Spas in the News

The Wellness Center at the LEED-Built Ritz-Carlton Hotel will Open October 1, 2009

Environmentally-Friendly Treatments Designed to Rebalance and Recalibrate while Protecting Nature within the City

CHARLOTTE, NC. August 27, 2009 -- When it opens this October 1, The Wellness Center at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte will provide an environmentally-mindful new spa experience designed to offer peace and balance in the heart of the city’s thriving Uptown.

Reflecting The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte’s commitment to using eco-friendly, all-organic products and services, the 13,000-square-foot Wellness Center will include four oversized spa treatment rooms featuring Tempur-Pedic memory foam bed-tops, a complete Fitness Center with personal televisions, a sunlit movement studio offering floor-to-ceiling city views, and a spacious Aqua Lounge with saline-treated swimming pool and whirlpool. The Wellness Center enjoys a bi-level penthouse location atop The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, the first LEED®-built hotel for The Ritz-Carlton brand and the first for greater Charlotte.

“We look forward to bringing a new, environmentally-focused wellness experience to Charlotte and its travelers,” said David Rothwell, General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. “With our commitment to helping restore personal balance while also protecting nature within the city, we anticipate that The Wellness Center will become an exciting new destination for area visitors.”

The Wellness Center will offer a contemporary array of eco-friendly guest services and treatments, many of them unique to the hotel spa experience. Highlights include:

Green Your Body Eco-Treatment

The ultimate in skin renewal, Green Your Body includes a skin brushing, skin polishing with salt and sugar scrubs, scalp mud experience and deeply-relaxing cocoon wrap, followed by an intuitive massage. Guests may select from three essential oil-infused ingredients from The Wellness Center’s Scrub and Polish Mixology Bar, including natural pumice, therapeutic salts and organic sugars, and mineral seaweed, Sedona mud and massage infusions. The experience includes an intuitive foot soak.

Re-Nourish Lunch Break Escape

Re-Nourish is a mini-vacation in the midst of a busy workday – perfect for the hotel’s urban setting close to the fast-growing city’s many corporate headquarters. Fully customizable for professionals and travelers on the go, Re-Nourish includes 25 or 50 minutes of two or four combined targeted mini-treatments, along with healthy farm-to-spa light lunch bites.

Drift to Sleep

A specialized journey designed to help the harried guest truly let go, and to promote sleep at a deep level of sub-consciousness, this relaxation therapy is designed for an overactive mind or sleep-deprived individual having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

Techno-Stress Relief

Precisely-targeted acupressure and Swedish massage techniques address the thumb, hand and wrist discomforts of PDA use, as well as neck and shoulder soreness brought on by way too much time at the computer.

Charlotte Tandem Massage

Shared harmony, this massage for two allows partners, best friends or mother-daughter to indulge, relax, respond and re-connect through the use of gentle scents and soothing oils.

Motherhood Pre-Natal Spa

A pre-natal body massage that uses specialized techniques to increase circulation, alleviate muscle soreness, reduce water retention and soothe stressed skin, this service is offered after the first trimester only.

Time-Out Facial for Executives

A skin-healing facial that specifically addresses men’s skin care needs and that features an added neck and shoulder massage. Eye, scalp or collagen upgrades may be applied to this facial that is perfect for the stressed-out business traveler.

Counterbalance Signature Massage

Counterbalance begins with a restorative skin brushing and then incorporates five highly-effective massage oils in one treatment to achieve overall well-being. Results focus on the critical personal balance areas of detoxification, energy recalibration, circulation, calming and muscle relaxation. Counterbalance includes an intuitive foot soak.

Added benefits of The Wellness Center’s numerous facial and massage experiences will include use of precious and rare ingredients containing all-natural, certified organic extracts, oils and floral waters, and access to Spa Longer -- a complimentary mid-afternoon upgrade of 50-minute treatments to a 75- minute experience, based on availability. In addition to its array of signature spa treatments and experiences, The Wellness Center will offer personal training and wellness sessions, weekend yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and aqua aerobics classes.

The eco-conscious Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte will begin accepting reservations on July 24 for stays beginning October 1, 2009. With construction and operations designed to attain LEED Gold certification, the sleekly contemporary hotel features 146 technologically-advanced guest rooms, street-side BLT Steak restaurant, and more than 12,000 square-feet of meeting and conference space.

Environmentally-focused features of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte include:

• A green, vegetated roof to insulate the 18-story building, reflect heat and slow rain runoff
  
• Employee uniforms made of fabric derived from regenerated plastic bottle materials
  
• An in-house water purification and container system that will divert 73,000 plastic bottles from landfills, save more than 104 barrels of oil, eliminate nearly 49 tons of CO2 emissions and save almost 605,000,000 BTUs of electricity each year
  
• A state-of-the-art air transfer system that circulates outside air into guest rooms at 60 cubic-feet per minute
  
• A hotel Bike Valet, plus 150 bicycle parking spaces and complimentary bikes for guests to use in Uptown
  
• Complimentary parking for Hybrid vehicles
  
• Complimentary weekday morning guest transportation via Hybrid vehicle

An eco-focused rarity among top-tier branded hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte is located in Charlotte’s thriving Uptown, within easy walking distance of the city’s most popular sports, entertainment and business destinations.

Located at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte at 201 East Trade Street, The Wellness Center will begin accepting reservations in late September, 2009, for services beginning October 1, 2009. For further details, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/charlotte or call the hotel directly at 704.547.2244.

For reservations, visit www.ritzcarlton.com, call 800.241.3333, or contact a travel professional. The hotel pre-opening office may be reached at 704.547.2244.

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