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Standing out in the hipster haven of Miami Beach is a
difficult proposition. new clubs, trendy restaurants, hot hotels, and sexy spas
come and go at a frenetic pace as hoteliers battle for supremacy of the South
Beach kingdom. One monarch, however, has shunned the beach scene to create a
haven of communal relaxation and hydrotherapy that has yet to be seen in South
Florida.
André Balazs, the mastermind
behind The Chateau Marmont and
Standard hotels in Los Angeles
and The Raleigh in Miami Beach,
recently unveiled The Standard, a
spa hotel unlike any other. Balazs's first true foray
into spas, it is a $200 million minimalist vision found
on the site of the Lido Spa Hotel in the lush
residential enclave of Belle Isle, along Biscayne Bay.
With its pristine views, communal water-based treatment
areas, and holistic vision, the spa is the antithesis of
the party scene located just a few blocks away. “The
whole point is that you're not on the beach and not on
Collins Avenue,” says Balazs. “The spa is an antidote to
everything on the beach.”
The Standard offers a spa experience that emphasizes
do-it-yourself treatments and a focus on water-based
therapies. The entire third floor of the hotel is an
indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy playground. The indoor
baths include a vast Turkish-style hammam, steam
and scrub rooms, a cedar sauna, and a shower room that
offers music from DJs around the world. Outside are such
amenities as a Roman waterfall hot tub, an arctic plunge
pool, a falling water column, an infinity pool with
sound piped underwater, and a lounge where guests can
apply mud to themselves and to others. Hydrotherapy tubs
of different shapes and sizes are also interspersed
throughout the space. Individual treatments are
available in the spa, Vaso salon, and en suite, but the
focus is indeed on community. “The idea was to create a
role of bathing in the daily routine comparable to the
role of bathing in the days of the Romans,” says Balazs.
"Then, the spa was a place to relax, exercise,
socialize, and expand the mind intellectually. We've
created a place like that.”
Balazs says that while his spa appears to be an anomaly
in today's booming marketplace, which focuses heavily on
individual treatments, it is actually inspired by
ancient traditions of sophisticated cultures in Europe
and Asia and even the Native American community, which
emphasized communal rituals as an important aspect of
society. “The range of experiences at The Standard are
like those found at true spas, back before a spa came to
mean a rubdown with oil or smoothing the skin with hot
rocks,” he says. “The American spa business has largely
been fueled by companies that built the salon industry
and created products that they push for treatments.
Americans grow up thinking a treatment means another
individual has to apply a product to them or physically
do something to them for it to be a spa treatment. We
are liberating people from that overly commercialized
definition of a spa.”
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According to Balazs,
he and his team adhere to the mantra, “The Standard
isn't.” Another place this is readily apparent is in the
price points of service. Because so many experiences at
the spa don't necessarily use the skills of a massage
therapist or esthetician, costs to the spa-goer can be
considerably less. The Turkish Hamam Rub and Scrub, a
soap massage and steam, for example, costs $65 for 25
minutes, while use of the communal areas is free for
hotel guests and clients enjoying other treatments. It
is also available for a minimal cost to walk-ins.
"Our pricing is very
deliberate,” says Balazs. “Many of our treatments are
'do it yourself,' and this was a conscious effort to try
to find ways to make people feel good about themselves
and help them feel good all by themselves. By
eliminating some of the costs of having someone spend an
hour performing a treatment, we eliminate a whole level
of expense.”
This strategy is
particularly important for The Standard's local
clientele. “We have far too many square feet of spa
facility to justify based on the room count alone,” says
Balazs. Because only 100 rooms are available at the
hotel, local business is imperative. Membership packages
range from $100 per month for residents within a mile
radius to $200 a month for an all-access pass to the
indoor and outdoor baths. Unlimited yoga and other
classes at The Standard Center for Integral Living are
also part of the all-access pass. “To me, it would be
ideal to make The Standard a place you stop by every day
on your way home from work,” says Balazs.
The Standard also
offers distinct products and treatments beyond
hydrotherapy. Once again, exploration and holistic
alternative offerings are paramount. That explains why
Moon Phase Treatments, a variety of biodynamic
treatments based on the phases of the moon, and
holistic, somewhat obscure product lines like Astara and
Just Pure, among others, were selected. “A lot of what
we are doing in general is having people explore and ask
questions,” says spa director Jason Harler. “We
approached our products from that mentality,
specifically seeking out situations with a story, a
world view, and really amazing origins. We offer what I
consider to be the best lines representing holistic
culture.”
Once again, it
appears Balazs has succeeded in making his mark. Harler
says the spa is booked solid four to five days a week
and that he is proud to see clients of all ages, from
all walks of life, embracing The Standard. Adds Balazs,
"People are absolutely crazy over it. It is everything
we were hoping for—people are astounded and love it and
are passionate about it.” It's hard to imagine setting a
higher standard than that.
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