We had the chance to speak to Josh Rosenberg, director of operations at The Spa at The Little Nell (Aspen, CO), to get an inside look at the new spa, which opened in December 2023.
Can you tell me a little bit about the spa’s design?
The Spa at The Little Nell was designed by Luis Bustamante Design, who also designed the living room and lobby of the property. The team ensured a continuation of the symmetry found in the lobby into the spa, while ensuring each space had a distinct look. Throughout the spa, the millwork and use of natural materials creates a cozy and inviting feel, and the treatment rooms feature a more neutral color scheme as compared to the bolder colors around the convivial public spaces.
Please describe each of the treatment rooms.
The Spa at The Little Nell features three treatment suites, each with a private changing room and a steam shower. Two of the rooms also offer guests a hybrid infrared sauna with halotherapy and a dedicated resting area, while the third is designed for couples with dual treatment tables.
What makes the spa unique and sets it apart from other spas in the area?
The Little Nell is set at the base of Aspen Mountain, which allows us to extend our ski-in/ski-out service to the spa, the first in the region. Our location also comes with unique challenges, being 8,000 feet above sea level, and our treatment menu is designed specifically to address concerns brought on by the high altitude and dry climate, and we have incorporated state-of-the-art technology within our treatments in order to do so.
How would you describe your typical clientele?
While The Spa at The Little Nell is open to all, the majority of our bookings come from in-house guests. Our guests come from all over – we often say the whole world comes to Aspen and that is true for the guests who come to the hotel and to our new spa. Since opening The Spa in December of 2023, we’ve welcomed guests from Brazil, Australia, the UK, and Mexico; as well as New York, Florida, California, Texas, Denver, and other parts of Colorado, to name a few origins.
How are you marketing the spa to your hotel guests and local guests?
Our concierges contact hotel guests prior to their arrival to offer their assistance with bookings on adventures and spa services, restaurant reservations, recommendations on activities in the area, and more. A pre-arrival email is sent to guests after booking with details about The Spa included. At this time, we are not running promotions for The Spa due to demand.
We plan to market The Spa with advertisements in the local papers and magazines though, at this time, we are not running promotions for The Spa due to demand. We do not have a membership program.
Can you tell me a little bit about the creation of the menu?
The Spa is inspired by Walter Paepcke, a founding father of modern-day Aspen, to embody Aspen Idea of caring for “The Mind, Body, and Spirit.” As a result, our treatment menu follows three therapeutic pathways that can be tailored to individual needs: Recover + Repair, Replenish + Restore, and Reset + Rebalance. Within each pathway, treatments feature integrated rituals, bodywork, and skincare solutions and where relevant, technology. For example, in the Replenish + Restore pathway, we offer an Altitude Adjustment Ritual designed to address the dry climate at this altitude. Guests start by receiving a full-body exfoliation and a detoxifying facial designed to boost skin’s collagen production and increase elasticity, followed by a contrast steam bath. We then apply a hydrating body mask which is amplified by infrared heat and negative ions before finishing with a relaxing Swedish-style massage.
Did you take any green initiatives when creating the spa/creating the menu/selecting the spa products?
We partnered with three skincare brands – all are organic and follow sustainable practices with their production. We also have compostable cups in the spa and fitness center with a filtered water station.
What are most spa-goers looking for when they visit your spa?
We find that our guests visit the spa for a range of reasons, from relaxation to active recovery from the winter sports for which Aspen is known. For those looking for a fast and effective treatment that also utilizes our range of technology, the Reboot Body Therapy is a popular choice as it combines bio-hacking modalities in a dynamic tech circuit, including Nano Vi oxygen, the ReLounge wave mat and Recovery Air Jet boots. Another popular signature treatment is the SturmGlow Facial, in partnership with anti-inflammatory expert Dr. Barbara Sturm.
What treatments are a harder sell?
As we’ve just opened The Spa at The Little Nell, we’re finding our guests are quite curious about the range of treatments offered and our team is focused on walking through the full menu with potential guests to find the treatment that will best address their concerns. The top requests to date have been the By Design Treatment for 60 or 90 minutes; the Deep Recovery 60-minute massage; and The Quick Fix for 45 minutes to enjoy the steam shower and sauna.
What product lines do you carry at the spa and why did you select them?
We’ve chosen to work with a select few lines from premier experts including aesthetics and anti-inflammatory pioneer Dr. Barbara Sturm; Colorado-based, organic skincare line ISUN; and all-natural skincare brand Seed to Skin Tuscany.
What sort of retail offerings do you offer?
The response to our retail has been strong with the majority of interest in the following items: ● Sturm Face Cream, Glow Drops, Hyaluronic Serum, Face Mist ● ISUN Soothing Relief Balm, Herbal Shea Butter ● Seed to Skin Tuscany Vetiver Body Lotion
What plans do you have for the future?
Our team has been immersed in our opening, especially as it coincided with peak season in Aspen, but looking ahead, we want to continue providing guests with a truly unique wellness experience from innovative treatments to continuing to implementing new and exciting technology in this space.