As the spa industry’s leading style arbiter, designer Noel Asmar and her Vancouver, B.C.-based team serve more than 6,000 international clients, outfitting spas worldwide with uniforms, professional footwear, pedicure and manicure amenities, spa towels and blankets, and more. The key piece in the puzzle: selecting the spa uniform (www.spauniforms.com) which effectively communicates the essence of the brand.
“The spa industry is heavily shaped by image,” says Asmar, “and many spa-owners open their doors before they have clearly formulated their brand identity. Until they determine this within the organization, they cannot effectively articulate the brand image to the end-consumer.”
This lack of clarity may reflect an effort on the part of management to be all things to all people, says Asmar. For instance, spas may attempt to mesh disparate interior design motifs in an attempt to broaden their appeal to a wider range of potential clients. “You have to know who you are, and who your ideal customer is,” says Asmar. “In a spa that’s suffering from an identity-crisis, it’s not unusual to see a Greek or Roman-inspired statue or fountain, perhaps in the form of Venus or another ancient goddess, set amidst hard-edged metal furniture and appliances. This sends conflicting messages of luxury, fantasy and antiquity versus high-tech.”
Asmar’s team is specifically trained to encourage clients to verbalize as specifically as possible the emotional state they wish to create in the spa. These key words—ranging from “warm” to “elegant” to “fun”–then guide the team’s recommendations on which uniform style to select.
One of the principal distinctions which spa management must make is determining the energy-level which the spa wishes to project. “Some spas like to position themselves as very fast-paced and upbeat, to appeal to the time-crunched guest,” says Asmar. “Other environments are the opposite, wishing to slow time down and radiate a sense of deep, calm stillness in all of their amenities. These choices are communicated in many subtle ways, not only by the uniforms worn by the team, but also the lighting, the surface treatments, the music on the sound-system, the volume of the music, the use of flowers and plants, and the ambient aroma used in the spa. These decisions shape whether a client lingers, or pays right away and leaves.”
Asmar’s range of uniform collections, which is the most diverse in the industry in terms of style, color and size range, share the designer’s sense of modern classicism and insistence upon superb quality. Within these parameters, Asmar often makes the following recommendations:
DYNAMIC – EDGY
“If the client wants to project a youthful, cosmopolitan hipness, we often recommend our ZEN jacket, which features stylized, Asian frog-style closures, and our SOHO jacket which echoes the silhouette of contemporary activewear with four button-flap pockets and sporty tailoring. Our URBAN FUSION jacket, with its updated Mandarin collar and lean, clean zippered front, is absolutely cutting-edge. These are strong fashion statements, and add excitement to the spa environment. These are great in our new colors like Rich Navy, Charcoal Gray, and Chocolate.”
TRADITIONALLY FEMININE
“For the spa with lush drapes, glowing candles and lots of ornate décor, I might suggest the gently draping lines of our MONACO jacket, and in one of our deep signature colors like Olive or Spicy Berry. The MONACO has a crossover surplice front with an adjustable D-ring on the side. Another very feminine look is our DOLCE jacket which features a finely pintucked front-placket, with the surprising freshness of a split neckline which reveals just enough of the collarbones.”
NEUTRAL-MODERN
“The concept of sanctuary is key within the spa world, meaning a place where there in no distraction or interruption, and none of the design elements compete with one another. Clients expect tranquility, serenity, calm and relaxation. In this environment, our TUSCAN jacket, with its unadorned round neckline, is professional, graceful, and very low-key. For this kind of setting, I recommend delicate colors, like our Sage Green, as well as eternally chic Black or White. And our UNISEX SHIRT COLLAR STYLE is timeless and always appropriate.”
For more information, please call toll-free within the USA and Canada, 1-800-772-1408, direct 604-601-2028, and FAX 604-542-1069.
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