The city of Houston, which once served as a capital of the Republic of Texas, is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth most populous in the U.S. today. Houston is widely recognized as a leader in the energy, manufacturing, medical, and healthcare research industries, and it is closely associated with space exploration, as the home of NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center. Houston also boasts a thriving theater district and Buffalo Bayou Park, a 2.3-mile long municipal park located along the banks of the Buffalo Bayou near downtown Houston. Featuring unobstructed views of downtown Houston’s skyline and the 160-acre park at its doorstep, Thompson Houston is a luxury hotel with a stylish design, world-class dining, event space, and the brand-new Thompson Spa.
The 9,324-square-foot wellness haven, which has 5,472 square feet of treatment space, features a sophisticated design that perfectly complements the rest of the hotel. “As we approached the design of the spa, we used inspiration from the Thompson brand to create a masculine palette with soft curves to create a serene experience,” says Megan Fitzgerald, director of spa and wellness at Thompson Spa at Thompson Houston. “We used a warm plaster, seen throughout the hotel, and dim lighting to contrast from the natural light from the expansive windows on the exterior of the building. We worked with DC Partners to select strikingly dark accents, such as the entry door, and textured stone-look porcelain on the walls in the Grounding Room to contrast the architectural curves and softer tones of the marble-look porcelain countertops.”
According to Fitzgerald, as guests walk down a cavernous hallway into dimly lit treatment rooms, the wall gently curves to the ceiling and the wood millwork fits snuggly in that cove. “The soft glow of the light under the millwork creates an ambience of total relaxation, like sunlight peeking through a forest,” she says. “We used dark greens, stone-look porcelain, soft brass, and a warm wood tone to accomplish a space of relaxation.” For the soft textiles, the spa chose sustainable options over synthetic fabrics opting for cotton, silk, bamboo, or cashmere. The dark green color seen throughout the spa was selected to enhance each guest’s mental and physical relaxation states and is associated with nature, life, and growth, while the natural-tone greens are offset by bright white to communicate purity, cleanliness, and neutrality. “We endeavor to provide a neutral, soothing space for guests to have the sensory input signals that allow them to create their own experience,” says Fitzgerald.
Encompassing an entire floor of the hotel, Thompson Spa features six treatment suites aptly named State of Radiance Suite, State of Renewal Suite, State of Harmony Suite, State of Inner Peace Suite, State of Wellbeing Suite, and the Bayou Suite, a couples’ treatment room named after the lush green park it overlooks. The spa also has a State of Elegance Suite, which is flex space used for hair services, IV treatments, and more. Additionally, the spa features indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, saunas, a salon, and a state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center.
Guests can choose from a number of treatments, including massage services, facials, body treatments, hydration scrubs, men’s treatments, and more utilizing products from Pietro Simone Skincare and Agent Nateur. Among the massage services available are the Exotic Floral Aromatic Journey (starting at $265, 50 minutes; $385, 80 minutes), which is a Swedish massage using floral essential oils, and the Grounding Aromatic Journey (starting at $245, 50 minutes; $365, 80 minutes), a Swedish massage that also includes a warm foot wrap and aromatic head massage. Those who prefer a facial can opt for the Cellular Activating Hydration Facial (starting at $325, 70 minutes; $445, 1 hour 40 minutes), which utilizes Pietro Simone peptides and biotechnologies to leave skin hydrated; the Luminous Crystal Gua Sha Facial (starting at $650, 90 minutes), includes gua sha techniques and orchestrated massage rituals to sculpt, revive, and re-oxygenate the skin, as well as gentle cupping to help reduce inflammation and puffiness; or the Always Pure Aromatherapy Facial (starting at $230, 50 minutes; $350, 80 minutes), a hydrating facial to purify, stimulate, re-oxygenate, and nourish the skin.
According to Fitzgerald, the spa’s concept was designed to disrupt the typical spa experience. Therefore, there is no typical clientele. “We wanted to create a space where individuals could discover a diverse, inclusive, and heart-centered experience at Thompson Spa,” she says. “We committed early in the process to meeting the specific needs of individuals as they pertain to gender and size inclusion, LGBTQIA+ identity, and the unique needs of Black and Indigenous skin. We have spa guests from all walks of life, multiple countries, and with varied priorities and outcomes for their experience. Knowing we cannot be all things to all people, we decided to commit to disrupting the standard and focus on world-class, often once-in-a-lifetime experiences, that a spa aficionado may not have ever come across otherwise.”