As the heart of any spa, treatment rooms must be designed to reflect not only the treatment regimen, but the philosophy of the spa itself.
Creating a spa is not as relaxing as its intended purpose. Designers must contend with a variety of factors—from effective lighting and sound, to ample space for treatments and storages—while achieving an atmosphere that evokes peacefulness. Whether renovating an existing facility or assembling a spa from the ground up, spa managers say it’s critical to incorporate a spa’s philosophy within a designated space.
The Village in the Valley
Having opened its doors more than a decade ago, the Ojai (Calif.) Valley Inn and Spa knows how to create a functional facility that doesn’t skimp on sophi-stication. Billing itself as a “spa village,” the resort is a little off the beaten path, just north of Ventura, set into a picturesque range of modest mountains in the Ojai Valley. About 10 miles long and three miles wide, the valley has just enough room for a small town and the sprawling 800 acres occupied by the Ojai Valley Inn, its spa village, and its golf course.
SUMMING IT UP
• Wet treatment rooms should be outfitted in waterproof materials and have their own floor drains.• Subtle lighting and a sound system with individual controls enhance dry treatment rooms. • Adequate counter and cabinet space is needed, to house client and therapist essentials. |
Meticulously maintained, the 31,000-sq.-ft. spa building is equipped with wet rooms for wraps and scrubs, each ranging from 250-350 square feet in size, and dry treatment rooms measuring 200-400 square feet apiece that are used for massages, body treatments and facials (view Ojai’s spa menu online at clubandresortbusiness.com). The wet rooms are accessible from both the men’s and women’s sides, according to the spa’s Managing Director, Janis Clapoff, but do not connect with the pool or showers, which have their own spa facilities.
The wet treatment rooms at Ojai feature tiled floors, storage cabinets, sinks, and hand sprayers for vichy showers. Counter space of roughly 4 ½ to 5 feet accommodates towels and other accessories, such as candles and timers. Shelving under the counters holds fresh linens, while cabbies (also underneath) warm towels.
“We have hampers for soiled towels that are removed by the therapist after each treatment,” adds Clapoff.
For shower treatment rooms, Clapoff points out the importance of “brightly colored tile and clean equipment that shines—meaning no water stains on any fixtures.”
The dry treatment rooms feature warm lighting that can be regulated and a sound system with individual controls and several channels. To maximize the space-to-treatment ratio, Clapoff says an emphasis was put on providing ample room for the therapist to move about freely. “There should be no equipment or obstacles that will incur noise when a treatment is being performed,” she adds.
Ultimately, making dry treatment rooms a peaceful place should be paramount in designers’ minds, Clapoff believes. “The room initially sets the warmth and creates an environment in which the experience can be enjoyed,” she notes.
In both wet and dry settings, providing ample room for therapists to move around freely and easily is a key to providing effec |
Desert Oasis
A spa in the desert is much like a blank canvas, inviting designers to integrate the landscape within a getaway retreat. Desert Springs Resort and Spa, a JW Marriott-owned and operated facility in Palm Springs, Calif., was designed with this in mind when it was renovated in July 2007. The facility’s dry rooms, where guests are treated to massages, facials, wraps and scrubs, span 12 x 14 feet, as do the spa’s wet rooms for mud and algae wraps and body scrubs.
But because specific treatments take place in wet rooms, special design considerations need to be made, advises Dawn Ferraro, Spa Director. “Wet rooms—especially in the case of vichy treatments—can be louder than massages or facials,” she says. “On the other hand, they are still relaxing treatments and need to be located in a quiet part of the resort.” Ferraro goes on to suggest locating these rooms away from the pool, but where they can still be accessible to both male and female guests.
Vichy rooms and those with wet tables need to have their own floor drains. One of the biggest mistakes Ferraro has seen designers make is in the positioning of the drain and the slope of the floor itself. “If the floor is not slightly angled toward the drain, the water can spill out into the hallway,” she says. She also advises being wary of the cabinet materials in vichy rooms, which are often full of steam that can easily warp and damage wood.
Privacy is another essential element when it comes to designing a shower room, especially if wet treatments are also executed there. For body scrubs with a shower rinse, Ferraro advises that the shower hose should extend the entire width and length of the treatment table. “It should also be made from a non-metallic material that doesn’t bump or rub against the table,” she adds. In addition, the showerhead should feature a water pressure adjustment nozzle, for a softer flow on more delicate areas.
Counter space is at the top of the “must-have list” for dry treatment rooms. This is where hot cabbies, stone warmers, oil bottle heaters and a sink should be located. Sufficient cabinet space should also be allotted in these rooms to store spa products, towels and blankets.
To set the mood for the client, Ferraro suggests adding lights that are indirect and adjustable. She prefers wall sconces and notes that a spa’s dry treatment room décor should center on the dressing of the table, which should look “comfortable, clean and inviting.” All technical equipment should be kept hidden.
Thriving at Five
As the Spa at Westmoor in Nantucket, Mass. gears up for its fifth-year anniversary, Spa Director Andrea Smith says the facility has drawn success from designing an environment that reflects The Westmoor Club’s coastal New England surroundings.
The spa’s wet and dry treatment rooms measure 12’ x 12’, giving therapists enough room to move easily around their tables. Treatments in the wet rooms include salt scrubs, mud wraps, herbal body wraps and body contouring, while dry room services consist of massages, facials, reflexology, hot stone massages and pregnancy massages. While the wet rooms do not need to feed off other wet areas, Westmoor’s are kept close to the men’s and women’s locker rooms for convenience.
Making wet rooms water-tight is of utmost importance, says Smith, as is installing proper plumbing for the shower and tubs. A drain must allow water to be released without leaving a pool in the treatment room, thereby avoiding a potential slipping hazard. In addition, Smith says wet treatment rooms should be outfitted with cement board and textured tile, for safety purposes.
Counter space should allow for easy access to a client’s personal items. At Westmoor, counters are approximately three feet long and tucked away catty-corner—an idea that Smith says “was created with client and therapist comfort in mind.” Meanwhile, a separate sink lets therapist wash their hands before and after treatments, “so as not to contaminate any other fixtures in the room.”
Providing enough space for the therapist to perform services freely is also essential to dry treatment room design. Smith suggests a three-foot circumference around the table for optimal comfort. “We maximized this by having the massage table placed in the center of the room and the counters fit into the corners, to not take up valuable space,” she notes.
Lights are controlled via a dimmer, with wall scones featured on front and back walls. “This gives off enough lighting without having lights on the ceiling that sometimes shine into clients’ eyes,” notes Smith.
One important design element for dry treatment rooms that is not as feasible with wet rooms is flexibility, Smith says. “Dry rooms should be interchangeable, so they can be used as massage, facial, nail or medi-spa rooms,” she says. “You never know when something may be added to your spa menu.”
Creating an atmosphere that incorporates the local landscape is another plus. Each of Westmoor’s treatment rooms are named after Nantucket’s endangered wildflowers. “Using a blend of natural and manmade elements, we aspire to be a soothing and healing environment to our members,” Smith notes.
Rofiting from Productive Design
Design aesthetics can be pleasing to the eye, but spa managers are also charged with making sure the pleasure extends to a facility’s bottom line. When setting costs for treatments, they must consider how high-end spa designs will need to be reflected in a spa menu’s pricing structure.“I believe people would rather pay a higher price for something that is extraordinary and that includes the ambiance of the facility,” says one manager at a high-end private club in California that is currently building a new fitness and spa facility. But others feel that design and pricing should be viewed as separate and distinct entities. “Our prices are not based on design elements,” says Andrea Smith, Director of The Westmoor Club’s Spa at Westmoor. “We believe the price should be based on the treatment being offered and products being used.” To try to achieve the proper balance, overall spa design should be simple and harmonious, says Dawn Ferraro, Spa Director of the Desert Springs Resort & Spa. “The use of color, smell, sound, flow of the space and feng shui is of utmost importance,” she says. “If done right, [the spa] should look nice, but not scare off customers.” Janis Clapoff. Managing Director of the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, concurs. “All rooms, from entry to exit, must be of the same quality and design, to create the full experience,” she says. “The guest understands there is a price for quality, but there must be a complete environment.” |
Minding Your Management
Once a spa is up-and-running, sound maintenance practices are essential, to make sure it continues to function as designed. But for properties that use outside contractors to staff their spas, extra care and effort may be needed to ensure that a facility’s standards are preserved.In its five years of operation, the Spa at Westmoor has learned to keep non-club personnel to a minimum. “We truly felt we were held hostage by non-club therapists,” says Spa Director Andrea Smith, recalling therapists who arrived late for their appointments, and treatment rooms that were not maintained to standards. Westmoor now makes it a point, during its initial interviews with all potential therapists, to highlight the club’s mission statement and spell out all expectations in writing. “The potential therapists must walk away with a complete understanding of all that is expected, and accepted,” says Smith. The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa chooses to employ all of its spa staff. “They all carry our standard and quality—different than a contracted therapist at a club,” says Managing Director Janis Clapoff. A private club in California that is about to open a new spa and fitness center will contract with a separate group for its management, but retain final say on all personnel. “[The staff] will still be under the umbrella of our club and our employee policies,” notes a manager at the club. “The key to the successful management of any business is to have a solid plan, an expectation that the staff understands, and a management team that will keep the ship on course.” |
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.