Pulse February 2025 | Page 36

“ Don ’ t make anything unless it can be useful , but if it can be useful , why not make it beautiful ?”

THAT MOTTO HAS GUIDED Irish-born Clodagh ’ s work and life both within and without the spa industry for more than four decades . As the founder of Clodagh Design — an interior design firm with a CV that includes three Miraval properties ( Tucson , Berkshires , Austin ), Sasanqua Spa Kiawah Island and Six Senses Douro Valley , among others — Clodagh ’ s work has had an enormous impact on the design language of spa .

To Clodagh , effective design in a spa is sensuous : an experience designed to capture the imagination through sight , sound , smell and touch . It must , in her words , “ address all the senses , include all the elements and make the invisible tangible .” Doing this across a range of spaces within a spa — from the treatment room to the dining room — has been Clodagh ’ s calling card . She describes this as a creating a “ a necklace of experiences ”: each pearl on that necklace is unique , but together they form a unified whole .

FOUNDER ’ S PLAYBOOK l ADVICE FOR YOUR YOUNGER SELF : “ Be a little less sensitive .” l PERSONAL MOTTO : “ I just want to make people happy , bring well-being to the world and spread goodness as much as I can .” l BIGGEST MENTOR : “ I have no formal training . In a sense , all the people in my studio are my mentors .” l ALTERNATE CAREER : “ I took my first serious photographs in Tibet , and that was such a wonderful experience .”

Her design at Miraval Arizona wonderfully demonstrates her philosophy : an earthy , organic space that incorporates both the seen ( colors , textures ) and the unseen ( feng shui , air quality ) to harmonize the senses across a range of spa environments . The energy a client feels in Miraval ’ s bar is different from the energy felt in the spa , yet both feel distinctly “ Miraval .” Significant , too , is how Clodagh ’ s designs have endured by using sustainable and durable materials . “ We just went to a spa we designed , and after 27 years most everything was practically perfect ,” she says . “ We use hard-wearing materials . It has to be lowmaintenance , environmental , gorgeous and tactile . It ’ s one of those senses we forget : the sense of touch .”

It is perhaps this above all else that has been the defining element of Clodagh ’ s legacy in the spa industry — no surprise , given that what we do is rooted in the healing power of touch . n

The spa community is fortunate to have leaders who have elevated the spa experience and shaped the industry ' s evolution .

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