Tag Archives: aspen spa day

Spa Lifestyle Real Estate Experiences a Hiccup: Spa Lifestyle Living Still Resonates

canyonranch 767998 Spa Lifestyle Real Estate Experiences a Hiccup: Spa Lifestyle Living Still ResonatesSpa Lifestyle Real Estate Experiences a Hiccup: Spa Lifestyle Living Still Resonates
by Susie Ellis

Sad news. Canyon Ranch Living Chicago, which was in the design and pre-sale phase, has been cancelled. This article, “End of the Trail”, gives some of the details. From the few mentions I could find on the web, it appears that there were insufficient sales of condos and that it fell victim to the current market crunch. Too bad. The design seemed really inspired and I love the idea of “wellness condos.”

But timing is a big factor in these kinds of things. What would have worked several years ago – and may very well work several years from now – is struggling today amidst the bad economic news. Who knows, it may have been the size of the project, the price point, the location, or maybe the marketing plan that didn’t work. And I can’t help but wonder if the condo project was kept alive longer than it might have been because of its unique spa aspect.

One thing I am convinced about, however, is that the idea of spa lifestyle real estate is here to stay and it will find its ideal expression as time goes on. Canyon Ranch Living in Miami looks to be a successful project – as does Miraval Living in New York. Red Mountain keeps building more residences because of the demand and our spa real estate section on Spafinder.com keeps growing.

This situation reminds me a bit of the time when the internet bubble burst. Remember? The bubble grew from approximately 1995 – 2001 and then it “burst” and share prices fell dramatically. The pendulum swung from being gung-ho regarding the Internet to doom and gloom. I remember noticing only one person during the “down” time who kept saying, “don’t worry about it. The future of the Internet is still so amazing that even with this “correction” there will be huge upsides and the Internet world will continue to grow exponentially.” That person was my husband. In time, he was proven correct.

Alas…I feel the same way about setbacks in the evolution of spa lifestyle real estate. To me it is a two steps forward and one step back kind of thing. The fundamentals are just too compelling: aging baby boomers who are reaching retirement age, who value their health and well-being above almost anything else and who have money (much of it inherited) to spend. We also have a younger generation embracing the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) lifestyle and wanting to raise their families in a healthy environment.

Real estate with spa components is here to stay.

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A spa that looks like the Garden of Eden (mine anyway)

landamphilake 715652 A spa that looks like the Garden of Eden (mine anyway)450 people working every day for three years: That is what it took to create the extraordinary place called The Farm at San Benito, along with the resolve of a man, Eckard Rempke, who was stubbornly committed to his vision of creating a place of healing unlike any other in the world.

When I envision the Garden of Eden, this is the picture in my mind. Lush vegetation, beautifully manicured landscape, meandering walkways with surprises at numerous turns – you get the idea. There was an Ayurveda center here, a Bali lounge there, an orchid atrium, fountains, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, birds chirping, peacocks strutting, small lakes, pools, water features – and at night, walkways and gathering areas lit by candles. This kind of masterpiece could only be created in an area where labor costs allow such an undertaking. Here in the Philippines, that is the case. The only other place I have seen a similar setting is at Begawan Giri in Bali.

And that’s just for starters. More about the program tomorrow.

Hugh Jackman at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat & Spa – Australia

Gwinganna 762562 Hugh Jackman at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat & Spa AustraliaAt the conference here in the Philippines I kept coming across Tony de Leede and his infectious enthusiasm for the new Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, which he opened a mere six months ago. I met him in New York shortly before the opening of the retreat when he stopped in to meet our team at the Spa Finder office.

Tony is a salesman, and he made sure in a scant 20 minutes that I was aware of the Gwinganna concept. Other than having trouble pronouncing the name, I did “get” the concept and was anxious to see how it would develop. It sounded a bit like the California Golden Door or Cal-a-Vie destination spas (right down to the small number of rooms – 40) in the Australian bush with an organic and eco-friendly focus. Since I have some experience with this, I volunteered that he would probably have to be patient in terms of building occupancy.

Well, catching up with him here at this spa conference I find out that they are going gangbusters. Not only have they already had some sold-out weeks – but Hugh Jackman has apparently become a raving fan. He has already been there several times and wants to buy property in the area so he can visit more regularly.

Hmmm…I am a Hugh Jackman fan. My new suspicion? As soon as Hugh starts talking Gwinganna (hopefully he can pronounce it), that organic lifestyle retreat might be really hard to get into.