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Sun Valley guests will soon be able to ride the resort’s gondola in supreme comfort, as officials announced plans to install massage chairs in every car. Full spa service will also be offered in three specially designated cabins.
The Relaxe Zero-Gravity Shiatsu Massage Chair, which retails for over $5,000, will be installed in each individual gondola cabin. They will be unveiled Christmas morning — each chair adorned with a large red and green bow.
“This is what we believe the average Sun Valley guest has not only come to expect, but what they deserve,” said Janine Butler, a spokeswoman for Sun Valley Resort. “Since the snow is super crappy, with lots of rain on the lower half of the mountain — and with Christmas right around the corner — we felt this was the perfect time to unveil our new gift.”
The resort has not indicated whether the massages will include “release.”
Season pass holders, largely considered “dirtbag riffraff” by Sun Valley Resort, will no longer be allowed to ride the gondola under any circumstances, Butler said. Enforcement will be strict.
While the project has generated significant buzz, gondola lines are expected to increase dramatically. Each car will have room for only one massage chair, and therefore one passenger. On powder days, lines are expected to stretch down Highway 75.
Three gondola cars will be converted into fully operational spas staffed by attentive employees offering facials, manicures, pedicures and massages. The resort has not indicated whether the massages will include “release.”
Two additional cars will feature open bars where guests may drink as much as they like for free — provided they purchase a daily alcohol medallion, made of pure silver, for $2,100.
“Technically, they don’t have to get off the gondola until it shuts down when Roundhouse closes around 9 p.m.,” Butler said. “Those who choose to unload at the top and actually ski down should expect quite the adventure.
“Skiing drunk is really, really hard.”
Non-pass holders will receive special gold medallions — made with actual gold flakes — with their day pass. Day-pass prices have been increased by 940 percent to cover the cost of the massage chairs and the medallions themselves.
Butler reiterated that locals need to stay in their lane.
“Any locals caught trying to ride the ganjala will have their skis thrown into the Big Wood River,” she said. “We’re actually pretty excited about that. It should provide some real entertainment for our guests waiting in line.”
