One of the emerging trends of 2005 has been spas built in conjunction with residences - apartments, villas, hotel room ownership, etc. I visited my first spa located in an apartment building in September. Benu Spa & Salon is on the ground floor of The Phoenix Midtown Apartments, which is located in the Mockingbird Station district of Dallas, Texas. This 5,000-square foot facility includes a full-service salon (hair, make-up and nails), spa (locker rooms, five body treatment areas including a tandem couple’s suite and a communal waterhouse) and retail area.

I arrived in Dallas after a moderately long flight from the East Coast and headed directly for Benu. The spa is located in the back of the building and has an entrance directly from the parking lot. It had been opened since January 2005. I checked in at the reception desk, was shown to the locker room (which, apparently, is shared by adjoining Trophy Fitness) and given a quick tour of the waterhouse. Back in the locker room, I donned my bathing suit (which I knew to bring with me beforehand) and the robe and slippers provided in the locker. I was pleased I had enough time before my first treatment to relax in the waterhouse.

The waterhouse is a co-ed facility that has two long benches for seating, an open rain shower, a large whirlpool and steam cave. Use of the waterhouse is complimentary with spa services. I showered in the rain shower then soaked in the whirlpool. I showered again and entered the very roomy steam cave. Unfortunately, water collected in a rather large, deep puddle by the door in which I had to step in order to gain entrance. When I finished in the steam room, I toweled off and returned to the locker room to shower and leave my wet bathing suit in my locker. The spa does not supply plastic bags for wet suits, so I just wadded it up on the bottom of the locker.

I returned to the waterhouse to wait for my treatment. My therapist collected me and led me to a treatment room. The treatment I was about to have was a Balinese spa ritual called Sanuk. It started with a JAMU coconut scrub. I was surprised that I didn't actually smell coconut, but it was obvious that coconut was the exfoliating agent in the scrub. When the scrub was finished, I was instructed to shower off while the therapist changed the linens. The shower gel smelled wonderful! Lemongrass is one of my favorite aromas. I returned to the table for a lovely massage using Thai essence lotion. This was followed by a mini facial to cleanse, mask, and hydrate using tropical essential oils and botanicals. The ritual ended with a cup of Thai tea. Very relaxing!

Benu offers a selection of 20 tranquil and relaxing massage, footbath, skin and ritual treatments

When my treatment was over, I returned to the waterhouse to have a Za Champagne Foot Bath in the waterhouse. Combining the basic elements of soothing waters, intriguing textures, and the simplicity of the human touch, this foot treatment starts with a champagne foot bath in a very large wok, continues with a massaging scrub using crushed grape seeds and finishes with a leg and foot massage with organic rose lotion - very nice!

Finally, the Feng Shui Beauty concept, created by Feng Shui Beauty Author/Expert Billy Yamaguchi who also trained the salon staff, was explained to me. Feng Shui is an ancient system for balance and harmony based upon chi (energy) and its five elements – earth, fire, water, wood and metal. Utilizing the Feng Shui Beauty concept, Benu’s focus is to discover your dominant Feng Shui elements and choose the hairstyle and makeup that will bring out your true inner beauty. It turns out that my dominant Feng Shui elements are wood and earth and my short hairstyle is appropriate for me. Wood/Earth people are easygoing and patient. Wood is friendly and outgoing while Earth is very nurturing, so the result is a friendly, caring individual. Wood types tend to lose interest quickly, while earth likes stability and repetition. Wood/Earth needs to be in balance to reap the best of both elements. Hair services include a Feng Shui Beauty consultation.