The third place winners for the "Spa of the Future Contest" at The Global Spa & Wellness Summit aren't as innovative as Defiant!, a spa aimed at teens. But they're interesting because the represent the best of what the industry is trying to do right now.
Created by a team from Penn State University, Greenhouse is a green spa that is "less about indulgence and more about fostering care and responsibility for what is important." That starts with the "three Rs of Sustainability" -- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
The team placed Greenhouse in Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of the historic preservation movement in the United States. Greenhouse would go in an existing building (restore and re-use) rather than an entirely new facility. It would also be in a residential neighborhood where it can serve the local community as well as tourists who "leave Savannah enlightened about the benefits of preserving and restoring the past.
The spa would have a main building, a "couples carriage house, a cafe, and a fitness and wellness building with a classroom. It would feature sustainable materials like bamboo, with warm, calm colors and subdued florals. Green features of the buildings and gardens would include:
The spa operations would be green in the following way:
The spa menu offers local, indigenous treatments like the Honey & Brown Sugar Glow, which uses organic honey from The Savannah Bee Company.
I like the philosophy behind Greenhouse, and think it would be a beautiful spa -- though it would cost a fortune to create. The student team is Ben Dillan, Lydia Hanks, Emma Leach, and Marina Volpe. The faculty advisor is Anna Mattila. Look at the Powerpoint presentation on Greenhouse.
Why would creating this spa be any more expensive than creating a not-so-green spa?
I think the concept would be expensive to execute, even if it was “non-green.” I’m epecially looking at the greenhouse itself and the garden, which would require a lot of space and essentially be “added value.” It’s already hard to make spas profitable.
But….I would love it if it worked. And I encourage spas to keep getting greener. I have a green as I can get it skin care studio myself.
I was also thinking of the cost of buying a historic building and real estate in Savannah.