House of Bliss

Life is stressful. And modern life is especially stressful, leaving little opportunity for winding down. But in the last few years, Americans have discovered that spas can offer a welcome break from the daily rush, with luxurious services that soothe harried bodies and souls. And once they've sampled the spa experience, often in romantic resorts and top-drawer hotels, many want to bring it home.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, at-home spas are a rising trend, with many customers converting the master bathroom into a private sanctuary. Here in Southwest Florida, many homes are set up for serious self-indulgence, with multiroom master suites, luxury bathrooms separated into areas for him and her and private patios that expand these secluded sanctuaries to the pool outdoors. New products such as steam saunas and showers, multiple showerheads and jetted tubs equipped with color and aromatherapy features add to the spa experience.

Homeowners are also focusing attention on their outdoor spaces. Often the swimming pool and built-in spa are just steps away, perhaps under a bougainvillea-woven pergola or trellis or near a fireplace or fountain.

Water is an essential element of the spa experience. "We've seen a cycle from the tabletop fountains to wall fountains," says Michael Hayes, general manager of Robb & Stucky Casual Living Outdoor. "People are also getting away from strong, intense colors outside and gravitating to soft blues, turquoises and water colors. They're picking outdoor pieces made for relaxation, things like deep seating, outdoor beds that are canopied and recamiers [chaise lounges]."

Much of the enormous new Bonita Springs Robb & Stucky store seems inspired by luxury spas, with elegant but practical pieces that encourage outdoor lounging. "We have a canopy-covered queen-size bed in Sunbrella fabric that came from the Ritz-Carlton," says Hayes. "The manufacturer made it for the Ritz and wanted to see if it would sell retail. It has."

Also popular are individual cabanas that serve as changing rooms and showers; they include plumbing that can be hooked to a hose. "They're light enough that people who live on the beach carry them to the water's edge and stake them like a tent," he says. "Then they can change once they get out of the water."

Rufino Hernandez, co-owner of the Garden District in Naples, says people are willing to spend lavishly to create a comforting outdoor environment.

"Before, a simple patio set would do," he says. "Now people want outdoor lighting, outdoor rugs, plants, books and beautiful pottery. Items you would traditionally see indoors are now outdoors. Candles are also big; people love to bring fragrance outside."

You can even find outdoor art and draperies. "Draperies really pull the space together and soften it. You tie them back for a formal occasion or close them if you're hanging out with the family and want privacy," he says. "They blow in the wind and add drama."

Recent studies confirm that just looking at water can reduce stress. That may be one reason pools and spas have evolved from inconsequential holes in the ground to larger, rambling constructions that take up most of the back yard and offer multiple bubblers and fountains and personalities. Tropical landscaping softens the edges and recalls faraway resorts.

Spas are also inspiring interior features, especially in bathrooms, where homeowners are creating mini meccas of well-being, complete with relaxing scents, flickering candles and soft music and towels. (Luxury hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton have keyed into this trend, selling their own plush towels, linens and accessories to guests dazzled by the hotel experience.)

Along the Gulfshore, many homes now have large whirlpool tubs, steam showers, soft and sophisticated lighting and a private garden spot accessible only from the master suite. Some even have dedicated massage rooms and a regular appointment with the masseuse.

Naples' Jinx McDonald used energizing reds and blacks for her award-winning design for the spa at the Inn on Fifth, but she advises calming colors for at-home spas. "You want to escape from the rest of the family, so you want the room to be as sound-proof as possible, where you can just close the door and relax," she says. "No phone or TV unless you have one of those CDs with beautiful imagery and scenery. Everything should be pleasing and enticing."

Crystal chandeliers, furniture pieces instead of built-in cabinetry, and lounges and chaises are all finding their way into the bathroom, offering places to read and recline and-sorry, Jinx-watch a plasma TV hidden behind a two-way mirror. This ambiance is enhanced with scent and lighting. Glaring overhead lighting is pass?because it can emphasize wrinkles and those not-so-pretty under-eye circles. Instead, low-voltage systems, wall sconces and rope lighting make homeowners look-and feel-better.

At her Naples store, And So To Bed, Gayle Gordon Nering says customers are finding a new line of incense, Agraria, ideal for the at-home spa experience, with the bitter orange and lemon verbena scents especially popular. She's also selling lots of Diptyque candles (for years only available in New York City) and Lady Primrose products, including a dusting silk that's heavenly when sprinkled on sheets (it comes in a beautiful glass sugar shaker).

Santa Maria Novella bath salts, Nering says, "are the best I've ever sold." The 800-year-old Florence, Italy, company's pomegranate is a favorite, as are Lampe Berger, miniature oil lamps that burn fragrances (ocean breeze is the most popular, according to Nering). "People really like the lighter scents," she says. "One of our soaps is a milk fragrance that's powdery clean. And, of course, for calmness and relaxation, lavender is still one of the favorites."

Anyone who's ever blissfully emerged from a spa soaking treatment knows that huge, fluffy towels are the crowning touch. "It all goes hand in hand," says Peggy Burns, a buyer for Gattle's, a Naples fixture for fine linens for more than four decades. "You have to have a towel that makes you feel good and accompany it with a scent you really enjoy. And we have the best rugs-they're so soft I call them toe curlers. No matter how bad your day has been, step out of the tub or shower and onto a soft, cushy rug, and it could change your next few minutes."

Gloria Baur, of Bonne Nuit in Bonita Springs, agrees that thick towels from France, Italy and Portugal enhance the spa experience. So do 1,000-thread-count Egyptian sheets.

"Our most luxurious sheets are made from wood fiber," offers Nering. "They're softer than cotton and drape like silk."

Soaps are also part of the pampering. Burns suggests Baudelaire's triple-milled soaps and lotions in fragrances of wild rose, linden or alpine milk; Oprah fave from Thymes in lavender, olive leaf and gold leaf; and Rance, known for its exquisite floral aromas. Gattles' inventory ranges from natural, down-to-earth type varieties to high-end French and English soaps, fragrances and linen sprays.

Whether it's the bathroom, bedroom, a fully equipped outdoor spa or somewhere else, every home needs a private retreat. Says McDonald, "We all need a special place for reflection.? At my house it's a hammock between two trees."