CdA Resort getting luxury spa treatment

A $20 million makeover will bring a fresh look to the Coeur d’Alene Resort next year, just in time for the tourism icon’s 20th birthday.

The makeover includes construction of a lavish spa, complete with $200,000 worth of therapeutic shower equipment, pinecone foot scrubs, and “sports facials” for men. In addition, 200 guest rooms in the resort’s tower will be gutted and renovated, resort owner Duane Hagadone said during a Wednesday press conference.

The upgraded spa, which will open in May, will keep the Coeur d’Alene Resort competitive as it moves toward its third decade, Hagadone said. Last year, for the first time in the resort industry, spa revenue exceeded golf revenue.

“Men come to play golf. Their wives go to the spa,” he said.

Body wraps and Botox have joined afternoons on the greens and shopping sprees as standard activities at resorts. To compete, resorts need first-rate facilities, industry experts say.

A row of exercise bikes in the basement, or a part-time manicurist, doesn’t cut it anymore, said Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder.com, a Manhattan publication that rates spas. People ask about the availability of facials and fitness activities when they’re booking trips and meetings, she said. Some convention packages include a complimentary massage.

Spas are an especially good fit with convention hotels, Ellis said. People want to unwind after their meetings.

Hagadone has hired a national name in spa design in the hope of jump-starting the new spa’s reputation. Architect TAG Galyean has designed spas for Pebble Beach Golf Links in Monterey, Calif., and The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Galyean chose cedar as a theme in the new spa, which will also feature a wall-length water feature.

“You’ll pass cedar planks in the entrance,” said Molly Michaud, Hagadone Hospitality’s marketing director. “It will be like walking through cedar groves, though a creek bed, to reach the waterfall.”

A huge crane currently towering over the Coeur d’Alene Resort is part of the construction activity. The current spa will double in size by adding a second floor. The new spa will occupy 15,000 square feet, including 22 treatment rooms. Cosmetic laser treatments, Botox injections and collagen skin enhancements will be part of the offerings. The spa will employ about 100 people.

A six-hour package for women, including Swedish massage, hydrotherapy, anti-aging hand treatment, neck contouring, hair styling and makeup application, runs $550.

For men, the spa is advertising a $230 package with a full body massage and facial.

Spas have been successful at marketing to men, said Spa Finder’s Ellis.

“Twenty years ago, it was mostly women, mostly affluent, and a lot of it was about weight loss,” she said.

Now, the gender mix at resort spas is 60 percent women and 40 percent men, according to SpaFinder.com’s surveys. The average household income – $72,000 – still tops the national average. And stress reduction and relaxation have overtaken weight loss as the primary reason for visiting a spa.

Men and women do view spas differently, according to Ellis.

“Men are interested in the work aspect of a spa,” she said. “Their shoulder is tight. They think their golf swing will improve if they get a massage.

“For women, the spa experience is about pampering.”

The Coeur d’Alene Resort will stay open during the spa expansion and guest room renovation. The existing spa facilities have been temporarily relocated to the 17th floor. Tower guest rooms will be redone 30 at a time, to avoid disruption, Hagadone said.

The spa will be finished next spring. The room renovations will be completed in 2007.

Hagadone said he hopes that the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s new spa will develop the same kind of reputation as the resort golf course’s floating green.

“It will help our winter business,” he said.