Goals for the change. “We wanted to create an oasis in the Sonoran Desert where locals could escape the desert heat and resort prices,” says Lamar. “Our goal was to transform our spa into an island paradise, offering a Caribbean vacation without the jet lag.”
Challenges. “we allowed only seven days for our remodel, which in hindsight was a bit ambitious,” admits Lamar. “We tore out the old carpet only to find that the concrete floor underneath was too uneven to lay tile over. Sanding the floor put us a full day behind. Our plan to retile the steam room ended up as a complete rebuild. Painting took much longer than we expected. Our entire team worked nearly around the clock each day. If I’d ever done a 5,000 square-foot commercial remodel before, I would have realized that it couldn’t be done in seven days. Because I didnt know any better, we did it!”
Rewards. “A day or two after we reopened, I was walking through the atrium when i noticed a couple sitting in the new rattan chairs,” relates Lamar. “She was very pregnant and nestled into the pillows with her feet up on an ottoman. I introduced myself and thanked them for coming. She said, ”’We’ve been coming here for years but we always just went home after our massages. Today, these seats looked so inviting we just had to try them, and now we don’t want to leave.’ In that moment, i knew the makeover had been worth it.”
