A villages, beautiful beaches, and outdoor fun, the popular summer-time destination isn’t exactly known for its plentiful spa offerings. This summer, however, marked the debut of The Beach House Spa at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club (Brewster, MA), which gives spa-goers and wellness enthusiasts a place to kick off their flip flops and experience a true mind-body vacation. “Our intention was to create a laid-back beachy vibe, as if you are relaxing at your best friend’s beach house,” says consulting spa director Joanna Roche. The spa is a new addition to the resort and benefits from access to the property’s resort guests, corporate groups, weddings, and 800 club members. Its central location on Main Street in historic Brewster has also proven to be advantageous among the public. “Our clientele is a mix of vacationers, resort and village guests, club members, and the local community,” says Roche. “There is only one other resort spa on Cape Cod, and everyone is interested in trying something new.”
The five-treatment-room spa specializes in creating the ultimate social setting. Helping to market the spa as a true asset in the community is its Side Porch, the larger of the spa’s two relaxation rooms. It also doubles as a wedding lounge. “For weddings, it’s a gathering place for bridal parties to get ready with its own sound system, four hair and makeup stations, a dressing room, and a private bathroom,” says Roche. “It’s a beautiful way to get the party started, and there is nothing like it available on the Cape right now. The Side Porch is also available for birthday parties, book clubs, or families who are looking to enjoy spa services and want a private home base to come back to and be together relaxing and hanging out.”
With eight full-time and eight part-time employees on staff, the spa also employs several on-call wedding hairstylists and makeup artists. On a typical day, they can accommodate approximately 75 treatments. Because the spa operates seasonally, it’s important to maximize Cape Cod’s high season. Fortunately, the spa is filling a long-standing void by offering visitors a much-needed wellness experience. “They are looking for a relaxing experience in a beautiful environment with skilled practitioners, whether it’s nails, a facial, or a massage,” says Roche.
The menu keeps things simple by offering a limited number of massages and facials. For guests who want a good rubdown, there is the Deep Tissue Massage ($170, 50 minutes; $200, 80 minutes), the Swedish Massage ($140, 50 minutes; $180, 80 minutes), and The Beach House Massage ($150, 50 minutes; $190, 80 minutes), the spa’s signature treatment using arnica gel from Farmaesthetics. “We were impressed with many features of founder Brenda Brock’s botanical line and its healing properties,” says Roche. “First, most ingredients are grown on her farm in Portsmouth, RI, and the products are produced in small batches. She has perfected her formulas over the last 20 years, and her choice of ingredients and how they work together is special.” She points to the arnica gel as a perfect example and credits it with helping the signature massage to stand out.
Guests may also choose among three facials: the HydraFacial ($150, 30 minutes), the Deluxe HydraFacial ($225, 50 minutes), and the Beach House Rose Facial ($150, 50 minutes), which Brock created to honor spa owner Suzanne Corcoran’s mother, Rose. The spa also offers hair services, waxing, and Manis ($35) and Pedis ($55). “The menu was meant to be simple and uncomplicated,” says Roche. “That’s why we chose one skincare partner. We felt too many choices creates confusion and can inhibit the guest from making a selection. Our intention was to make reading our spa menu easy, not work, and to have it be accessible to men, a population we are interested in attracting.” According to her, “Golfers need spas, too!”
Wellness also plays a key role at the spa. “We found an underutilized fitness room and converted it to a wellness studio, offering classes like Yoga for Men, Yoga for Golfers, drumming, Intro to Meditation, and Acupuncture Happy Hour,” says Roche. “Our intention is to introduce different populations to the spa through wellness programming. These offerings also bring the spa to other parts of the resort and create awareness within the general resort audience.”
Although the spa is just wrapping up its first summer, Roche and her staff are busy getting the word out. “As a new business, we are more focused on creating awareness and getting guests and members to try our services,” she says. “We are working on getting the local community to see our space as an event option, because we offer wine and beer and can accommodate all sorts of parties.” Retail is also a critical component, as Roche and her team want to share all the things they love, from great jewelry to cover-ups, from skincare products to gifts. As for the future, Roche has her eye on the bridal market and more. “The Beach House Spa will continue to focus on brides and bridal parties, events, and creating a space for the local community to become exposed to healthy living,” she says. “We think that bridal parties and event planners will love using our space so much that they will refer us to their friends and that a standalone bridal spa will spin off, starting an entirely new hybrid spa category.” It’s just one example of how this spa is changing the tides of wellness.
Owners
Suzanne Corcoran, Corcoran Jennison Hospitality
Consulting Spa Director
Joanna Roche
Spa Manager
Mackenzie Brendlen
Opened
May 2017
Client Base
65% female; 35% male
Space
5,500 square feet; 5 treatment rooms
Product Lines
Barefoot Dreams, Bella Dahl, Comphy Co., Coola, Dazzle Dry, Farmaesthetics, HydraFacial, Monarch, Suntegrity, Ugg
Equipment
HydraFacial, Living Earth Crafts, Resort Suite
Architect
S3 Design (Braintree, MA)
Interior Designer
Megan Madigan, Madigan Schuler (Alexandria, VA)
Spa Consultant
Joanna Roche, Joanna & Company (Nantucket, MA)
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