Simple Power Flower, Feng Shui silk panel by Ellen Brook
The brand of your spa is communicated in many ways via a logo, brochure, website, answering machine or pre-treatment protocol. Don't overlook the powerful emotion and memory that artwork can inspire in your guests by being another subtle and beautiful communicator of your unique brand. Today's guest blogger, Ellen Brook is an artist writes about how to use and select art to create that sense of retreat for your clients.
Is your spa truly a sanctuary from the outside world? You are undoubtedly doing your best to make your spa beautiful and welcoming. To truly evoke what your clients most need - a refuge from their busy lives – your challenge is to transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary transcendent experience.
This, of course, includes designing a space with attention to everything that embraces the five senses in gentle and calming ways. It also means choosing elements that delight your clients’ physical senses… then transports them beyond. Original artwork is one of the rare treasures of the world with this capacity. While offering balance to a room, color for a wall, or a general treat for the eye, it’s like a vessel brimming with the potential to instantly conjure up warm memories, make us break into song, recall a dream or evoke something magical – a moment apart from our ordinary lives.
So art in the spa adds a beautiful visual element, but more importantly, it can help create the experience you most want to deliver. Does your spa’s artwork have this emotional power? Can it capture a client’s fancy and connect her with life on the inside? Ultimately, does this ambiance set apart your spa from the others?
If the answer is yes, then you have a powerful differentiator.
"Now what?" you’re wondering.
First, tap in to feelings. Start by asking yourself…or your employees….or better yet, your clients…‘how does this artwork make you feel?’ Good? positive? calm? Or down? cold? indifferent? Trust your gut. What else comes to mind? Does it have any of the following characteristics - haunting, magical, soft, peaceful, joyful, ethereal? For a retreat, these elements are more important than just ‘liking’ a piece.
Next, take risks. Don’t settle for something that you’ve seen everywhere just because it’s pretty. Don’t rely on prints from Z-Gallerie (nothing against chain stores, but if everyone is buying their un-original art there, then how does it differentiate your spa?) An unbelievable range of original artwork is available. And it’s not just about color or form. Find art that sings, moves, portends a mystery or a surprise. Perhaps there’s something special about its texture, asymmetry, movement, or luminescence.
Mix it up. Create visual and emotional interest. Combine sculpture, paintings, mixed media, murals, silk floaters, and ceramics. Consider the usual suspects, such as oil, acrylic, or watercolor paintings, but to be even more distinctive, think outside the box. There are beautiful and ethereal artistic delights made out of fabric, metal, paper and wood (think birdhouse!). Give more weight to natural materials than man-made ones as a bridge back to the larger web of life.
Don’t leave art to the walls. Some artwork is highly versatile, begging you to get creative. Take hand-painted silk panels, or what I call silk ‘floaters’, for instance. You can brighten up a corner with a long, narrow silk floater that dances from the ceiling; or use a wider, vibrant silk painting to loosely separate two rooms for privacy AND light; or you can billow a silk canopy across the ceiling to soften and anchor the entire space. The change to the emotional and design-scape can be dramatic.
Finally, don’t be afraid. Art doesn’t have to cost a fortune and buying it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Local artists abound and the value of their work is immensely higher than a print from you know where. Go to his/her studio and he’ll be more likely to negotiate. (and it’s fun). Play on the web…there’s etsy.com, the guild.com and many artist websites. Look for your community’s Open Studios, which hosts multiple artists for a single weekend.
Another great option is to rent artwork for 3-6 months, then rotate it
to keep your space fresh. I’ve seen one spa rotate the work in their
outer lobby while buying a special piece for each treatment room.
If you’re too busy to shop, hire an art consultant who can cut the time and pressure for you.
Art is key to your spa’s ambiance…which matters to your brand… so be art-wise!
Ellen Brook is a San Francisco Bay Area artist who specializes in contemporary abstracts and abstracted figures on silk. Ellen’s paintings include silk floaters, feng shui silk panels, wall hangings and traditional framed paintings. Her work is hanging in residential interiors, private collections, commercial lobbies, and organizations that promote well-being. For more information visit www.ellen-brook.com
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