Facility: Green Luxury

Spa professionals across the country are debunking the myth that eco-friendly day spas are barren and lack proper pampering amenities. "Luxury in Green" by Inga Hansen appears in DAYSPA's November 2008 issue and profiles a day spa that strikes harmony between a luxurious and eco-friendly facility. Naya Fresh Body Spa (www.nayafresh.com) in Chatsworth, California, defines itself as "an eco-spa that elevates the luxury found in a traditional day spa by using natural treatments, green technology and ecologically friendly practices."

Naya Fresh is the love child of Erik Pampalone, a former computer security expert, and Marie Patterson, a nurse and massage therapist. When they took over a dental office to open the spa, they were conscious of how each step of its transformation would maximize sustainable resources. A tiled shower room once had about 10 layers of paint, evidence of the building's many tenants since the 1940s. Rather than replace the walls with new backing, Patterson stripped each layer of paint using a citrus peel and scraper. Now, the walls are coated with Laticrete, a waterproofing, reinforceable membrane. "Without it, we would've created a huge amount of waste tearing down that room," Patterson says.

The spa's eco-friendly commitment extends to reusable resources. The dental office had a sterilization room with floor-to-ceiling wood shelving. Pampalone and Patterson removed it to build furniture for what became the spa's lounge. Rather than install completely new sinks and plumbing, they updated existing fixtures by utilizing butcher-block counters in each of the four treatment rooms. Discovering these creative reuses helped Pampalone define what it means to operate an eco-sustainable spa. "It's about implementing practices that consistently produce the least impact on the environment," he says.

Luxury is still etched into every aspect of the facility. The spa pampers clients by creating a personalized experience. When clients book a service, they complete a questionnaire that asks for preferences about music, drinking water, temperature and food. During a treatment, a client is welcomed with her preference of food and drinks, and her favorite band is playing softly on a Sonos digital sound system that allows each area of the spa to broadcast different music. "Other people have eco-spas," Pampalone says. "What sets us apart is our focus on creating a personalized experience that clients can't get anywhere else."

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