salon today - spa profile - spank
DESCRIPTION
IntheheartofWestLondonliesSpaceNK's flagshipspa,withabrandaswellknownas this,itwasalwaysguaranteedtobeahit. times.AsacompanySpaceNKisrenowned foritsvastselectionofproductsandinaddition totheirownsignaturelines,thestorescarry morethan2,500thousanddifferentproducts fromapproximately50 differentcompanies. Inthespaitselftheyofferaselectionoftreat- mentsdevelopedwiththelikesofEveLom, AromatherapyAssociatesandDarphin.Facials startataround£50andcangouptoalmost £100.ThemoreexpensivefacialslastforanTRANSCRIPT
Salonprofile
spa. NK
In the heartof WestLondonliesSpace NK'sflagshipspa,witha brandas well knownasthis, it was alwaysguaranteedto be a hit.
On arrivingat SpaceNK in NottingHill,West Londonyou are greetedby thecolourfuldelightsof the store, the no
nonsenseclear packagingrevealsgreen, yel-low, orange and white concoctionsdisplayedneatly on simple shelves,whilst the smellsencapsulateall thatyouassociatewithpamper-ingthebodyanddelightingthesenses.Walkingthroughthe mainstoreyouarriveat yourdesti-nation- Spa.NK,which opened in 2000.Theinspirationforthe spawasNickyKinnaird'sownvisionanddemandfor anenvironmentthatwas
relaxing,cocooningandgenuinelycomfortable.SheworkedcloselywithVirgile& Stoneon theexecutionof the final plans.The resultis verydifferentfrom the rainbowof indulgencethatyoufirstencounteronyourwayintothebuilding- creams,whitesand brownstake preferenceand it immediatelylullsyou intoa stateof calm.
Thefirst port of call for a customerwouldbethe largechangingroomswhichoffershowers,towelsand such like.Oncedisrobedfromyourstreetattireand enrobedin theSpa.NKuniformof a wafflecotton robeand plastic sandalsitstime to take rest in the spa'swaitingarea.The
theme in this room is slightly oriental, withdark woodenchairscoveredin naturalcotton,
and matching low slung tables with candlescreatinga soothingatmosphere,perfectfor preor post -treatmentthought - and sipping oncomplimentarilyherbaltea, or lemonand mintinfusedwater.'ThethingthatsetsSpa.NKasidefrom its perceivedcompetitorsis its ability tomakeclientsfeel, once they haveenteredthespa,thattheyarenot inWestLondonbut ratherin the middle of heaven,where they can berelaxedandtrulyforgettheirworries'.Onethinga visitor may note is that the spa may seemstrangelyunpopulated,howeverwith a placesuchasthis,the impressionis giventhatthis isa resultofstrategicschedulingbythereceptiondesk. The actual treatmentroomsare sparse,with exceptionof the heated treatmentbed -withspacesothetherapistcanmovefreely,anda preparationarea - but once the treatmentbeginsyou realisethatthe actualqualityof theproductsand the skill of the therapistsis whatreallysetsthis spa apartfromtherest.
It is precisely this selling point that seesSpa.NKcreditedwith a 93%occupancyat all
times. As a companySpace NK is renownedfor itsvastselectionof productsand inadditionto their own signaturelines, the storescarrymore than 2,500 thousanddifferentproductsfrom approximately50 different companies.In the spa itselftheyoffer a selectionof treat-ments developedwith the likes of Eve Lom,AromatherapyAssociatesand Darphin.Facialsstart at around£50 and can go up to almost£100. The more expensivefacials last for an
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::ockwisefromtop: relax-=:00room,receptionarea,-"atment room. ,
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hour and a half, on top of a consultationandrelaxation period. The body treatmentsandmassagesare around the same price so ifyou're doing your maths going for relaxationand treatmentper inch is practicallya bargain!
I am told the treatment that best reflects
Spa.NKis the Body BalancingTherapy,espe-cially developed for Spa.NK by MichelleRoquesO'Neil.It isacombinationofbodywork,
Creams, whitesand browns takepreference in therest area and it
immediately lulls youinto a state of calm
essentialoilsand chi massage,and evokesthebody's memoryof harmonyand balanceandrestoresa zest for life and a new sense of
understandingequilibrium.PersonallyI feel theEssentialRoseBodyCocoonis oneof the mostnourishingand revitalisingtreatmentsmy skinhaseverencounteredat any spa - andthe EveLomFacial - quoted by magazinebeautyedi-tors aroundtheworldas 'theKingof all Facials'is a must!
But its not just the treatmentsthat makeSpa.NKspecial- thetherapistsnotonlyhavetohavecompleteda comprehensive,recognisedbeautytherapyeducationcourse but are alsoexpected to have acquired extensiveexperi-enceworkingatsomeof theworld'sfinestspas.
Finally,afterthe pampering,visitorswillonceagain passback throughthe shop to exit. Thisis veryclevermarketingwhichseesavid shop-persexercisingseriousself-restraintwhenleav-ing thesanctuaryof the Spa,asone is immedi-ately inundatedwith the sites and sounds ofretail.
Thereare future plans to extend the brandand to open more spas, this fact surelyhigh-lights it's popularity- and reaffirmsthe statusthatthe brandSpaceNKhaswithinthe beautymarketplace.