Opened in the mid '80s as a country club, the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa (Austin, TX) later opened its doors as a hotel in 1987, with former first lady Lady Bird Johnson in attendance for the grand opening ceremony. Recently, the resort celebrated another grand opening, marking a new chapter in its history. Completing a $150 million renovation, the resort has been transformed with freshly designed guest rooms, seven restaurants, four championship golf courses, and a new and expanded Mokara Spa with an adults-only rooftop pool featuring stunning views of Texas Hill Country.
The spacious spa features the Spa Creek Café, which serves a variety of healthy options, and three private couples’ suites for those who prefer to spa together. Each of the 20 treatment rooms is named after a tree found in Texas, such as Magnolia and Mulberry.
The spa’s scenic setting in Hill Country definitely played a role in its development. According to spa director Jackie Flory, the pool with its stunning views is one of the spa’s distinguishing features. “The spa enhanced the area by giving our guests and club members more opportunities to practice health and wellness on a consistent basis,” says Flory. “It also celebrates the environment around us by featuring an aquatic theme throughout the space. This was inspired by Barton Creek and other natural waterways nearby.” The artwork, in particular, reflects the local landscape and its natural water elements. “Our spa features a topographic art piece of Jacob’s Well, a local water attraction in the Hill Country, and abstract paintings of Hamilton Pool Preserve, another popular natural swimming hole in our area,” says Flory.
The treatment menu was also designed to reflect the spa’s location. Relying on a number of product lines that have forged strong ties with the Mokara brand, the menu features the ATX Foot Fix ($165, 50 minutes), an invigorating foot scrub and massage; the Barton Springs ($165, 50 minutes; $230, 80 minutes; $315, 1 hour 40 minutes), a Swedish-style massage; and the Mount Bonnell ($190, 50 minutes; $235, 80 minutes), a hot-stone massage named after a local landmark. The spa also offers four Herbal Massages ($175, 50 minutes; $240, 80 minutes; $335, 1 hour 40 minutes): Balance, Rest, Renew, and Detox. A variety of enhancements, such as the Scalp and Face Massage ($60, 20 minutes) and the Collagen Booster Moisture Veil ($30, 15 minutes), can be added to the facials.
Catering up to 225 spa-goers each day, the spa is an inviting retreat offering a host of restorative and rejuvenating experiences. According to Flory, guests are seeking out great results and are especially conscious about the ingredients used in the products and treatments. “Our future includes Mokara Spa being the premier spa brand in Austin and the state,” says Flory. “We want to continue to offer services and ingredients that reflect our local surroundings, and our goals are to exceed the expectations of our guests while inspiring and rewarding our associates.”
SPA STATS
- OWNER: Omni Hotels & Resorts
- SPA DIRECTOR: Jackie Flory
- OPENED: May 2019
- CLIENT BASE: 80% female; 20% male
- SPACE: 13,000 square feet; 20 treatment rooms
- PRODUCTS & EQUIPMENT: Aromatherapy Associates, Babor, CND, Continuum, Dazzle Dry, HydraFacial, Kevin Murphy, Living Earth Crafts, Monarch, Naturopathica, OPI, ResortSuite, Saint Cosmetics, Silhouet-Tone, Yeah Baby, Zents
- ARCHITECT: Beck Architecture (Austin, TX)
- INTERIOR DESIGNER: Looney & Associates (Dallas)
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