The Mobil Star rankings are based on anonymous visits by Mobil inspectors, with treatments and service making up about 75% of the rating and the spa facility accounting for 25%.

To be eligible for a Mobil Star rating, a spa must meet the following minimum criteria:

A Mobil rated spa will:

• Provide thoughtful, helpful, anticipatory, and personalized services in environments that are unpretentiously luxurious and allow for an experience that can transport a guest from daily stresses

• Offer treatments that are expertly booked and executed with a high degree of respect for guest comfort, privacy, and well-being

• Offer a well-balanced selection of health, fitness, and pampering regimens that can be arranged conveniently

A Mobil Star rating will NOT:

• Be based on or influenced by the number and diversity of treatments offerings, although a minimum of three types of massages, two additional types of body services, two types of facials, and nail services must be readily available on site

• Be based solely on the reputation and/or glamour of the facility

While these factors will be considered and certainly would not hinder a spa's Mobil Star rating, the true basis of the rating rests on delivery of service.

All of the standards that we created are designed to mirror the average traveler's needs and expectations. All inspections were performed unbeknownst to the hotel or resort. Each spa underwent the same thorough inspection process. To compare spa experiences accurately, every inspector used the same set of standards to make spa reservations and to determine which treatments to book. To retain objectivity and credibility, the inspectors paid for their own treatments when they received the services.

For each property, more than 450 attributes—including cleanliness, guest comfort and convenience, sense of luxury, physical facilities, and the staff's courtesy—were measured and evaluated to produce a mathematically derived score. Using these quantifiable scores, we analyzed the spas and formed the basis for our Mobil Three- to Five-Star ratings:

A Mobil Three-Star spa is physically well appointed and has a full complement of staff to ensure that guests' needs are met. It has some expanded amenities, such as, but not limited to, a well-equipped fitness center, separate men's and women's locker rooms, a sauna or steam room, and a designated relaxation area. It also offers a menu of services that at a minimum includes massages, facial treatments, and at least one other type of body treatment, such as scrubs or wraps.

A Mobil Four-Star spa provides a luxurious experience with expanded amenities in an elegant and serene environment. Throughout the spa facility, guests experience personalized ser-vice. Amenities might include, but are not limited to, single-sex relaxation rooms where guests wait for their treatments, plunge pools and whirlpools in both men's and women's locker rooms, and an array of treatments, including at a minimum a selection of massages, body therapies, facials, and a variety of salon services.

A Mobil Five-Star spa provides consistently superlative service in an exceptionally distinctive luxury environment with extensive amenities. The staff at the Mobil Five-Star level provides extraordinary service above and beyond the traditional spa experience, allowing guests to achieve the highest level of relaxation and pampering. A Mobil Five-Star spa offers an extensive array of treatments, often incorporating international themes and products. Attention to detail is evident throughout the spa, from arrival to departure.