SOONER OR LATER , MOST SPA OWNERS will consider a renovation to ensure their facility continues to be relevant and attractive to customers . In the ISPA Town Hall held in December 2023 , panelists shared their insights about lessons learned during renovations , including budget tips , how they selected vendor partners and the exciting new additions to their spas resulting from renovations . Town Hall panelists included Trina Jefferson of Opal Spas , Sharon Holtz of The Springs Resort and Spa , Becky Leuluai of Hilton and Jane Segerberg of Segerberg Spa Consulting LLC . ISPA Chair Patrick Huey moderated the discussion .

Driving Decisions Around Renovations and Size of Spa “ It ’ s more about being able to create communal experiences and having social wellness ,” Sharon Holtz noted about a primary goal of spa renovations .“ People need different things , and it ’ s how we create different environments and programming to take care of everyone .”

Becky Leuluai ’ s renovation required on-the-fly reconsiderations due to

unforeseen circumstances . “ When we began our renovation , it was before Covid , and our idea and concept were completely different from what actually happened ,” she said .“ During the pandemic , our property closed for 13 months during the renovation . The property was supposed to launch the new spa in 2020 , but it didn ’ t end up opening until May of 2021 .” Circumstances forced a shift in plans . “ When we came back , we asked ourselves , Do we reopen the temporary spa until we ’ re ready to open the new spa ?, and there were a lot of shifts ,” said Leuluai .

“ We ’ re taking some older spas and converting the space into more modern and revenue generating areas ,” said Trina Jefferson .“ But because of the casual luxury , we get so many couples at our properties . We ’ re now even moving into couple ’ s facials because it ’ s so big for us . Even our new salt

48 PULSE n JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024