The food and wine-based Evangeline Spa has opened at the gastronomy-focused Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa, Florida.

Spa consultants, WTS, organised the layout and interior design of the 2,800sq ft (260sq m) spa, which provides food-based treatments to its guests. They will also manage the spa.

The five-treatment room spa includes two couples’ rooms which feature chromatherapy lighting – one including a rain shower for two while the other has a double hydrotherapy bath – according to Ashley Spurlock, Spa Evangeline’s spa director.

Susie Hammer, vice president of WTS's spa operations, said: “Guests will have the opportunity to work with a spa sommelier to create custom products using locally grown cilantro and mint mixed with fresh fruits and essential oils. This will create a truly unique spa and culinary experience for guests.”

This interactive “Chef-to-Treatment Spa Bar” permits guests to extract herbs from the spa’s “Living Wall” – a decorative plant display, mounted on the wall of the nail salon – which is covered in more than 19,000 wine corks.

Culinary skincare products used in the spa come from vinotherapie experts Caudalie, whose products use grape extracts, harvested from the Smith Haute Family vineyards of Bordeaux, France. Ashley Spurlock explained one of the treatments as “a facial massage with fresh grapes and a hydrating misting of grape water.”

Farm House Fresh, a Texan food-based skincare company, also provides products which are up to 99.5 per cent natural – including liquor-based body polishes such as Butter Rum, Bourbon Bubbler and Watermelon-Basil Vodkatini.

“The phenomenal day spa within the hotel creates a unique opportunity for all of us to challenge our menu-writing abilities and prove – once and for all – that a spa menu could really make people ‘salivate’ over body treatments and facials," said Alfredo Carvajal, WTS COO.

"We started working with the Epicurean on design, which our design associate, Theresa Alosa, had the pleasure of developing," said Susie Hammer, explaining WTS's involvement in the spa’s conception. "Additionally, we continued support by opening the facility which included development of their marketing materials, menu and other collateral along with the hiring and training of staff. Today, we continue our support by providing ongoing management services.”

WTS is a 40 year-old company with 2,000 members who are industry experts. “As with any project, our team reviews every aspect of our concept before it is translated into an effective design, all of this on the back of a very careful evaluation of the financial and service expectations of our clients," said Carvajal explaining WTS's function. "From there, we bring the final product to life with our pre-opening support and then effective management. Even if each project has its own challenges, the beauty of having us as partners is our capacity to find solutions and have a dedicated team to see them implemented.”

Mainsail Lodging & Development and Bern’s Steak House developed the 137-bedroom hotel, which is the first newly constructed hotel property in the US to join the Autograph Collection of Marriott International. The hotel also features culinary classroom, rooftop lounge, wine shop, bakery and the Elevage restaurant.

Find out more at wtsinternational.com

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