Armani/SPA has a futuristic feel, which Terry felt was a refreshing change from the warm, homey spaces that are common in the vast majority of spas I love the idea of a customised approach,
but know that operationally it is very diffi - cult to successfully execute. To me, a truly tailor-made treatment is created in the moment, based on the guest’s desires and the therapist’s level of experience. In real- ity, the Armani treatments are the result of a therapist selecting a series of set options that fi t nicely into a specifi c time slot.
Location & access
T e spa is located on the third fl oor of Burj Khalifa and access is via an elevator.
Disabled access & facilities Most of the spa seemed ADA accessible.
Design Less is more for the Armani brand, the col- ours are monochromatic and the clothes are well-cut, timeless creations. Likewise, its spa is very sleek and modern, with hi-tech touches, and the interior is clad in shades of grey, silver, black and white. Yet on a few occasions, form triumphed
over function. T ere was no robe hook in the very stylish treatment rooms and I was told to
“just drop it on the fl oor”. Beautiful hand-held Dornbracht shower fi xtures looked stunning, but were bit awkward to use when trying to wash the scrub off my body. In addition, auto- matic, sliding doors throughout the spa made it confusing to know where you were: I got
SPA BUSINESS 3 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
lost a few times and though artful, the sig- nage was too small to be eff ective. One of my favourite design elements was
located in the relaxation lounge where a lat- tice with small, intermittently blinking lights was placed behind shaded windows to cre- ate an illusion of dancing sunlight. T e eff ect was particularly captivating. Also, the long linear changing rooms featured the most beautiful lockers I’ve seen to date – they looked like alabaster or pearlised stone. The thermal suite with its domed ceil-
ing and sequential bathing experiences – a laconium, steambath, sauna, ice fountain and shower walk – was well-laid out. T e sauna incorporated charcoal stone slabs on the walls which, although hot, made a nice change from the standard wooden box. Overall, the spa had a futuristic feel, I
felt as though I was on a Star Trek movie set. However, I appreciated the ‘coolness’ of the minimalistic décor as it was a welcome departure from the warm, homey spaces that are common in the vast majority of spas.
Cleanliness
T e facility was very clean, with the exception of the relaxation lounge where my leſt over tea, fruit and used towel still remained when I returned aſt er my treatment.
The staff
All of the staff were professional and kind and for the most part, spoke fl uent English.
The experience
My adventure began with a climb through expansive gardens to the Burj Khalifa’s main entrance. On the fi nal fl ight of stairs, a hand- some security guard dressed in black sprung from the bushes to inquire about my business. Aſt er taking notice of my designer shoes and accessories, he let me pass. I learnt a long time ago that if you want to be taken seri- ously at Armani, you better dress the part! From that moment on, I was passed from
one attractive black-clad male to the next, through the lobby, into the elevator up to the third fl oor spa. As in Armani clothing boutiques, a reception desk was nowhere to be found and Betty my ‘spa ambassador’ magically appeared from a hallway and directed me to a stylish, yet uncomfortable, wicker chair. I couldn’t help but notice that her uniform was a shade of purple-grey and certainly stood out compared to the typical spa therapist garb. I put the marketing of a ‘personalised
treatment’ to the test by asking for 40-minute body scrub followed by a 60-minute mas- sage. Betty said they could not accommodate this and off ered a facial or body wrap option. When I insisted on a scrub and massage, I was given the traditional 25-minute scrub followed by 75 minutes of massage. I did not feel this was truly customised. T at said, my therapist gave a great massage, although I wasn’t entirely convinced that she’d mas- tered the English language.
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