i + D - July/August 2020 - 36

In Good Health - By Michele Keith

A protective shield keeps staff and guests safe
in a space designed by Leslie McGwire.
(Image: Courtesy of Leslie McGwire & Associates)

Begin at the Beginning
"Always important-but now more than ever-is the first impression
clients get upon entering a salon," says Leslie McGwire, president of Leslie
McGwire & Associates in West Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. "A safe, clean,
and sophisticated atmosphere can easily be created with a beautiful table
at the entrance arranged with flowers, the salon's brochures, information
pertaining to the precautions being taken to guard clients against COVID-19,
and a gift such as a face mask color-coordinated with the business to show
clients they really care. Simple but thoughtful takeaways like small bottles
of hand cleaner or loofahs individually wrapped in gift paper with the salon's
logo are always appreciated."
"It's all about creating an experience, taking people away from everyday
life and getting them to focus on health," says David Shove-Brown,
co-founder and partner of Washington, D.C.-based //3877. "Of course,
cleanliness and durability are mandatory, but we can't forget that it's
also about the client's experience."

Dwayne MacEwen, principal and creative director of DMAC Architecture
in Evanston, Illinois, agrees, saying that most important is the guest
experience. "While both spas/salons and fitness centers focus on
a wellness typology," he explains, "spas/salons are more about relaxation
and rejuvenation-emotional/spiritual wellness-and fitness centers are
mostly about energy, movement, performance-physical wellness.
Each has different goals warranting different kinds of experiences and
different designs."
"There are so many important elements in a successful spa. But if I had
to pick one," says Pierre Mierski, senior partner at LEMAYMICHAUD, with
offices in Montréal, Québec, and Ottawa, "it's creating a getaway from the
everyday routine, an escape from reality, a pause button in our crazy lives.
And it all starts with a comprehensive relaxation experience in symbiosis
with nature."

David Shove-Brown,
//3877

Leslie McGwire,
Leslie McGwire & Associates

Cleanliness Above All
"Cleanliness is next to godliness," intone the sages, and it's never been
truer. Shove-Brown says of designing fitness centers, "There's a difference
between cleanliness and the perception of cleanliness. Whereas before it
was OK for a fitness center to simply look clean, today's clients scrutinize
everything. They need to see a commitment to cleanliness; it's a question
of their safety. And this includes the smallest detail, from the pen they use
to sign in to the toilets' flush valves."
Katrine Beaudry,
LEMAYMICHAUD

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Pierre Mierski,
LEMAYMICHAUD

"A rigorous sanitizing process to prevent any pathogen transmission is a
given," says Mierski. Adding that clients are "reassured when permanent
measures are integrated into a public place," LEMAYMICHAUD's lead

i+D - July/August 2020

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i + D - July/August 2020

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