The Sports Club/LA Makes Splash In Miami

by Wendy Craft

SPA SEEKERS NOW CAN ADD MIAMI, Fla., to their list of destinations for the ultimate spa mind/body experience. Los Angeles-based The Sports Club Co. opened its newest installment of The Sports Club/LA in November 2003. The Sports Club Co. has luxury sports and fitness complexes on both coasts in four states and Washington, D.C. Members also have the option of a bicoastal membership.

The Sports Club/LA in Miami is located in the Four Seasons Hotel in the business/ banking district at Brickell Avenue. The $25-million facility includes The Sports Club/LA Splash™, which awaits those who are seeking the spa experience.

“The bulk of our guests are business people,” says Ronel Corbin, spa director. Corbin hails from South Africa and brings 14 years of experience to the Splash. “A fair amount of our guests are Four Seasons Hotel guests, and certainly our members are guests of the spa,” she says. The spa patrons range in age from roughly 25 to 55 years old. Forty percent of Splash clients are men, which is quite high, she adds. Members also are able to bring guests.

The name of the spa, “Splash,” is inspired by the ocean and is reflected in the decor. “There are large pearle-scent sea shells together with Zen symbols,” Corbin says. The feel is minimalistic yet beautiful and calm, she adds.

The wall on one side of the passage that separates the spa treatment rooms is curvy like a wave. The design on the wall is painted to resemble water. “We are trying to soften the energy,” Corbin says.

The spa can service 11 clients at a time in nine single-person treatment rooms and one couples’ suite. Treatments also can be done in the resort rooms as well as in two outdoor cabanas.

The outdoor cabanas feature a decor of natural color. “They’re kept very simple because the outdoor area is incredibly beautiful,” Corbin says. Couples can enjoy the cabanas, as well as single clients. Daytime treatments involve icy towels with cucumbers in between to cool the brow and hands, she says. Night spa treatments feature candlelight.

All Splash spa technicians are licensed in state of Florida and have between two and 14 years of experience. Many therapists have additional certifications and advanced studies, she says. In the state of Florida, it’s the law for spa technicians to continue their education every year, which has created a culture in Florida where therapists love to study, she adds.

The weekends are the busiest time at The Sports Club/LA Splash. “We definitely follow Florida’s seasonal winter,” Corbin says. “I think summer only literally lasts for three months and the rest of the year is really busy.” However, because The Sports Club has such a large membership base, the spa does well even out of season. “We’re still maintaining our capacity and our flow, which is great,” she adds.

The Sports Club/LA Splash has several treatments on the menu and uses Thalgo products. Some of the treatments include massage, facials, microdermabrasion, waxing and full-body treatments. The Splash features several new treatments, including Thalassotherapy (50 minutes, $130), which is the use of marine extracts in treatments incorporating water. “We import the products from France specifically for these treatments,” Corbin says.

The Journey

The spa offers several signature treatments, which are being developed only for Miami location, Corbin says. One such service is the Inner-jouney ($290). The two-and-a-half-hour treatment is a “literal journey,” she says. The technician begins with a welcome tea ritual during a foot massage. A full-body exfoliation follows, and then gemstones are placed on the chakras.

“The massage is based purely on relaxing movement,” she adds. The spa technicians also incorporate a number of techniques to restore balance, including the type of music played during the treatment.

A full-body wrap follows the massage, which includes rose quartz crystals. The whole purpose of the Inner-journey treatment is to bring mind and body back to balance, she adds. “Your skin is left silky soft, your mind is left eased and you’re left very relaxed,” Corbin says. “It’s definitely not something you have just because you want to get rid of a spasm in your shoulder.”

When it comes to anti-aging therapies, Corbin recommends the Splash Signature Facial (80 minutes, $185). “It’s the closest you can get to a face lift with your fingers,” she says. The treatment uses no machinery and incorporates a massage technique, which lifts, tones and firms the muscles very much like is done during a body treatment, Corbin says. “It’s unique, quite unusual and the results are phenomenal,” she adds.

The facial incorporates a bandage made from algae. When it’s applied it to the skin, it looks like pieces of bandage but is soaked in an intensive solution that helps to control wrinkles, skin firmness and skin pigmentation, she adds.

“We recommend it as a course of six, so you would have one per week,” she says. “You certainly see results immediately after the facial, but obviously to get long-term results you need to have a course.” Clients are advised to follow up with homecare.

Other anti-aging treatments on the menu include The Age Defying Facial (65 minutes, $165) and Gentleman’s Facial (50 minutes, $120). Guests are urged to request treatment times at least a week in advance. The Splash also has a waiting list and will accommodate walk-ins.

The Sports Club/LA Splash also offers sunless-tanning treatments, which are separate from most spa packages, Corbin says. The spa uses Thalgo Sublime Self Tan Spray and St. Tropez sunless products.

Treating Mind, Body & Soul

The Sports Club/LA Splash strives to be different from many spas in the Miami area.

“Most spas are just literally going to give you a massage, send you in and send you out,” Corbin says. “We are one complete destination spa.” Splash has the knowledge of The Sports Club Co., so therapists can offer more than spa treatments. If for example, a guest has incredibly tight muscles, the therapist can refer that person to a personal trainer who analyzes his or her body, Corbin says.

The Sports Club Co. also is involved in philanthropy. The company’s Good Neighbor Policy provides for monetary and membership contributions each year to charities and other nonprofit organizations. In June 2001, co-founder Nanette Pattee Francini and her then-16-year-old daughter, Coco, created The Sports Club/LA For Kids Only Foundation. In three years, the Foundation has raised more than $300,000 for children in need.

“It’s a full-service, full-circle spa,” Corbin says. “Every spa therapist is encouraged to treat from the heart.”

For example, if a client wants a therapist to concentrate on a specific area and spend an entire hour on that area, the therapist will. “That’s really what we’re famous for, and how we stand apart,” she adds. “We are holistic, so we truly try to treat mind, body and soul. If a guest comes in with a particular concern, we are going to look deeper than what is on the surface of the body or surface of the problem.”

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