You Need a Formal Invite to Receive This Buzzy Facial

In Southern Arizona, nestled against the Santa Catalina Mountains and surrounded by prickly saguaros and stretching landscapes, sits Tucson’s Miraval Resort & Spa. It’s a genuine desert haven and restorative sanctuary, and consistently heralded as a must-visit destination in established international travel glossies. While their spa menu is extensive — offering everything from Ayurveda sessions to deep river stone massages in private tents — there’s one particular treatment that’s gotten a lot of buzz: The Harvest Honey Ceremony Facial.

This limited-edition facial was born from their innovative bee curriculum, led by resident beekeeper Noel Patterson. From beginning to end, it’s a luxurious experience that utilizes organic Sonoran wildflower honey from the resort’s on-site bee hives. The only catch is that if you want one, you’ll need to secure an invitation first — and there are only 20 handed out per year.

“Our [invite] list is a combination of some of our most loyal guests, long-time friends of the Miraval brand, and some high-profile patrons,” Simon Marxer, the corporate director of Miraval Spas, told The Lookbook. “There is such a limited quantity of this first harvest that we are only able to offer the service to select recipients. If we have a cancellation from the original 20, we may offer a surprise invitation to one of our guests here at the resort.”

The Harvest Honey Ceremony Facial begins by ushering the recipient through a VIP, private entrance into Miraval’s Spa Suite where she can watch the mask being made. This process entails blending the organic honey with cold-pressed organic chia seeds, native aloe vera from the property garden, and locally grown blood oranges, within a live-edge, hollowed bowl made from a single piece of Arizona mesquite.

From there, the guest is guided into an aromatic treatment room, where she can slip under soft sheets before being gently exfoliated with chia seed husks. The just-prepared mask is then applied to the face and chest, imparting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, moisture, and a major dose of relaxation. A steamed facial poultice, filled with herbs, helps the skin better absorb these nutrients while simultaneously calming and soothing.

As mentioned, one reason why the facial is so exclusive is because resources are limited. There are exactly 20 hives on campus, and true to the eco-conscious and sustainability-driven Miraval spirit, their goal is to nurture and carefully preserve each hive.

“One of the main reasons we started our own hives at Miraval was to positively impact the bee community and in turn the environment,” explained Marxer. “As an added bonus, our hives provide us with honey that is beyond organic standards and that truly captures the essence of the Sonoran Desert surrounding Miraval."

We can get behind that, even if it means no Harvest Honey Ceremony at the end of the day. However, according to Marxer, there may be hope yet!

“Due to the incredible level of interested generated by the original invitation only service, we will be offering a facial experience inspired by the Harvest Honey Ceremony in the new year,” he teased. “This service will be similar in practice but will use organic honey harvested off-property.”

BRB — signing up right now.