Sensorielle offers treatments for mind, body

BOULDER – When clients step through the door of the Sensorielle Natural Wellness Center and Spa in Boulder, they find a space carefully crafted to nurture their physical senses and mental well being.

Sensorielle, a French word relating to the senses, provides the basis for the spa’s philosophy.

“We experience our world through our senses. If we are honoring our senses … we are in balance and happiness,´ said Waleska Lopez, the spa’s owner.

Located at 1801 13th St., Sensorielle offers a variety of massage, facial and body treatments meant to promote well being. Lopez chose the location, close to the Pearl Street Mall, because it’s the “heart beat” of Boulder, thereby adding to the sense of beauty and community she hopes her spa gives clients.

Responsiveness to clients’ needs, attention to detail, consistency and a commitment to health have helped to create Sensorielle’s success.

“We’ve grown on a curve – steep and considerable every year,” Lopez said. The spa opened in March 2005, and it attracts local clients as well as visitors, Lopez said. Many of them are repeat customers.

The philosophy behind the spa’s success springs from Lopez’s deep commitment to health.

“All my life my passion has been health. I create that in my own personal and family life, and then it goes out farther. I want everyone to be happy and healthy,” Lopez said. Part of that commitment to health begins with creating a healthy and natural environment.

The spa incorporates green, sustainable and natural products wherever possible. From the cork floors in its six treatment rooms to sliding bamboo doors and locally handmade organic skin-care products, Sensorielle brings customers what they want without compromising its holistic approach.

Responding to client feedback keeps the business strong, Lopez said, such as the spa’s no-tipping policy. Lopez heard from clients that tipping left them feeling stressed, wondering how much to leave. So Lopez and her employees decided to nix the tips.

“Our clients are happy … they know everything is included,” Lopez said.

Client input also drove Sensorielle to offer afternoon naps. After repeated client comments about the spa’s comfortable beds, they turned the idea into a business practice.

“So now we offer little 20-minute siestas,´ said Jewl Petteway, Sensorielle’s manager.Thoughtful attention to detail adds to a client’s experience. Each treatment room, named after a flower, incorporates intentionally placed and related pictures, fabrics and materials. Music plays during treatments, and clients are given time to relax after their massage rather than rushed from the room.

“We just leave the client to relax. We don’t say anything … . We’ve had people fall asleep for 20 or 30 minutes,” Petteway said. A softly chiming “Zen clock” awakes clients that fall asleep.

Establishing a ritual for clients to look forward to enhances the experience. The ritual starts with the drinking of kombucha, an ancient probiotic tea said to be good for health and digestion, which leads to a foot scrub and facial cleanse. The client then receives a massage, and the treatment ends with the playing of Tibetan singing bowls.

“When our clients come, we want them to feel like they’re coming to a different world and space,” Lopez said.

That’s exactly the experience some clients have.

“It’s really lovely and beautiful,´ said first-time client Thom Schafer of Westminster. Schafer, a high school humanities teacher, received a Sensorielle gift certificate and said the experience at Sensorielle was much different than other massages he’s had, noting the attention to detail as a big plus. He said he wants to return again soon.

Careful training of all the spa’s therapists ensures consistency each time a client returns. Therapists are taught to follow the same ritual. They also suggest self-care strategies to their clients. A follow-up phone call a few days later helps to connect with clients.

While many people traditionally think of spas as a place for women, Sensorielle serves both genders, Petteway said. This is partly due to the spa’s proximity to the large downtown business community but also because of Boulder’s athletic population.

“A lot of athletes come therapeutically on a regular basis … since we’re in Boulder a lot of rock climbers and bicyclists come,” Petteway said.

Lopez said wants clients to leave happy and carry that feeling out to the rest of their life.

“I feel like the mission of this place has been accomplished when I hear a person say, ‘I had the most wonderful experience, and I love it here.’ That’s what we’re here for.”

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