THE SPA AT ENCORE WOWS WYNN LAS VEGAS
Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO Stephen Wynn doubled his bets on the spa market in Las Vegas when the $2.3 billion Encore casino/hotel opened last winter. Quite possibly the most beautiful hotel spa in America, the concept blends European and American architectural icons.
High, wide, and handsome, The Spa at Encore is nearly 70,000-square-feet, almost double the size of the spa at the first Wynn Las Vegas tower. With 37 treatment rooms, full service salon, fitness center and juice bar, it's a stand-alone attraction that complements a visionary showplace.
For Roger P. Thomas, the in-house Wynn VP of design, the challenge in his vision for the Spa at Encore was how to trump his design for the sister hotel. Among eye-candy tactics employed by Thomas was a glass dome to bathe the space with natural light. Steel ribs, heavily textured walls swathed in silk, introduce an elegant, slightly decadent salon. In addition, certain elements of décor foster this duality: glass chandeliers that hang over the lounge are reflected in huge mirrors; an image of Buddha dominates the reception desk, flowing water and limestone suggest gardens.
Enhanced by sunlight and romantic candles, 14 garden suites and four over-size couples' suites offer privacy and comfort. The range of massage, body treatments, and facials is impressive. Spa director Ryan Crabbe introduced signature treatment with Sundari and Aromatherapy Associates, and Naturpathica. Exclusive to the Spa at Wynn Encore is the "Good Luck" package, with aromatherapy massage ($250).
Ryan, age 30, came to Vegas after stints at Ritz-Carlton spas in Florida and Virginia. Designing the spa menu, he worked with Elaine Wynn to tap local markets as well as visitor preferences at other Wynn spas. This paid off, he told me, when visitor bookings slumped last winter. Special offerings for Nevada residents were advertised: $95 massage Sunday to Thursday. Web marketing boosted repeat bookings.
Hotel guests now average 1.8 treatments per visit, spend $300 per person.
Radiating from the Spa Court, The Salon at Encore and Cybex fitness center operate as separate departments. For a finishing touch, my pedicure was enhanced by a Perfect Sense wax treatment ($45). As steam from the self-heating booties drifted up, I drifted off.
Bigger is Better
Arriving in the grand Spa Court, guests settle into posh conversation areas under a soaring, vaulted, softly lit dome. Inside, locker rooms lead to water features and soaking pools. Feathery palms and orchids, walls of bronze mirror, and champagne-colored Venetian glass chandeliers carry through to treatment rooms. It's as close to Versailles as you can get in Vegas.
In an economy battered by drastic reductions in travel and casino spending, Wynn said Encore is about perfecting the basics. "Better service, nicer rooms, better lighting," the legendary hotelier told The Associated Press. "Themes that are corny get old quickly, but real and wonderful environments with great service are timeless."
Even as visitors are wowed by the gardens, restaurants, and surprisingly intimate casino, Encore's 2,034 suites are the key to enjoying the resort. Designed by Todd-Avery Lenahan, principal of Vegas-based ABA Design Studio, the rooms evoke timeless beauty on a big scale. "The design concept originated with a commitment to creating a supremely comfortable and unrivaled guest suite whose fashionable palette and details define it as a modern classic and industry-wide benchmark" said Lenahan during a reception attended by 200 journalists. Striking contemporary furniture of lacquered ebony contrasts with polished white sycamore millwork and hounds-tooth wall cover. The open-plan suite has expansive floor-to-ceiling glass windows with a view of Las Vegas Boulevard projects stalled by the business slowdown. (Directly across the street is the former site of New Frontier hotel-casino, an empty lot where a project modeled on The Plaza hotel in New York has yet to rise. Next to that sit Boyd Gaming Corp's stalled $4.8 billion Echelon project, and partly built Fontainebleau resort facing Chap. 11.)
Lenahan also designed the Encore Spa and Salon, where the juxtaposition of the dramatic and the serene creates memorable experiences. Ensconced on a pedicure throne facing a glass wall, my view of the Strip was almost as dazzling as the pedicure. The Salon uses high-end lines, including Shu Uemara hair products and cosmetics, L'Oreal Professional, Kerastase, Redken, Perfect Sense and Ahava. There are 14 hairstyling stations, plus deluxe private room, for men's and women's services. Private gatherings of up to 40 guests are accommodated, making it a popular place for pre-wedding parties.
On a tour of Encore with design VP Thomas, we stopped at the Lobby Bar and Café to admire a sculpted interpretation of the goddess Daphne. Her arms, depicted as out-stretched branches, enfold a gilded centerpiece created under the direction of Thomas. The laurel tree, he said, represents a crown of leaves that Apollo wore in his hair as a display of his love and affection for Daphne. Inspired by the theme, laurel leaf designs and butterfly carpeting are seen throughout Encore. While the action on the casino floor distracts most visitors, the story of ancient love sums up Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.
Contact: www.encorelasvegas.com
Tel: (702) 770-8000
