HBG Dives into the Trend: Pools and Spas at Casino Hotels

See full article in Casino Style Magazine: Everybody into the Pool!

Everybody into the Pool!

More and more, operators are looking to pools and spas to impress their guests. Let’s dive into the trend.

Casino Style 2023 PoolsThe resort pool has reached its utopia, perhaps best demonstrated by the Circa Stadium Swim, at the Circa resort in Downtown Las Vegas.

There, guests don’t simply loll by the pool. They slide into poolside boxes, water couches, daybeds and lower cabanas. They sip drinks, watch the big game and participate in fantasy-football parties. Massive 40-foot high-definition screens reach skyward, while six pools on three levels augment the luxury experience.

Welcome to the crossroads of luxury, decadence and affluence. Does anyone even want to go swimming anymore?

Stadium Swim is just one example of the surge in pool and spa construction at casino hotels. Besides exuding luxury, they make room for shared experiences. Beverages, saunas, salons and hot tubs are valued amenities, keeping guests happily on property.

Just Say ‘Ahh’

“Spas are an increasingly popular antidote for our stressful world,” says Emily Marshall, IIDA, interior design director and principal at HBG Design. “The more harried life becomes, the more guests are seeking a serene and rejuvenating spa experience.”

The modern spa retreat “is less about opulence, and more about wellness and the way a space makes the guest feel—with more authentic, contextual, holistic design features and smart technology integration that produces distinctiveness and differentiation for the resort.”

HBG Design has created pool and vitality pool environments that connect to the spa, to food-and-beverage venues and to other special events, Marshall says. “These pools are activated for entertainment, integrating dining and beverage service opportunities as separate revenue generators.”

Gun Lake Casino Resort Expansion, Wayland, MI

Event-connected pools include the rooftop pool environment at Four Winds South Bend Casino and the Indoor Pool and Events Complex at Gun Lake, now under construction.

“Spas are typically set apart from the gaming amenities as a space for guests to quiet the outside noise and reconnect with themselves,” says Landon Shockey, ASID, HBG’s lead interior designer and spa design specialist. “Successful spa design enchants and indulges all five senses, while emphasizing wellness and presenting experiences that nourish the soul.”

F&B offerings range from café-style light fare and healthy options to seasonal dishes that emphasize the healing benefits of ingredients. Knowing the customer demographic in the specific market often dictates how much of a driver food and beverage becomes in relation to the spa experience.

“We’re also seeing a trend in the design of larger VIP suites that accommodate spa services,” Shockey says. “These suites provide a secluded escape for couples and small groups to partake in extended spa services all within their own private space.”

Healing Springs

The 8,000-square-foot Astral Spa at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort offers a lush, contemporary take on the iconic Hot Springs bathhouse spa, Shockey says, “along with a relaxed nostalgic ambiance that frames each guest’s spa journey through a complete sensory wellness experience.”

Designed by HBG with the Arch Amenity Group and Design for Leisure, the attraction is the first major full-service spa to be designed and built in Arkansas’ famous “Spa City” in more than a century.

Marrying crisp modern lines with historic themes, the spa’s design celebrates the history of Hot Springs and Oaklawn’s thoroughbred horse racing. It features a dedicated 1,925-square-foot women’s spa and a 1,500-square-foot men’s spa, each with distinctly tailored parlors, dressing room areas and aqua-thermal lounges featuring vintage-inspired needle showers that recall historic bathhouses.

Unique hot/cold wellness circuits in the women’s and men’s areas allow guests to “heat, cool, rest, repeat” in vapor rooms, infrared saunas, ice lounges, vitality pools and thermal loungers. “The infrared saunas are the first of their type in the region,” says Shockey.

At the new 317-key hotel, spa and conference and events expansion at Four Winds Casino in South Bend, Indiana, guests are greeted with a “seamlessly beautiful display of contemporary design,” says Paul Bell, AIA, HBG principal and project manager. That look “flows through every space, with a celebration of the Pokagon Tribe’s rich heritage and the natural elements of their native lands,” he adds. “One of the most important cultural elements in this celebration is the red cedar wood that’s prominently featured throughout the property.”

The 10,000-square-foot Cedar Spa, designed by HBG with Blu Spa Consultants, offers a variety of traditional and unique spa therapies in a tranquil, biophilic space designed to fully embrace relaxation, well-being and healing.

Up on the Roof

The soothing experience originates at the spa entrance on the main promenade of the hotel, highlighted by an illuminated ceiling feature appearing as sunlight shining through a canopy of red cedar trees.

Ornate copper ceiling elements allow pockets of light to peek through, creating dancing shadows around the spa entry. Multi-colored lighting introduces serene color palettes into the space.

Floor-to-ceiling screening combines cedar planks mixed with copper blocking and color-changing lighting to create elegant wayfinding from the entry reception and retail area to the treatment corridors.

The unique layout of the spa allows each treatment area to be hidden from the next, granting each guest a private and personalized experience. Guests are guided through the river rock and stacked stone-lined main treatment corridor to reach their desired spa service.

“While some resorts incorporate the pool environment into the spa experience, Four Winds South Bend has made its new rooftop pool deck a central part of their F&B, events and entertainment offerings,” Bell says. The entire third-floor level is dedicated to high-end VIP and hospitality suites that accommodate smaller intimate events, catered parties and VIP receptions.

“Perched on the third-floor VIP and hospitality suite level adjacent to the hotel’s new Edgewater Café bar and restaurant, the pool environment, with its large pool deck, lounge seating and hot tub, becomes an extension of this entertaining space,” says Bell. “The café and the rooftop pool are interconnected through clerestory windows and retractable glass partition walls.”

HBG Design is currently leading the architectural and interior design for the $300 million Phase 5 expansion of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, Michigan, just south of Grand Rapids.

The Spa Retreat, featuring a spa pool and fitness center, will be located on the lower level of the new hotel expansion, with a palette inspired by nature in the region. The spa pool will offer a relaxing retreat away from the excitement of the casino.

 


Premiere Hospitality Features Astral Spa

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The stunning new 8,000 square foot Astral Spa at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas, offers a unique luxury experience in a location celebrated as ‘The Spa City–America’s First Resort’ in the early decades of the 1900s.

The secluded town of Hot Springs was a favourite getaway destination for the rich and infamous, becoming the birthplace of spa resorts in the U.S.

Designed by nationally recognised U.S. hospitality design firm, HBG Design, and leading spa consultant, WTS International Inc., the Astral Spa is the first major full-service spa to be built in the ‘Spa City’ in over a century. The hydrothermal consultant for the project was Design for Leisure Ltd of London.

Landon Shockey IIDA, NCIDQ, Lead Interior Designer at HBG Design said: “We have worked on numerous projects with Oaklawn over the years. This spa was a part of a major expansion project for them and was an entirely new construction.

“Hot Springs is well known in the States as an historic spa destination. The high street is lined by the historic Bathhouse Row. Our goal was to design a modern interpretation of these beloved spaces.”

Louis Cella, President, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, whose family has owned and operated Oaklawn for over 100 years commented: “Our vision for the Astral Spa was to create a unique experience that regional guests have never seen before.

“With multiple amenities, taking advantage of Hot Springs’ great history of entertainment, gambling and relaxation, the Astral Spa offers a throwback vibe with modern luxury, which includes a cold room, steam room and infrared sauna, dipping pools and needle showers.”

Co-ed Lounge

Marrying crisp modern lines with historical overtures, the Astral Spa’s design celebrates the history of Hot Springs and Oaklawn’s thoroughbred horse racing in an era when ladies and gentlemen donned their best bespoke styles to see and be seen.

The interior design is complemented by the 21st century bathhouse-inspired program and spa services menu developed by leading spa consultants and operators, WTS.

Highlights of the Astral Spa experience include an illuminated wall of quartz crystal – an important healing element – in the reception area, referencing the crystal mining popular in this area of Arkansas

The venue also includes a 1,925 square foot women’s spa and 1,500 square foot men’s spa, each with distinctly tailored parlours, dressing room areas, plunge pool and aqua thermal lounges featuring vintage inspired needle showers reminiscent of the historical bathhouses.

Women's Wet Lounge

The heated ceramic Loungers near the Plunge Pool are manufactured by Sommerhuber. Based in Steyr, Austria, Sommerhuber have been manufacturing ceramics for fireplaces since 1419 and today, their unique ceramics – namely Heat Storing Ceramics – are used in leading spas and thermal experiences across the globe.  Fiona Sommerhuber, Head of the Spa Division at Sommerhuber said: “Heated loungers are ideally suited for ultimate relaxation due to their ergonomic shape and cosy warm ceramic surface.”

Unique hot/cold wellness circuits in the women’s and men’s aqua thermal areas, allow guests to ‘heat, cool, rest, repeat’ in vapour rooms, infrared saunas, ice lounges, vitality pools and thermal loungers – in addition to enjoying an array of spa services, including couple’s massages, hydro-facials and hot stone treatments.

Women's Lounge

As well as a 750 square foot full-service salon, multiple private treatment areas, and a co-ed lounge with upholstered chaise lounges, there’s also the area’s only Himalayan salt wall – plus an exclusive outdoor spa pool with cabanas and outdoor event lawn.

Speaking of the challenges of the project, Landon Shockey said: “Construction was well under way at the beginning of the pandemic. We had to manage a lot of unknowns while construction continued during the lockdowns.  From products being discontinued to goods stuck out at sea for months, this was a project for the history books!”

He concluded: “Leading the design of The Astral Spa has been a career highlight, having grown up in a small town about twenty minutes from Oaklawn. “I remember touring historic Bathhouse Row when I was younger and being absolutely intrigued by those grand spa spaces. To be able to return to Hot Springs and work with Louis and Rochelle Cella to create a modern day ‘bathhouse’ spa was a dream come true.”

“What is even more special is the Astral Spa at Oaklawn receiving a Fay Jones Alumni Design Award from my alma mater, the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.”


HBG Design Again Named a Top Workplace by The Commercial Appeal!

See full list of winners posted by The Commercial Appeal

The Commercial Appeal has named HBG Design a Top Workplace for another consecutive year! This honor is very dear to us as it is based on direct feedback from our staff.
Thank you once again to our team for this outstanding recognition!

"This architectural and interior design company pays 100% of professional dues, association membership fees and licensing fees for professionals including architects, interior designers and legal personnel. It also offers a bonus plan based on profit and extraordinary performance."

This is not a complete list of the benefits that the company offers: in most cases, The Commercial Appeal selected only the most unusual benefit from the company's offering.

See past HBG Design 'Top Workplace' honors for HBG Design.

 


Astral Spa at Oaklawn Honored by Fay Jones Alumni Design Awards

See full list of winners posted by University of Arkansas

The Fay Jones Alumni Design Competition awarded an Honorable Mention to the Astral Spa at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

The first new spa built in Hot Springs in more than a century, Astral Spa provides Oaklawn guests with a modern-day 'bathhouse' spa experience.

Designers united modern health and wellness concepts with elements inspired by the city's Bathhouse Row.

Jurors noted, "Gleaming tile, the complex stone textures and subtle lighting strategies contributed to the unique experience in each of the service areas. All the choreographed movements provide both privacy and inform the tempo of the overall guest experience. Well done."

Astral Spa entrance

Astral Spa Women's Parlor

Astral Spa Aqua Thermal Room

ASTRAL SPA INSPIRATION

Hot Springs, Arkansas, was a favorite getaway for the rich and infamous in the early 1900s. Known as ‘The Spa City', the city was the birthplace of spa resorts in the U.S.  Thermal spring waters and Victorian-era Bathhouse Row attracted early visitors. Horse racing at Oaklawn and hidden downtown speakeasies also drew crowds. Visitors still flock to Hot Springs to experience the city's history. Oaklawn Resort is offering modern amenities to complement the area’s entertainment. The Astral Spa is the first full-service spa to be built in 'Spa City' in 100 years. The 8,000 square foot spa provides a relaxed nostalgic ambiance that frames each guest’s spa journey through a complete sensory experience.

Click here to learn more about the Astral Spa at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.