A gem-themed spa brings some sparkle to the new Four Seasons Philadelphia
which is housed in one of the tallest buildings in the US. Senior spa director,
Verena Lasvigne-Fox, tells Lisa Starr what makes it such a significant opening
By Lisa Starr | Published in Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Lasvigne-Fox has been managing spas at Four Seasons for 12 years
There’s a dazzling new light in the sky over Philadelphia, and this one will be shining brightly for years to come, both literally and figuratively. It’s the home of the sophisticated Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center – a 1,121 ft, 60-storey skyscraper in the heart of the city that’s been designed by the world-famous Norman Foster and is one of the tallest buildings in the US.
The 219-bed hotel, complete with two restaurants from award-winning chefs, is a flagship, world-class facility for the group. It takes up the upper 12 floors of the building and at the top is a crystal-themed spa with more than 700 pounds of gems embedded into the walls, seven treatment rooms, an infinity pool offering amazing views and a fitness centre created in consultation with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak.
Longtime Four Seasons spa leader Verena Lasvigne-Fox is steering the ship, having arrived at her lofty post two years ago while the hotel and spa were still under construction. With 12 years’ spa management experience under her belt, the German native moved to Philadelphia with her husband and two children after stints overseeing Four Seasons spas in the Seychelles, Marrakech, and the renowned George V in Paris. Here, she shares her high expectations for ‘the spa in the sky’.
How would you describe the spa and how involved in the design were you? It features an ambience of elegance, with sleek and modern décor, highlighted in warm tones of birch wood, metallic finishes and the spectacular artistry of fresh flowers by the world-renowned florist, Jeff Leatham. Our spa consultant Sylvia Sepielli completed this before I arrived, but the spa concept and menu development were left all for me... a wonderful playground, a chance to create something unique, exciting and healing. For me, it was very important to give the spa an identity and a soul, and I developed a concept around crystals. Many ancient healing traditions utilise crystals, yet they also underpin the technology of today – this building is the headquarters for telecommunications company the Comcast Corporation. It’s clearly a yin and yang, the idea of high-tech versus high-touch.
How does the crystal theme manifest itself? Crystals are present in our spa through different touch points like our signature therapies and crystal-enhanced water. All seven treatment rooms are named after a specific crystal, which is used in the décor – we have over 700 pounds of gems embedded in the walls – each has a singing bowl and also aligns with a chakra point with appropriate artwork and colours. The third eye and crown chakra rooms are used for aesthetics, and the heart chakra room is used for couple’s treatments.
But there’s much more to the spa experience than that and all of these details could go unnoticed and unremarked upon. They simply help to create a space in which optimal wellness and healing can resonate around and within the guest.
What are the most exciting treatments you offer? I love the Warm Crystal Massage, which costs US$195 (€175, £151) for 60 minutes, as it allows you to indulge in a full body massage while experiencing the healing properties of warm crystals and their respective oils: anti-stress, regeneration or harmony. In performing this holistic treatment, the therapist will adapt the pressure to best soothe your tired muscles, creating a very pampering experience, and concluding with gifting the guest with a crystal to take home.
I’ve also become addicted to the 75-minute Crystal Anti-Pollution Facial, which starts at US$395 (€355, £307).
Dr Burgener Switzerland has created an anti-pollution collection exclusively for us which has cosmetic credibility and is ideal in an urban environment like Philadelphia. This treatment incorporates the scrub, which I love – it’s unique, and a day cream.
We’ve had incredible feedback from our guests on these products and treatments.
What aspects of the spa are you most proud of? First, I must mention my dream team of 29 therapists who are so passionate and committed to providing personalised experiences to our guests. I’m extremely proud of every single one of them.
Also, the unique elegance of the spa facility with its infinity edge pool on level 57. With a 30ft high ceiling, guests can admire expansive, panoramic Philadelphia views along with an invigorating swim or tranquil dip, and they can soak in the sunlight or gaze at bright city lights.
Additionally, the supportive brand partners that we’ve selected: Dr Burgener Switzerland, Dr Barbara Sturm for darker skin tones, Vitaman for male customers, May Lindstrom Skin’s organic line and Côte nailcare. I also want to highlight, our crystal healer Rashia Bell from The Cristalline, a specialist crystal interior design and lifestyle company, whose knowledge and expertise has added a whole different level to our experience.
How’s the spa performing so far? We’ve only been open for two months, but our target audience of hotel guests as well as the local community have already created such an incredible demand for the spa, that we’ve begun hiring additional therapists. Plus we’re already booking 15 per cent of our appointments through online sources, without even advertising.
We’ve been very successful with our treatment enhancements, such as our 30-minute microdermabrasion, gold firming mask or LED light therapy sessions, adding an average of US$31 (€28, £24) to more than half of our therapies. Our team really believes in them and their ability to deliver a better result for the guest.
Retail sales currently make up 18 per cent of revenue but I expect that to grow to 30-40 per cent. My vision for our lifestyle boutique was for guests to browse through an exclusive collection of curated items – from crystals and jewellery to designer swimwear – for themselves and others. Our spa products are the most popular, representing 70 per cent of retail sales.
How important are spas and wellness to Four Seasons? Wellness isn’t just about appearance or feeling good, it’s about restoring and maintaining balance, physically and mentally.
Four Seasons’ appointment of Harley Pasternak as global fitness advisor is an indicator of how committed our company is when it comes to wellness. From the beginning, Four Seasons as a company has supported Global Wellness Day, as we strongly believe that raising awareness for living a well life is important.
A luxury hotel without a spa is a rarity, and today Four Seasons is one of the largest luxury spa operators in the world. Our spa allows guests to immerse themselves in a haven of wellness and serenity, inspired by the healing power of crystals, and experience pure bliss in the clouds.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
A gem-themed spa brings some sparkle to the new Four Seasons Philadelphia
which is housed in one of the tallest buildings in the US. Senior spa director,
Verena Lasvigne-Fox, tells Lisa Starr what makes it such a significant opening
By Lisa Starr | Published in Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Lasvigne-Fox has been managing spas at Four Seasons for 12 years
There’s a dazzling new light in the sky over Philadelphia, and this one will be shining brightly for years to come, both literally and figuratively. It’s the home of the sophisticated Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center – a 1,121 ft, 60-storey skyscraper in the heart of the city that’s been designed by the world-famous Norman Foster and is one of the tallest buildings in the US.
The 219-bed hotel, complete with two restaurants from award-winning chefs, is a flagship, world-class facility for the group. It takes up the upper 12 floors of the building and at the top is a crystal-themed spa with more than 700 pounds of gems embedded into the walls, seven treatment rooms, an infinity pool offering amazing views and a fitness centre created in consultation with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak.
Longtime Four Seasons spa leader Verena Lasvigne-Fox is steering the ship, having arrived at her lofty post two years ago while the hotel and spa were still under construction. With 12 years’ spa management experience under her belt, the German native moved to Philadelphia with her husband and two children after stints overseeing Four Seasons spas in the Seychelles, Marrakech, and the renowned George V in Paris. Here, she shares her high expectations for ‘the spa in the sky’.
How would you describe the spa and how involved in the design were you? It features an ambience of elegance, with sleek and modern décor, highlighted in warm tones of birch wood, metallic finishes and the spectacular artistry of fresh flowers by the world-renowned florist, Jeff Leatham. Our spa consultant Sylvia Sepielli completed this before I arrived, but the spa concept and menu development were left all for me... a wonderful playground, a chance to create something unique, exciting and healing. For me, it was very important to give the spa an identity and a soul, and I developed a concept around crystals. Many ancient healing traditions utilise crystals, yet they also underpin the technology of today – this building is the headquarters for telecommunications company the Comcast Corporation. It’s clearly a yin and yang, the idea of high-tech versus high-touch.
How does the crystal theme manifest itself? Crystals are present in our spa through different touch points like our signature therapies and crystal-enhanced water. All seven treatment rooms are named after a specific crystal, which is used in the décor – we have over 700 pounds of gems embedded in the walls – each has a singing bowl and also aligns with a chakra point with appropriate artwork and colours. The third eye and crown chakra rooms are used for aesthetics, and the heart chakra room is used for couple’s treatments.
But there’s much more to the spa experience than that and all of these details could go unnoticed and unremarked upon. They simply help to create a space in which optimal wellness and healing can resonate around and within the guest.
What are the most exciting treatments you offer? I love the Warm Crystal Massage, which costs US$195 (€175, £151) for 60 minutes, as it allows you to indulge in a full body massage while experiencing the healing properties of warm crystals and their respective oils: anti-stress, regeneration or harmony. In performing this holistic treatment, the therapist will adapt the pressure to best soothe your tired muscles, creating a very pampering experience, and concluding with gifting the guest with a crystal to take home.
I’ve also become addicted to the 75-minute Crystal Anti-Pollution Facial, which starts at US$395 (€355, £307).
Dr Burgener Switzerland has created an anti-pollution collection exclusively for us which has cosmetic credibility and is ideal in an urban environment like Philadelphia. This treatment incorporates the scrub, which I love – it’s unique, and a day cream.
We’ve had incredible feedback from our guests on these products and treatments.
What aspects of the spa are you most proud of? First, I must mention my dream team of 29 therapists who are so passionate and committed to providing personalised experiences to our guests. I’m extremely proud of every single one of them.
Also, the unique elegance of the spa facility with its infinity edge pool on level 57. With a 30ft high ceiling, guests can admire expansive, panoramic Philadelphia views along with an invigorating swim or tranquil dip, and they can soak in the sunlight or gaze at bright city lights.
Additionally, the supportive brand partners that we’ve selected: Dr Burgener Switzerland, Dr Barbara Sturm for darker skin tones, Vitaman for male customers, May Lindstrom Skin’s organic line and Côte nailcare. I also want to highlight, our crystal healer Rashia Bell from The Cristalline, a specialist crystal interior design and lifestyle company, whose knowledge and expertise has added a whole different level to our experience.
How’s the spa performing so far? We’ve only been open for two months, but our target audience of hotel guests as well as the local community have already created such an incredible demand for the spa, that we’ve begun hiring additional therapists. Plus we’re already booking 15 per cent of our appointments through online sources, without even advertising.
We’ve been very successful with our treatment enhancements, such as our 30-minute microdermabrasion, gold firming mask or LED light therapy sessions, adding an average of US$31 (€28, £24) to more than half of our therapies. Our team really believes in them and their ability to deliver a better result for the guest.
Retail sales currently make up 18 per cent of revenue but I expect that to grow to 30-40 per cent. My vision for our lifestyle boutique was for guests to browse through an exclusive collection of curated items – from crystals and jewellery to designer swimwear – for themselves and others. Our spa products are the most popular, representing 70 per cent of retail sales.
How important are spas and wellness to Four Seasons? Wellness isn’t just about appearance or feeling good, it’s about restoring and maintaining balance, physically and mentally.
Four Seasons’ appointment of Harley Pasternak as global fitness advisor is an indicator of how committed our company is when it comes to wellness. From the beginning, Four Seasons as a company has supported Global Wellness Day, as we strongly believe that raising awareness for living a well life is important.
A luxury hotel without a spa is a rarity, and today Four Seasons is one of the largest luxury spa operators in the world. Our spa allows guests to immerse themselves in a haven of wellness and serenity, inspired by the healing power of crystals, and experience pure bliss in the clouds.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
