At Innisbrook Golf Resort’s Indaba Spa, creating a placid experience for members and guests is paramount.
The designers of vacation or getaway spas are tasked with creating an environment that is almost foreign to hectic daily life—a calming, disturbance-free space where relaxation is the name of the game. But vacation spas have a distinct advantage over member spas, as their guests are frequently enveloped in the serene space for days and sometimes even weeks at a time.
Spas that host a variety of clientele, though, must strike a balance between the needs of extended-stay guests and the requests of their “main supporters”—members who drop in for a massage after a round of golf, or show up on a weekly basis for a manicure or pedicure.
At Innisbrook Golf Resort in Tampa Bay, Fla., the Indaba Spa caters to resort guests and club members alike, by creating a relaxing environment that guests will enjoy while offering the high-quality amenities that club members deserve.
A Unique Vision
Before March 2009, Innisbrook’s spa amenities consisted of a makeshift massage area run by contracted employees. “It wasn’t really a spa,” Spa Director Ryan Gilmore laughs. “We had to get with the times.”
The new spa’s design was the vision of Sheila Johnson, the founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, which bought Innisbrook in 2007. Johnson returned from trips to Africa inspired to create Indaba (which means “gathering place” in Zulu), armed with artwork and jewelry created by tribes she visited.
“Sheila Johnson was intimately involved in the development of the spa, directly from her experience and roots,” says Gary Henkin, President of WTS International, which provided pre-opening services to the spa and now operates it on an ongoing basis. “As the design consultant group, we don’t have a lot of owners/developers who are really involved in shaping the concept as she was.”
Indaba’s 12,000-sq. ft. space is practical and functional, Gilmore notes, and is also oversized, but with no “dead space.” When the spa has a full house (consisting of about 20 guests per hour), it puts each space to use—12 treatment rooms, three pedicure stations, two manicure stations and two hair stations.
“We get a good mix of guests,” Gilmore explains. “We have a lot of people who own property here at Innisbrook, mixed with ‘snowbirds,’ transient guests, group guests and local guests—it’s a good melting pot.”
Spa Glossary Spas fill their treatment menus with a slew of relaxation techniques—some centuries-old, some fairly new. Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular offerings.
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Because the spa caters to three distinct markets—the resort guest, the club member, and non-club members and non-resort guests—it can still be a bit of a challenge to make even such a large space universally appealing to such a diverse group.
For resort guests, the spa begins marketing itself from the time they book their reservations, extending invitations and establishing a presence that individuals and groups are aware of throughout their stays: on-site, in-room, at the concierge desk and in the resort’s restaurants. A resort guest’s spa experience is more of a weeklong vacation or getaway from the stresses of daily life, making it imperative to create and maintain a calming environment at all times, Gilmore notes.
Attracting outside traffic is an ongoing battle, Henkin says. While Innisbrook does some limited advertising, it relies primarily on grassroots efforts, with special outings for law firms, banks, restaurant employees and local businesses. The spa targets associations and groups and, when possible, individuals through direct mail and e-blasts.
The spa’s themed package offerings cater more toward resort guests and non-members. For example, “A Perfectly Paired Package” is a romantic getaway package complete with accommodations, massage, and champagne with chocolate-covered strawberries. The “Where the Boys Aren’t” package is a girls-only getaway that includes a retail gift certificate, a slew of treatment options, and access to the fitness center.
Club members who play tennis or golf on-site and are seeking to take care of themselves to improve their game tend to view spa offerings from a fitness perspective, Gilmore says. This group is reached through focused events and promotions.
Members First
To facilitate the evolution of the spa’s offerings, the Innisbrook staff listens to its main supporters—members.
“They have a voice,” Gilmore says. “We communicate with members to see if they’re interested in anything new, and will get their feedback on new products.”
The spa regularly introduces new product lines to its retail space according to trends and “what’s new and great,” Gilmore says. One of the latest offerings at Indaba is a golf ball massage, which uses a ball that is deposited inside an acrylic shell with an opening at the bottom that resembles a computer mouse, to create an experience similar to a hot stone massage.
“We stay on our toes to keep members happy and keep their attention by offering new seasonal treatments, bringing in retail products, and reinventing the offerings,” says Gilmore.
By working in conjunction with the membership department, the spa offers member-specific events that include hors d’oeuvres and wine. Vendors will come in to discuss new products and promotions to faithful spa customers, offering sample treatments with massage and mini-facials, to help showcase what the resort can offer. Last year, the spa featured such an event for working women in Tampa Bay, Gilmore says.
The spa also works with Innisbrook’s food-and-beverage department to create fresh menu offerings. Gilmore oversees both the spa and the fitness center, so the two will offer a spa package that includes personal training, or a golf package that includes a round, personal training, and golf massage.
“We work with the pool guests by offering complimentary spray-sunscreen applications, and encourage them to buy the product from our retail center,” Gilmore says. “We also offer chair massages.”
Setting the Scene
Before being re-imagined, Innisbrook’s spa used to be located near the current hotel’s front desk check-in area. The property has now been repositioned to make the spa a focal point that is detached from the hotel.
“If you’re a ‘destination guest,’ you can get here without going through the hotel, which is good for ambience,” Gilmore says.
The spa’s interior space is complimented by a peaceful outdoor area that includes lounge chairs and a brick patio, allowing the resort to offer an outdoor lunch when weather permits.
One particularly eye-catching portion of the outdoor offering is a meditation labyrinth made of Japanese boxwoods, which guests are invited to walk through. Throughout the labyrinth are stones with various thought-provoking prompts, such as “Reconnect with your mind,” “Listen for guidance,” “Deepen your compassion,” and “Come to terms.”
The aim of the brief but transformative journey, Gilmore says, is to “go in with a question and come out with an answer.”
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