an interwiew with Gene Juarez

A feast for the five senses.

Gene has designed a spa experience that is a celebration as much as it is a soothing of the five senses. All the details, regarding the materials that he pointed out on our tour were about the visual experience.Ú Form follows function and yet the design elements are visually beautiful, perhaps even described as sensual.

"Of course, the spa experience is about touch," Gene continued. "Clients in the salon and in the spa are touched by the people who work here. We've created the surroundings where they can feel good about that."

The feast of the senses often involves a spa lunch, simple cuisine, prepared with wholesome ingredients, a healthy meal that actually tastes good. Imagine a table set in a softly lighted alcove, the sound of water in the background, the taste of fresh melon, and the sense of relaxation that you'd forgotten was possible with something as ordinary as "lunch."

"All the ingredients in the products we use on our clients, what they eat here, what we sell to them to use at home, everything is of the finest quality available to us."

I noticed in one of the massage rooms, there was the aroma of jasmine. In the steam room that the Roman emperor Hadrian might have described as luxurious, there was eucalyptus in the air. The ancient techniques of aromatherapy are used throughout the spa.

It starts with the flow of people.

A passion for the details.

A feast for the senses.

The balance of energy.

The client experience.

Photos Rick Dahms