Named for the international unit of energy, The Joule (Dallas) is electrifying the downtown area with its recent transformation. The hotel, occupying a revitalized 1920’s landmark building, underwent an expansion that included the debut of ESPA at The Joule, the first fully branded ESPA in Texas. According to spa director Virginia Acosta, the brand is the perfect fit for the Headington-owned hotel. “Both companies strive for excellence in all they do and place the guest in the center of everything,” says Acosta. “It is a perfect marriage of service, design, and style.”
Situated on two floors, the spa’s subterranean level features European-inspired heat experiences that encourage guests to take part in a healing journey of varying temperatures. According to Acosta, one of her biggest challenges is getting guests to allow enough time to fully enjoy the geothermal facilities. The spa also has six multifunctional treatment rooms, which enable therapists to perform a host of services. Multiple services and a customized experience are what most guests can expect with ESPA Time ($295, 2 hours; $440, 3 hours; $590, 4 hours), the spa’s most popular treatment. “With ESPA Time, decisions are unnecessary,” says Acosta. “Guests simply reserve time with the spa, and their therapists guide them through the treatments, ensuring their spa journey is tailored to their needs.” According to her, only highly skilled therapists can perform the spa’s most advanced therapies. “ESPA therapists are hand selected and trained extensively to ensure their skills and knowledge base are second to none,” says Acosta. “This rigorous training elevates the treatment experience at The Joule to new heights due to ESPA’s technically advanced, holistic, and personalized approach.”
The spa also offers a number of treatments that are unique to The Joule, including one that takes its name from the hotel. An indulgent body treatment, The Joule ($295, 1 hour 50 minutes) involves a dry-body brushing and exfoliation, a nourishing massage with essential oils and warmed volcanic and jade stones, and a comforting scalp massage using ESPA’s popular Pink Hair and Scalp Mud. Another signature therapy is Earth Inspired ($295, 1 hour 50 minutes), a deep-tissue massage that includes a ginger-root exfoliation and a shirodhara treatment. “ESPA was born from a deep-rooted belief that in order to progress, you need to stop, recharge, and reconsider,” says Acosta. “As the pace of modern life keeps accelerating, our products and philosophy are more salient than ever before. Our spa knowledge and heritage married with natural ingredient intelligence means we are a unique business with equally unique products.”
Staffed with 25 full-time and three part-time employees, the spa handles approximately 30 to 40 appointments each week and more than 60 on the weekends. The clientele is made up of local Dallas residents and hotel guests, most of whom are savvy spa-goers. “No one understands the mind, body, and soul synergies better than ESPA,” says Acosta. “This is not something we do, it’s everything we do. As the world around us changes, our focus and philosophy remain the same.”
Owner: Headington Companies
Spa Director: Virginia Acosta
Opened: October 2013
CLIENT BASE
50% female
50% male
SPACE
8,000 square feet; 6 treatment rooms
OFFERINGS
aromatherapy, Ayurveda, body treatments, couples’ treatments, energy work, eyelash and brow tinting, eyelash extensions, facials, fitness, hair and scalp treatments, hand and foot treatments, hydro-therapy, LED therapy, makeup application, massage, microderma-brasion, nailcare, prenatal services, reflexology, waxing
SIGNATURE SERVICE
The Joule ($295, 1 hour 50 minutes), which includes an exfoliation, a massage with warm volcanic and jade stones, and a scalp massage
MOST EXPENSIVE OFFERING
ESPA Time ($590, 4 hours), which includes treatments geared to the client’s needs and a healthy spa lunch
PRODUCT LINES
Clarisonic, Chadsworth & Haig, Deborah Lippmann, ESPA, Ikaati, La Bella Donna, Living Proof, NuFace, Oka B.
EQUIPMENT
Ageless Esthetics, Aquaovo, Comphy Co., Hebi Arts, Ionto-Comed, Living Earth Crafts, SpaEquip, SpaSoft, Ty Group, Via Motif
ARCHITECT
Forrest Perkins (Dallas)
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Tihany Design
(New York City)