The Spa's the Thing
Three residential resorts promote world-class spas as a way to relax at your home away from home.
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AcqualinaSunny Isles, Florida
Developed by the Trump Group and managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Acqualina Ocean Residences & Resort is located in Sunny Isles, midway between the sybaritic meccas of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale (and convenient to both). It harks back to traditional Mediterranean glamour but updates it with the latest technology and with interiors by Zeke Fernandez Design.
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ESPA’s Susan Harmsworth and Miami designer Isabel Tragash covered
surfaces in the common areas with Bisazza’s glass mosaic tiles, which glisten
like the sea. They also used materials like Capiz shell, mother-of-pearl, sea
grass and driftwood to make Acqualina’s spa reflective of its beachfront
setting. (Click image to enlarge)While the immediate surrounds of Sunny Isles lack the nightlife of South Beach and the boat culture of Ft. Lauderdale, Acqualina has enough within its four-plus acres to keep guests entertained. Amenities at the resort, which opened in May 2006, include an exclusive beach club on a gorgeous stretch of South Florida’s white-sand coast; Gino and Fernando Masci’s iconic Il Mulino New York restaurant (ravioli with black truffles and champagne sauce anyone?); golf and tennis at nearby private clubs; AquaMarine Children’s Program and nanny services; transportation to the famed Bal Harbour shops; and access to Williams Island marina (for yachts up to 165 feet). Resale residences within the 51-story tower—which sold out in six months—are priced from about $1.5 million for a Milano three-bedroom, three-bath plan to about $7.9 million for a 6,000-square-foot penthouse with a private pool. All have kitchens with granite counters and Wolf, Asko and Sub-Zero appliances.
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Crisp white upholstery, dark woods and clusters of sea grass
placed on the wall like works of art make for a sophisticated yet relaxed spa
lobby. (Click image to enlarge)To design the resort’s 20,000-square-foot spa, Rosewood tapped Susan Harmsworth, CEO and founder of ESPA International, who for the past 15 years has arguably exerted more influence over spa design than anyone else in the industry. To assist her, Harmsworth, who is based in England, turned to Miami designer Isabel Tragash. "She took an architecturally strong, modernist approach in keeping with the Miami style," says Harmsworth of Tragash’s design.
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The spa’s pool looks up at the 51-story condo and hotel tower,
where residences sold out within six months. Photograph by Dan Forer. (Click image to enlarge)"ESPA at Aqualina has an oceanview setting. So the interior design incorporates features relating to the beachfront locale." That translates to surfaces sheathed in Capiz shell and mother-of-pearl, wallcoverings of sea grass, shells and driftwood artwork, mosaic tiles evocative of beach glass, and accessories shaped like sea urchins or made of mother-of-pearl. "These natural materials and shapes are complemented by the crisp white upholstery fabrics so appropriately used in the intense Florida light," Harmsworth says. The ESPA products and treatments patrons have come to expect will all be available, as well as, she adds, "our advanced collection of signature experiences, which are possible only in a handful of ESPA spas due to the intensity of training and advanced skill required from the therapists."
Acqualina, A Rosewood Resort, 305.918.8000, www.acqualinaresort.com
ESPA, 305.421.6332, www.espaonline.com
