CELEBRITY SPA
Blu Spas was inspired by
Seabiscuit, the film of the 1930s-era racehorse, when designing the spa. Overall, it has a luxurious yet homely feel
Middleburg has the east coast’s largest concentration of wineries. It is also just an hour’s drive from DC and 35 minutes from Dulles International Airport, making it easily accessible to DC residents and foreign travellers. Thanks to a significant investment in conferencing and recrea- tional facilities, the resort is also well set up to cater for both groups and leisure guests. Despite its size and ambition, however,
the property is neither grand nor impos- ing. Inspired by Johnson’s renovated 19th-century home at Salamander Farms, the architecture is designed to comple- ment the surrounding countryside, while the aged-looking interiors evoke the sense of being in somebody’s home, albeit a very luxurious one. “While there’s no doubt it’s refined and beautiful, it’s not stuffy, it’s very warm and inviting,” says Devadas. “That’s something people are surprised by: how well it fits into this landscape and how comfortable it is.” Central to the resort’s recreational
offering is its full-service equestrian centre, with a 22-stall stable, riding arena and nine paddocks, plus miles of trails, riding instruction and clinics held by the area’s
stallion barn. In another quirky touch, the 17 suites are grouped into equestrian catego- ries (Dressage, Blue Ribbon and Grand Prix) and individually named for Paige Johnson’s favourite horses. Given the collegiate approach to the
resort’s design, it’s no surprise that the same principles are also in evidence in the spa, which consequently puts a strong emphasis on stone, wood and water. “We wanted it to be luxurious but not stuffy, not glitzy,” says Devadas. “And we wanted something that would really sit within this equestrian vernacular.” Describing it as “the Ralph Lauren
President Prem Devadas has worked in the US hospitality industry for 25 years
world-class riders. The passion for all things horse does not stop there, however: it’s a design accent throughout the resort, from the horse cut-outs in the ironwork of every balcony to the renovation of a 150-year-old
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approach to spa”, Collier cites the 2003 film Seabiscuit as an influence: “The movie showed these incredible olde-worlde horse barns from around the country and when I saw them, I just thought, this is it, this feels right.” One example of how this has been
realised is the entrances to the male and female locker rooms: octagonal openings that immediately evoke a barn’s frame. The other defining characteristic of the spa is its abundance of outdoor spaces. Half of the 14 treatment rooms have
Spa Business 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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