Common areas are the perfect setting to highlight a spa’s theme, style and personality.
As spas become an increasingly popular addition to clubs and resorts, properties are pulling out all the stops to provide members and guests with the most luxurious and alluring amenities. While treatment rooms may be where the magic happens, the common areas of spas, such as lounges, locker rooms and wet areas, often provide members and guests with their first—and most lasting—impressions.
SUMMING IT UP
• Common areas play a vital role in the renewal and rejuvenation process, and should reflect the overall goal of the spa.• Adding local and environmental elements will personalize common space and give spa-goers a more memorable experience. • Thouhtful furniture setups and noise-control design tactics allow common spaces to cater to both individual spa-goers and spa parties alike. |
Common areas set the tone for the overall spa experience and provide spas with a platform to present their unique theme, style and personality. Whether a spa is exuding the charm of a rustic Italian villa or the elegant simplicity of a Zen garden, common areas help to maintain a sense of beauty and consistency.
For all of these reasons, common areas have become more than just places to wait before indulging in a massage, facial or body treatment. With the right design details, these spaces play a vital role in the renewal and rejuvenation process, so it is important that they reflect the overall goal and style of the spa.
A Place to Gather
Adding a world-class spa was a top priority during Innisbrook (Fla.) Resort and Golf Club’s $26 million renovation. The owners realized that if Innisbrook was to remain competitive, it needed to rebrand and reenergize itself with the addition of a 20,000-sq.-ft. spa.
The Indaba Spa’s name and mission come from the Zulu term for “gathering place.” The spa, which opened in March 2009, took this concept to heart by creating a number of common gathering areas that reflect both the vision of the spa and the picturesque setting that has made the resort famous.
The women’s lounge, in particular, was designed to surround guests with nature as they relax between services. With high ceilings and natural light flowing throughout the room, this is a popular area for both individual spa-goers and for spa parties. The lounge pays homage to the beauty and serenity of the resort’s 900 acres of woods and wildlife. Plush, oversized chairs and ottomans face a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal a private wooded vista filled with pine trees, 100-year-old oaks and a vibrant garden.
“We’ve incorporated the colors and the textures that surround us into the spa,” says Lloyd Williams, Managing Director. “We’ve worked very hard at bringing the outdoors of Innisbrook into the Indaba Spa.”
Presenting a Theme
Common areas can—and should—define the overall brand and motif of the spa. When the Three Springs Spa at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, recently underwent a renovation, the Dripping Springs Lounge became the launching pad for the spa’s rebranded, water-centric theme.
The renovated spa revolves around a grotto-like area that was found as construction began. “In the building where the spa was built, we discovered a limestone water wall, and renovated the whole spa concept around this wall,” says Shana Ominsky, Director of Spa and Wellness.
The room is set up as part lounge, part treatment area and three six-foot windows draw in natural light and a sense of serenity. “It is a tranquil, sensory indulgence,” says Ominsky.
Chaise lounges face the water wall and windows. Here, guests can relax in the lounge while enjoying a 25-minute head, neck, arm and hand massage. To cater to spa parties and events, the chaise lounges can be moved out of the space, and comfortable seating is moved in and set up into conversation areas.
Setting the Tone
A comfortable and personalized experience in a spa’s common area can set the proper mood for the entire spa experience. For example, the spa at Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa in Sacramento, Calif., is committed to providing guests with an oasis of wellness—and it all starts in the Serenity Room, which serves as the spa’s relaxation space.
“The spa is the heart of the resort’s wellness facility, and the Serenity Room is the heart of the spa,” explains Dara Favero, Executive Spa Director/Owner. “In the Serenity Room, our guests are totally relaxed, either in groups or in individual, peaceful, Zen-like states.”
With an airy Mediterranean garden style, the Serenity Room’s stucco walls reach up to a glass solarium ceiling, which floods the room in natural light. Full-sized palm trees, flowers and a waterfall complete the garden motif.
The room is set up to appeal to both spa parties and individual spa-goers. Oversized cushioned chairs and loveseats are arranged in casual groupings throughout the room. Spa parties often use the Serenity Lounge as an area to quietly socialize before and after treatments. “The waterfall also helps to absorb sound and enables a constant feeling of Zen,” says Favero.
Flaunting Local Flair
To create a unique oasis for guests and members, clubs and resorts can gain a competitive edge by infusing common areas with local flavor and flair. “Take into consideration your surroundings and everything that is indigenous,” recommends Barton Creek’s Ominsky. “Guests want to experience that destination. So we asked ourselves, what is it about Barton Creek that is 100-percent Texas?”
To offer guests true Texas charm, the Barton Creek Resort’s Triple Springs Spa brought the “everything is bigger in Texas” mantra to life through its décor. The ladies’ lounge, for example, boasts high ceilings, vast archways, rich wood finishes, luxurious oversized leather couches and chairs, and orange-and-brown toned wallpaper with large geometric shapes. The artwork is comprised of Texas flowers, such as Indian paintbrush, sleepy daisy and red bud.
And, while a relaxation lounge is typically the go-to place for cushy seating, cucumber water and soft music, the spa locker room is often a more social and lively area. While these spaces may not require the same amount of quiet calm, the locker room should still be all about comfort and service.
The spa at the Red Rock Country Club in Las Vegas has its own locker room, separate from the club’s golf locker room in the main clubhouse. This provides members with a more private and intimate space where they can relax before and after spa services.
To pamper its members to the fullest, the spa locker room is chock-full of high-end design details, with stone flooring, marble countertops, more than 100 wooden lockers, and soft, natural overhead lighting. The men’s and women’s locker rooms both have private showers, a steam room and a dry sauna. Comfortable benches are set up within the locker area.
Further, the spa locker rooms are stocked with plush robes and soft towels, along with every imaginable amenity, ranging from shampoos and conditioners to aftershave and foot scrubs.
The women’s locker room further caters to its members with a large vanity setup that has a sitting area and an entire wall of mirrors. “The women’s locker room was designed with just that in mind—women!” says Sunny Fitzgerald, Director of Spa and Fitness. “At least three women can primp at the same time in the vanity area.”
Water Therapy
Like locker rooms, steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools should have a different personality than traditional spa lounges. The wet areas at Barton Creek’s Three Springs Spa, for example, are designed around the therapeutic benefits of the steam room, sauna and whirlpool. The whirlpool is a fully tiled space reminiscent of an elegant ancient bathhouse. Soft lighting, candles and greenery set a tranquil tone, while the scents of eucalyptus and lavender infuse a healing quality throughout this area.
Arden Hills chooses to focus more on the communal element of the wet areas, including a large, tiled steam room and a hydrothermal whirlpool. Both are located within the locker room, and the tone here is more casual and social. Guests chat openly and can even watch a large flat-screen television mounted on the wall.
Whether the common areas within a spa are serene or social, these spaces are an important element of spa design. Taking the time to instill lounges, locker rooms and wet areas with comfort and personality will provide guests and members with a spa experience to remember.
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