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Luxury resorts share their couple’s programming that fosters connection, indulgence and rejuvenation.
What romantic touches do you add to your spa's couple’s services?
Deborah Waldvogel, spa director of Velvet Spa at Ambiente: Guests have the opportunity to choose a unique fragrance for their services. Specifically, there is a special scent blend known as “Ore” that exudes euphoria and acts as an aphrodisiac, combining clove, orris and ylang-ylang. Our couple’s suites set a romantic mood with dim lighting, creating a wonderfully intimate ambiance. For the Couple’s Escape treatment, guests also receive a sparkling beverage to enjoy during the bathing ritual or after their services.
Moly Flora, spa director of Keswick Hall: Treatments feature carefully selected products that leave the skin irresistibly soft and silky. Romantic scents induce a deeply relaxed state that supports enhanced connection with their partner. Pre- and post-treatment, couples can enjoy cuddling up together on a comfortable chaise in the Overlook relaxation lounge with healthy snacks or sparkling wine.
Dagmarie Sanchez, spa director of Condado Vanderbilt: To enhance the romantic experience, we take special care to create a memorable atmosphere. While our guests enjoy our couple’s room, we prepare a delightful setup in our stillness lounge, including a bottle of sparkling wine and a delectable dessert for them to share. Depending on the occasion, we can also arrange for room decoration with rose petals to add a personalized touch.
Christina Cabrera, director of spa and fitness of La Quinta Resort & Club: We offer complimentary Zents aromatherapy, which is sensual in a natural, herby-earthy way featuring aphrodisiac ylang-ylang. This aroma reacts to the body's natural chemistry to release an irresistible potion.
Adam Estrella, area spa director of Pacific Waters Spa at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach:We infuse romance into our couples’ services by enveloping the treatment room in a warm and intimate candlelit atmosphere. Our customizable spa packages offer personalized experiences for couples, complemented by champagne or apple cider mocktail, with the option of adding soothing aromatherapy, enhanced muscle therapy oils including CBD, and a curated charcuterie plate, to create a truly enchanting and memorable retreat for partners seeking relaxation and connection.
Ángela Herrera, corporate sales manager of The Singular Patagonia and The Singular Santiago: Our treatments for couples not only offer a unique sensory experience, but are also designed to nurture an emotional connection, creating memories that will last long after the experience has concluded. At both destinations, we complement the experience with refreshing natural juices, adding a healthy and revitalizing touch to the getaway. During the massages, we immerse couples in a captivating aromatherapy session, using specially selected fragrances to awaken the senses and deepen relaxation.
Vivianne Garcia-Tunon, global vice president of operations for wellbeing at Auberge Resorts Collection: Local healers and visiting practitioners lead a daily calendar of meditative rituals and movement classes that honor the body and mind, allowing couples to deepen relationships with themselves and each other.
Related: 5 Ways to Upgrade Your Couples' Treatments
Describe your most popular couple’s treatments.
Georgette Lothian, director of spa and wellness for Thompson San Antonio Spa at Thompson San Antonio Riverwalk: Guests can indulge in the epitome of romantic bliss with our highly sought-after Cabana Cuddle Up. Guests begin their journey with an 80-minute massage for two in our exquisite couple’s room, then nestle in the sumptuous embrace of one of our poolside daybed cabanas. Here, amid the soothing ambiance, guests revel in the shared joy of sipping on chilled champagne and partaking in a curated picnic, where every bite is a celebration of love and indulgence.
Kate Foster Morrison, director of spa and wellness of Ojai Valley Inn: The Couples Package at Spa Ojai is a unique way for partners to reconnect and enjoy a day of wellness. The experience begins with access to our Spa Ojai Village. Then, the pair enjoys side-by-side customized relaxation massages in our duet suite, each experiencing a shared aromatic journey of Ojai using lavender, citrus and eucalyptus essential oils. After lunch, guests experience the one-of-a-kind Kuyam, which isChumash for "A Place to Rest Together.” It begins in a beautifully tiled room, heated to 130˚F, where lemongrass is steamed for clearing inhalation therapy and guests are led to self-apply a set of healing clays to the body and neck. Then, a guided meditation recorded by a Chumash elder is played before the cooldown process begins. After the Kuyam, the pair heads to a private patio to enjoy herbal tea and allow their body temperatures to cool.
Michelle Whipple, Retreat Director at Sensei Lāna’i, A Four Seasons Resort: New this year, Sensei launched The Art of Massage: A Couples Master Class. The highly engaging and interactive experience is designed specifically for couples seeking to deepen their connection through the art of touch. With the expert guidance of a trained therapist, couples engage in open communication, cultivate active listening skills and learn the fundamentals of body massage through demonstration and practice on their partner—all while having a fun and enjoyable experience learning skills to bring home.
Garcia-Tunon: Our most popular couples treatment is El Nido. Partners begin with a customized healing ritual that includes a therapeutic exfoliation and full body wrap, followed by a muscle-melting stone massage. They are then served a three-course lunch made from high vibrational foods. The rest of the afternoon is dedicated to an hour-and-a-half facial with a rejuvenating scalp treatment.
Waldvogel: Our Couple’s Escape is by far our most requested experience. Guests reconnect with their loved ones in one of Velvet’s intimate couples’ suites. The escape begins with a deep soak in the warm and effervescent Japanese soaking baths. Then, they relax and rejuvenate the body and mind during a full-body classic or deep tissue massage, paying special attention to the shoulders, arms and hands to open the heart and invite energy flow between the couple during their special time together. A complimentary beverage completes the celebration.
Sanchez: Our Vanderbilt Experience, a 120-minute indulgence, begins with the Vanderbilt Signature Massage, which is tailored to cater to the unique needs of each guest. Our skilled therapists use organic botanical oils to enhance relaxation, allowing guests to choose their preferred oil and pressure level. The experience continues with our Hydro Sensorial Therapy, a revitalizing sensory journey including steam, light therapy, sound therapy and aromatherapy to immerse couples in a state of pure relaxation. Finally, guests enjoy a Vanderbilt Bespoke Facial, which begins with a personalized assessment of their skin type and ends with radiant, revitalized skin. The grand finale includes a bottle of sparkling wine and a dessert to share in our serene stillness lounge.
How do you get the word out about these services?
Lothian: The Thompson Spa team holds and attends many community events to keep awareness up with the locals. We are also growing our social media presence to attract guests from all around.
Flora: The most powerful way is by heartfelt recommendations from guests who have received the services. After that, we find success via personalized recommendations from our spa treatment and reservations team to the guests that they are working with. Social media posts are also impactful to drive interest, whether on our own sites or via the company whose products we are using in the services.
Estrella: We work with Spafinder, paid and organic social media, Hyatt.com’s HPE, Hyatt Regency’s social media platforms, World of Hyatt emails and all of our pre-arrival communications for guests.
Whipple: When a guest books, the Sensei team sends a pre-arrival questionnaire to learn about their wellness intentions, goals, preferences and more. Armed with that information, the team can make suggestions about experiences to incorporate and curate a personalized itinerary catered to the guest’s wellness goals. Here, they are given a great opportunity to tell guests who book as a couple about the romantic spa services and wellness journeys they can craft together. They will then schedule a pre-arrival call, walking them through their itineraries, to ensure everything is set before they even step foot on the property. Additionally, throughout a guest’s stay, Sensei Guides and practitioners have various checkpoints with the guest, not only to ensure each treatment and activity is being enjoyed and beneficial, but to recommend others that may be a fit in a very organic manner.