Robert Henry Signature Spa Furniture + Equipment Line:
What does the spa market need? Touch America spa furniture manufacturer Stewart Griffin and I asked each other that pivotal question.
The “uber spa” design of the pre-economic downturn was too large, too expensive, and lost touch with the client’s needs. Some facilities can’t even afford to do spas any longer. So, Stewart and I set about reverse engineering these design dilemmas, offering new solutions. We decided this could be an opportunity, especially in the hotel segment, to create a dual-purpose piece of furniture that functions as a day lounger but can then be transformed into a massage table right in the guest’s hotel room.
What is the name of this clever innovation?
The Masquerade.
To accompany that, we have designed a spa push cart—that integrates all the necessities to provide the spa treatment service—called The Concierge. It includes:
— A portable rolling spa cart containing a hot towel warmer that can also be used for heating stones for hot-stone massage therapy;
— A series of compartments, drawers, and a tray for all the various massage oils that are required in a treatment regimen; and
— A magnifying lamp that can be used for giving facial treatments.
The process would go like this: The guest books an appointment online with a therapist or calls the “virtual spa” from the hotel room. The therapist arrives at the guest’s room with the spa push cart and proceeds to convert the lounger to a treatment table and administer the spa treatment. Rather than the guest getting up and leaving a spa at the end of a session and walking back to their hotel room, the guest can just relax in the lounger or fall into bed after the massage.
The Masquerade and The Concierge create a “spa without walls.”
Another missing furniture design opportunity was an affordable ergonomic lounger for relaxation rooms that could be used indoors and poolside. So we designed a lounge chair called The Zero-G Spa Lounger.
We experimented with several different prototypes to get the ideal curvature that cradled the body. We use a stretch-band technology that comes out of the fitness environment. These bands provide the perfect body support that distributes weight very evenly, feeling like zero gravity. We designed a headrest that is not just a bolster, but more carefully contours from the upper spine into the neck and stimulates the suboccipital muscle group at the base of the skull. This stimulates endorphins and provides additional soothing comfort!
This branded spa-furniture line, suited for both hospitality and home markets, will debut at the Touch America booth #238 at the upcoming ISPA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas from September 13-15th.
Salt-Inhalation Booth
Please contact me if you will be attending ISPA so we can set up an appointment for you to experience the healing benefits of the Salt Booth.
Our new therapeutic Salt Booth will be unveiled this year at ISPA (visit SALT Chamber booth #728). People have long recognized the curative effects of breathing in the ocean air and bathing in the ocean for wellness benefits. We are working with Leo Tonkin from Salt Chamber on designing a salt booth, for both commercial and residential use.
Salt Therapy, known as Halotherapy, works by inhaling dry, micro-ionized, pure sodium chloride particles from a Halogenerator in a relaxing salt booth. Wet Salt, provided by the ocean, is already saturated, whereas Dry Salt (pure sodium chloride), inhaled while relaxing in a salt booth, is far more effective in helping people with respiratory diseases and skin conditions. Dry Salt allows for its natural benefits of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and moisture absorption to detoxify the respiratory system. Salt Therapy is 100% natural. The benefits provide relief for people suffering from allergies, asthma, bronchitis, colds, COPD, psoriasis, eczema, acne, swelling and inflammation, stress and fatigue.
Our design for the Salt Booth is strategically about the same size as a typical shower. It has a tempered-glass door and two side-view light panels. Users will be able to comfortably sit down, relax and read, or listen to music using their iPod via a built-in docking station, all while gaining health benefits in a 10-15 minute session!
Hope to see you at the upcoming ISPA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas from September 13-15th.
