hospitalitystyle.com

(May 2008) posted on Tue Jul 08, 2008 EDT

Now on the global radar, Bliss is massaging its look into a burgeoning brand with instant recognition from New York to China.

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By Jordan E. Rosenfeld

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At 12 years old, New York-based bliss spa is bracing for a major growth spurt. The "spa without attitude" has matured from an insider favorite, first on its home turf, then in London, to a sophisticated brand ready to step onto the global stage.

A 2004 partnership deal with Starwood Hotels & Resorts' W Hotels ensures bliss will be seen in all the right locations, from Atlanta and Scottsdale, Ariz., to China and Qatar. It's up to bliss' design department to fashion a visual identity that protects the brand's essence but allows it to grow up.

"When you grow as a company, the challenge for any brand is how to keep the fundamental values in check," says Namrata Gupta, bliss' director of design and development. "For us, that's about being witty and inspiring, establishing consistency but also paying homage to each new region."

That means design for every location will start with bliss' signature staples: an urban feel, a palette of pale blue and navy in everything from paint to sheets, and personalized showers with programmable scents. Each design element - clouds on the walls, rubber floors that eradicate noise and feel good on the feet - works to keep the brand familiar and friendly. Beyond that, the bliss design staff scripts a look that allows each spa to riff slightly on the theme.

 

Male Call

All of these strategies are on display in New York, where bliss moved its second-oldest stand-alone spa a few blocks down trendy 57th Street last year. The new space, known as bliss57, encompasses 6,700 square feet, as opposed to 4,000 at the previous locale. Gupta and her team used part of the extra space to build a lounge, a treatment room, a manicure/pedicure center and a men's locker room - positioning the spa with a strong new market.

Size mattered. "We wanted to be real-estate efficient, but we didn't want rooms so small that the guys were on top of each other," says Gupta. Nor did she want an abrupt change in bliss' hallmark design. Bliss eschews "traditional" spa elements such as bamboo, pebbles and dim lighting or sterile, all-white surfaces.

"We went for clean, straight lines and camel-colored ultra-suede in the men's lounge seating," says Gupta. Ultra-suede is a bliss favorite because of its durability and stain-resistance. Collaborating with New York-based Mancini•Duffy, bliss tweaked its palette just slightly, going for a greener, more masculine look, modeled after a "man's library" with travertine stone, dark green carpet and darker wood paneling in the locker room.

 

Chat Room

The women's facilities, in contrast, are designed with a lighter palette and sectional seating that encourages group interaction. "The female clientele often comes in with girlfriends and wants time to chat," says Gupta.

However welcoming, spa furnishings and fixtures have to withstand high-volume traffic, high humidity and warm temperatures without showing wear and tear. "We want to build an amazing experience for guests, but we're also building it for longevity," Gupta says. That's why customers won't see pickled oak floors at the new location. Honed limestone flooring holds up better to foot traffic.

Bliss also places a premium on client privacy, achieved through layout. "There are more doors," Gupta says, "so you don't hear the hair dryer or water closet flushing in the other rooms. It costs a lot to be discreet in your spa planning."

 

SOURCES

bliss57 spa,
New York

Owner: Starwood Hotels + Resorts Worldwide, White Plains, N.Y.

Operator: Blissworld LLC, New York: Namrata Gupta, director, spa development and design; Brett Rosenfeld, project manager; Melissa Benham, design associate

Design and Architect: Mancini•Duffy, New York

Outside Design Consultants: Jeff Quinn, New York (artist)

General Contractor: Citadel Construction, New York

Amenities/Treatment Products: Bliss, New York

Audio/Visual: SKS Design, New York

Fabrics: Wolf-Gordon, New York; Maharam, New York

Fixtures and Lockers: Acestyline, Chicago

Flooring: Innovative Stone, New York

Furniture: Palazzo Interiors, New York

Lighting: Lighting Workshops, New York

Signage/Graphics: Big Apple Visual Group, New York

Treatment Tables: Oakworks through Spa Equip., Calistoga, Calif.

Wallcoverings: Graham & Brown, New York; Wolf-Gordon, New York; Maharam, New York