DAYSPA is the magazine of spa management. Spa owners and spa managers turn to DAYSPA for spa management trends, spa management tips and more.
Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/210402
Spacious spas have their place, but these wee wonders prove that bigger isn't always better. By Alison Singh Gee It's often said that good things come in small packages. Well, the same could be said of small—make that tiny—spa areas. Yes, there's an excitement that comes with stepping into a 20,000-square-foot mega spa, and it's hard to beat such luxurious amenities as a crystal steam room or a vitality pool, but petite places of pampering offer their own rewards: namely, an intimacy, a cocoonlike embrace and a potentially unique experience. What's more, for a therapist-turned-spa-owner who loves her hands-on work, a small, containable space that incorporates one or two treatment rooms means more focus on the actual healing work, fewer managerial issues and 40 DAYSPA | DECEMBER 2013 lower overhead. "If I need to travel, I just lock up and take off—it's awesome!" enthuses Stacy Cox, owner of the 475-square-foot Pampered People in Los Angeles. A small space can actually bring greater happiness to clients and therapists. "Clients feel very comfortable and relaxed when they're here, and my staff and I love that we get to use every inch of our small space without feeling crowded," says Rita Meeks, owner of Simply Skin Face & Body Spa, a 955-square-foot facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. DAYSPA spoke to the owners of four spas to get the skinny on their design choices for diminutive spaces. PHOTO COURTESY A SPA ABOVE, STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK Style By the Inch