Credit: Under a Tree

We centred the entire wellness experience around three pillars – Recuperate, Reconnect and Re-energise
– Amy McDonald

The healing power of water has inspired the concept behind a large new spa in Florida at the recently-opened Conrad Orlando hotel.

The 433-key Hilton hotel was developed by Dart Interests and forms part of the developer and owner’s billion-dollar 1,100-acre mega-resort called Evermore Orlando*, located next to Florida's iconic Disneyland resort.

Dart appointed spa and wellness consultancy Under A Tree (UAT) to develop a wellness concept for the two-floor 10,000sq ft Conrad spa. The final result is an indoor-outdoor wellness oasis including a 12,000sq ft outdoor Water Garden.

The UAT team – formed of Amy McDonald, Sue Adkins and Jane Kitchen – drew inspiration for the concept from Florida’s abundance of natural springs and the 500-acre nature preserve adjacent to the property.

Open to guests and hotel visitors, the spa includes 11 Lemi-equipped treatment rooms, saunas, steamrooms, a relaxation lounge, a recovery space, a gym and stations for manicures, pedicures and hairstyling.

UAT worked with hospitality design firm HBA and Laurie Miller of Anderson Miller Interiors to realise the space.

“Whether through traditional spa treatments, contrast bathing in the Water Garden or quick restorative treatments in the Harmonic Wellness Lounge, there is something special for everyone,” Amy McDonald, UAT owner, told Spa Business.

“We centred the entire wellness experience around three pillars – Recuperate, Reconnect and Re-energise – and tied these words into the different ways that guests experience water at the spa.”

Creating an oasis

The Water Garden is the jewel in the spa’s crown, featuring hot/cold plunges, a vitality pool, sound bath stations and a garden relaxation area.

Claimed to be the first of its kind in central Florida, the outdoor space is designed to support both tired Disney guests and Conrad's leisure and business guests.

Four individual soaking baths are also available for an additional fee. Here, guests can opt for customised herbal and flower essence soaks supplied by Lotus Wei.

“We worked with the landscape architects to ensure the local flowers used in the baths and soaks by Lotus Wei were grown around the tubs,” explained McDonald.

“Due to the size of the hotel and the surrounding condos and homes, we wanted to have a water offering that was wellness-focused, and not just another hotel pool.

Conrad has also enhanced the offering with a selection of wellness-forward guest rooms adjacent to the water garden.

Programming highlightsIn the Harmonic Wellness Lounge, set off the main lobby of the Conrad, is designed for guests who are pressed for time. The offering includes Hyperice percussion massage guns, compression equipment, weighted blankets and vibro-acoustic loungers with guided meditation.

The spa’s treatment menu is partnered with Noble Panacea, the only Nobel Laureate-created skincare brand in the world, backed by scientific research and created by hand in small batches using sustainable packaging.

Additional spa partners include Medicine Springs and Noel Asmar Uniforms.

*The wider project

Built by global architecture firm HKS, Conrad Orlando forms part of the billion-dollar Evermore Orlando Resort.

Newly built from the ground up, the complex is a comprehensive redevelopment of the former Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort.

The vast property is home to almost 1,500 vacation rentals and luxury hotel accommodations, paired with high-end amenities. These include a 20-acre tropical beach and an eight-acre crystalline lagoon created by Crystal Lagoons.

The surrounding beach areas feature bars, cabanas, private fire-pits and an aquatic adventure and watersports area.

Other amenities include a food hall and gourmet market, a casual resort restaurant, two Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf courses and more than 150,000sq ft of indoor/outdoor event space.

Dart said the vision for the property was to completely reimagine the needs of families, friends and business groups travelling together.

Florida’s natural springs inspire new Conrad Spa oasis opening at billion-dollar Orlando mega-resort

FEATURE: Top team – Hilton