spas
HEAD TO HILL COUNTRY Mokara Spa debuts at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in the heart of Texas. BY MARLENE GOLDMAN
AUSTIN OASIS:
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa PHOTO: © OMNI BARTON CREEK RESORT & SPA
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STARING FACE DOWN at a white chrysanthemum, a flower Confucius once suggested be used as an object of meditation, my mind began to reset after a stressful few weeks. The spider mum set the tone for the next hour of bliss as I sampled a normally 75-minute Mokara Spa signature massage replete with hot and cold stones for loosening stiff joints and treating inflammation, detoxifying ginger oil and a magical set of hands that knew how to untie more than a few knots. I was on a venture to the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin’s Hill Country, promoting its May debut of an expansive resort renovation, including the introduction of the 13,000-squarefoot Mokara, the biggest spa in the Mokara brand with 20 treatment rooms, including three couple’s rooms. Having the three couple’s rooms proves a benefit according to spa director Jackie Flory, who previously served as spa director for
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MAY 2019
the Mokara Spa at the Omni San Antonio. “At a lot of spas, the couple rooms book up immediately. In San Antonio they are booked on a busy weekend, so having more will be really nice,” Flory said. “One will have a hydrotherapy room. We’ll be able to offer couple’s body treatments as well.” Flory is introducing similar amenities that helped make the Mokara Spa at the Omni San Antonio part of a Forbes-rated property. The key is attention to detail and level of service. “You’ll notice we have the little flower bowls underneath the face, so you look at that versus just looking at the floor,” Flory said. “All of our guests receive a warm neck wrap when they come out of the treatment room and an amenity tray from the massage therapist with water and fruit on it. Throughout the spa we have a sweet mango scent we burn, so a lot of guests walk in and that’s the first thing that they notice, that’s what they remember. So it’s a
