The New Spa Experience is All About Creating a Destination
With a distinct brand identity, social media savvy, and specialized services complemented by an Instagrammable interior, these wellness centers have reimagined the standard spa.
Spa days of yore may have provided a relaxing dose of me-time, complete with cucumber water and a bamboo flute soundtrack, but in the past few years a new generation of wellness outposts have honed in on creating experiences for their clients that go beyond the traditional spa. Catering to Millennial clients, these pampering destinations not only provide top notch services like facials and massages, but also a place to hang out and recharge pre- or post-treatment, from a sip and shop latté bar to a full-on restaurant. Their inviting nature and often Instagram-worthy decor makes them destinations worth a visit, even if just to grab an ashwaganda-infused drink.
While the pandemic undoubtedly posed challenges to these businesses that rely on getting clients through the door, the ones with a distinct identity, inviting aesthetics, and above all, a commitment to connecting with their clients virtually and in-person, have fared the best, and many have even seen opportunity for growth in new directions as well. During New York City’s shutdown of nonessential businesses, Chillhouse—a Soho haunt popular for its pastel and post-modern interior design, as well as its services—built up its online presence on social media and expanded its e-shop.
At its flagship, the self-care spot is stacked with amenities like a full spa menu with facials, massages, a nail bar known for its unique design lookbook, and an infrared sauna. On top of this, Chillhouse offers a shop to peruse for products like candles and its quarantine-friendly loungewear and a café that serves adaptogenic lattés and avocado toast. But when the shop closed as the city shut down, Chillhouse and its founder, Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, had to find a way to translate the in-person experience to one that clients can recreate at home. The solution was expanding its editorial content—the brand also runs The Chill Times, an online media site that shares articles on all facets of self-care, from beauty tips to mental health awareness to financial literacy—and creating virtual programming like nail art tutorials, Instagram Lives with wellness experts, and partnering with other brands. Chillhouse also expanded its e-shop and worked on launching its own collection of products.
“Pre-pandemic, we were lucky if we ever saw online sales,” Ramirez-Fulton tells L’OFFICIEL. “When I say there were days where it was like crickets, that'd be an understatement. But once we closed our doors, we saw our customers come out in droves to support us online. You could tell they still wanted to practice self-care, even if they couldn't get their dose in person, they could get it through products and watch our tutorials on Instagram. We also had our first line of products in the works and were able to fast-track it while New York was quiet and people were still hesitant to return to get their services.”
Its first launch last July was a line of press-on nails, Chill Tips, with fun and funky designs. Now, Chillhouse is gearing up to launch its first skincare later this month. “It's been a wild ride to get these products off the ground, but it couldn't be a better time to remind people to prioritize their self-care as we continue to feel the weight of the pandemic,” Ramirez-Fulton says.
The focus on creating content and education for their clients is a commonality between Chillhouse and other modern spa outposts like Heyday and Bathhouse. The former has six locations across New York City, as well as one in Philadelphia and two (still temporarily closed) in Los Angeles, and is known for creating a tailored and approachable facial experience with fully vetted products that have been tested for ingredient safety and effectiveness. As the only in-store service, Heyday founders Adam Ross and Michael Pollak were on “a mission to make skincare more accessible,” they tell L’OFFICIEL. “Rather than just focusing on facials, we concentrate on building an educational experience for our customers so that they can build an enduring skincare routine.”
Ross and Pollak have also prioritized building a brand experience that anyone who can’t make it into the physical locations can still take part in via informative skincare guides on Heyday’s website and social media. They’ve tapped into a no-fuss spa model that takes the guesswork out of decoding what products are right for your personal regimen. According to the founders, “Skincare is important to consumers (90 percent of them use products twice daily), yet there is still confusion and lack of confidence in their overall skin routine.” Instead, they’ve invested in “making our experts more widely available through virtual experiences and e-comm, in addition to our local shops powered by franchisees, and expert-driven skincare products.” Heyday is also committed to inclusivity in its offerings, stocking skincare at all price points and sourcing from female-owned and Black-owned brands.
Transforming the traditional spa was also on Travis Talmadge and Jason Goodman’s minds when they founded Bathhouse. The Williamsburg, Brooklyn destination offers spa services plus hot and cold therapy pools, dry and tropical saunas, a steam room, and heated marble hammams, all complete with atmospheric lighting and a sleek yet inviting aesthetic. The space was designed to foster the social aspect that is traditional to bathhouses, taking inspiration from various cultures around the world, from Japanese Onsens to ancient Roman baths. “It’s laid out with the pools and hammams in the middle of all the temperature treatments. Any time you leave a sauna or steam room you’re back in the ‘social’ space,” Goodman says, “We also left the main space with all three pools and hammams open to encourage the social vibe.”
While socializing has taken new shape during the pandemic, and Bathhouse is now operating with 25 percent capacity, social distancing measures, and PPE required, its central goal of providing a luxe, relaxing, and safe place to convene is as appealing as ever. Plus, visitors can follow their bath time with a glass of wine and seasonal bites at its restaurant, now with a COVID-friendly heated outdoor patio.
For New Yorkers, these slices of calm and quiet are a needed respite, but there are plenty of other wellness destinations elevating standard spa experiences all across the map. In Los Angeles, health is the priority with full service spas complemented by yoga classes, like at the boho Raven Spa in Silver Lake, or even a full sized pool and gym, like at the luxe Spa at Terranea, perched on the Pacific coast. In Paris, however, the focus is on new techniques and the future of self-care. At Face2une, a gender-neutral, galactic-themed facial studio, treatments are hosted in its open plan space and revolve around a face sculpting technique combining massage, gua sha, and targeted products. For a more spiritual connection, Paris-based Jalila Levesque created a Magnetic Glow Treatment that reveals radiance with the help of sound therapy and crystals.
As these savvy wellness outposts seek to do the most for their clients, other areas of health and self-care services are catching on, too. From Tend, an oral health startup with judgement-free and beautifully designed dental offices, to the rise of stretching studios, sweat lodges, luxe acupuncture, and other energy treatments, every area of wellness is being redesigned for a more aesthetically pleasing and sensory experience that translates as well as it does on Instagram as it does in-person.
