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As 2009 opens, many North American spa projects are "putting on the brakes," says Cary Collier, co-owner and principal, Blu Spas, Whitefish, Mont., and co-founder/owner of Collier & Collier Spas, Bali. "But it looks like just a pause. We're hearing that there'll be an uptick in renovation work once the new [presidential] administration settles in, probably some time in the second quarter." This new economy has new mandates for ROI that will reconfigure and rejuvenate spa design over the coming year.

Blu Spas' executives outline the top trends:

• Divide up retail space. "One of the biggest mistakes is to put it behind the reception desk. Guests in robes aren't going to be comfortable shopping in high traffic areas," says Ann Emich-Patton, senior consultant. More spas will incorporate mini points of sale into treatment rooms and relaxation spaces. Shelves will come down to eye level, between 24 to 48 inches off the floor for better product visibility. The key: Create an interactive atmosphere where customers can test and sample various lines.
• Take out the labor-intensiveness. "We'll see more spaces for self-guided rituals that don't require staff," says Doug Chambers, Blu Spa's Los Angeles-based principal and co-owner. That will lead to a fresh take on couples' rooms by combining water experiences with herbal or clay masks/wraps. Think a hammam deux.
• Play up the great outdoors. As footprints get smaller, Collier sees spas intensifying use of exterior space. Where the climate allows, he predicts, relaxation/gathering spaces will move outside. He also forecasts outward-directed sight lines that will focus design outside the spa. Even urban spas will follow this trend. Blu Spas recently installed showers along the glass curtain wall of a high-rise that towers over any other building on the skyline.

Some other points on the pulse of 2009, according to Blu Spas' team: green materials, such as bamboo, coconut wood, palm wood and paper-based wall and floor coverings; social spaces rather than locker rooms; more texture and a more finished look with art and accents.