Spa Installation
Eau
So Incredible
By Kelly Sweeney
The opulent Eau Spa at the Ritz-Carleton Palm Beach is nestled
in the heart of the island of Palm Beach, Florida — playground of the
rich and famous. The whimsical features and water-themed elements
of Eau Spa, named for the French word for water, surprise and delight
at every turn. The 42,000-square-foot, $30 million Eau Spa was un-
veiled earlier this year as part of a property-wide redesign.
Israeli-born designer Ayelet Rahav is the creative force behind the
renovation of the Ritz-Carleton Palm Beach. Rahav’s background in
hotel marketing and worldwide travels heavily influenced her design
for Eau Spa. Her plan was to move away from the traditional ‘ex-
pected’ spa and create a place of discovery and fun with a modern
baroque style.
Join DTM for a day of pampering at Eau Spa:
9
On arrival you are escorted to a lavish rotunda with a lustrous cop-
am
per dome beneath which sits the gleaming copper Wishing Well. After
confirming your treatments and selecting your ‘mood’ for each: pause
(relax), play (energize) or perfect (balance), you are given a tea light
and urged to make a wish as you float the tea light in the water. Rahav
always makes a point to visit the Wishing Well for her wish when
she’s at the spa and lists it as one of her favorite features. “It’s a small
promise to yourself,” she explains. “And it’s about having fun.”
After making a wish, you are escorted to the spa, which has separate
sections for men and women. The aptly named Self-Centered Garden
joins the two halves and offers guests a chance to play or pause, indi-
vidually or with others. The next unique feature you encounter is the
Scrub & Polish Bar, inspired by the spice markets in Asia. Here you
choose a mix of herbs, oils and salts, which are then custom-blended
into a body scrub and body butter duo by a resident mixologist. The
Scrub & Polish Bar, referred to as ‘scrub couture’ by some, is some-
thing no other spa in the U.S. offers according to Rahav.
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You don a plush white robe and leave the outside world behind be-
fore wandering down the hall to the door marked Eau Zone where you
.designtrade.net
unwind and enjoy refreshments before your treatment. The groups of
chairs and lounges are divided by sheer curtains that can be tied back
to create one space or closed to create smaller, more intimate areas.
Neutral, cream-colored seating is accentuated by jeweled pillows and
sheers, all in earthy shades of green. Books and small puzzle games
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Eau Spa.indd 2-3 11/2/09 1:40 PM
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