an interwiew with Gene Juarez

It starts with the flow of people.
Our tour started in the reception area of the new salon and spa at the Bellevue Galleria. It was mid-morning on a Friday. A weekend's worth of clients were coming and going as we began the interview in a comfortable seating area. The spa was constructed new, so Gene was only constrained by the dimensions of the initially empty space. I asked Gene what comes to mind in the initial design of a spa; what is the look and feel he is trying to achieve when a client walks through the front door.

Well, he began like the patient professor to the eager student, before we get to design aesthetics, we start with function. And when you get to this size, function means trafficking people. I start with designing the flow of people through the spa that allows for the greatest number of people to be here with the least amount of congestion. Each of the spas that we have is entirely different from the others in terms of the space we started with. For example, at our downtown location, I had large windows to work with. Here at the Galleria, I had a very large space, but only one wall of windows at the entrance so when we started it looked like a big cave.

The challenge is to create something functional and beautiful, working within the physical constraints. I'm very heavily involved in all the elements of design. What I want is in my head and I have to convey that to the architects. I wanted each of the spas to be different. I like to describe them as a collection of spas, each with their own unique character.

I mentioned that according to press reports, Gene's collection is expected to grow considerably in the coming years, so he might be described as being in the business of opening spas. He smiled with the look of someone who knows what it takes to operate as well as build a business. "We're taking a little hiatus," he said, "just to catch up with ourselves."

Fortunately, Gene does not have any public shareholders to report to on a quarterly basis so he can make sure everything is just right before he goes on to the next one. "That's right," he replied happily. As I followed his gaze around the room, I had the impression that he was reviewing each of many deliberate design decisions with a sense of satisfaction.

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A passion for the details.

A feast for the senses.

The balance of energy.

The client experience.

Photos Rick Dahms