The holidays are here! Don’t forget to treat yourself this season, and what better way than taking a spa day? The 10,000 sq. ft. Acacia spa opened earlier this summer. A move was sorely needed when it outgrew its previous 3,000 sq. ft. location. Butler, Rosenbury & Partners provided architectural and structural engineering services for the new medical and day spa located in the historic Galloway neighborhood.
Acacia has many unique features. Natural light filters through the open lobby which overlooks the boutique below. The medical spa, also located downstairs, has rooms for medical skin care treatments, botox, laser hair removal, and filler treatments. After guests check in, they can enjoy snacks and tea in the waiting room, as well as take advantage of the infrared saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms, and arctic rooms. Upstairs also includes rooms for massages, detoxifying mud and clinical skin treatment rooms, as well as a manicure-pedicure room. Before and after treatments, guests can relax in the outdoor courtyard which includes lounges and a fire pit. Acacia also has a fitness studio that is used for yoga and TRX suspension classes.
A project such as this does not come without challenges. One of the biggest challenges was the site itself, a steep valley slope with rock just below the surface. The solution was to design a multi-story building, zoned into a public and administrative area on the lower level, and the upper level housing the spa itself. Another challenge was coming up with a way to create a quiet, inward-focusing atmosphere appropriate for a spa, but without shunning the outside environment. The answer was to locate the private spa service rooms on the larger upper level, wrap them around the top floor, and open up towards the calming interior courtyard.
BR&P Architects Tim Rosenbury and Brandon Lotter have worked on the Acacia spa for the past 18 months. Their favorite thing about the project was that it fulfilled Acacia’s vision for a new facility with a very modern design and functionality, yet at the same time fit with the historical image and character of the Galloway neighborhood.