person approach to care. The veritable pioneer of what’s become a multitrillion-dollar wellness industry, the Tucson resort has never focused on isolated symptoms but instead uses integrative medicine. And it remains on the cutting edge, counting the likes of Diana Ross, Tim Cook, and Eva Longoria as devotees of its Ayurvedic third-eye awakenings, crystal sound healing, and lucid dreaming “soul journeys.”