Living Earth Crafts has created a bespoke solution
for one of its top clients – a convertible foot massage
table. We meet up with Brian Paris to learn more
Spa equipment designers and manufacturers Living Earth Crafts are known for their innovative pieces as well as their customer service, but sometimes, those two qualities intersect, creating products that are truly unique.
Since LEC mills and manufacturers solely within their own factories, they often build products specifically for the resort and hotel groups they do business with. So when Todd Hewitt, assistant vice president of spa for Shangri-La, approached the company about creating a product to expand their foot massage rituals, Living Earth Crafts was ready to act.
“Living Earth Crafts has always been known for our ability to build truly bespoke furniture for our clients,” says Brian Paris, EVP of Living Earth Crafts. “We’ve been experiencing our strongest year ever in international sales, partly because we’ve worked so hard in recent years to deepen our relationships with our customers.”
Hewitt and Paris worked together to strategize on a concept for a foot massage table, which was built specifically for the Asian market, where foot massage is an important part of any spa treatment – often at the beginning of a spa ritual. Hewitt wanted a solution that would allow guests to enjoy a foot soak and massage from the same table as a traditional massage, making the transition from the ritual to the main treatment more seamless for the guest and therapist alike.
“Todd is a unique and brilliant spa strategist – he knows how to deliver exceptional services and is the ideal partner,” says Paris. “It only took a few design sessions, and we started to create this beautiful table, working in harmony with his protocols and service standards.”
The resulting product, created by the Living Earth Crafts design team, is the Pan Pacific Convertible Treatment Table – a versatile, luxurious convertible couch with a plumbed foot soaking tub hidden beneath retractable cushions. The tub easily disappears under the table with the push of a button, meaning that after a foot massage or ritual, guests can relax back on the plush table for the next part of their treatment.
The Pan Pacific also features LEC’s Cloudfill upholstered slipcover; an embedded Caress self-adjusting facecradle; and whisper-quiet height adjustments and electric back-tilt, so it can be used for everything from Chinese foot massage to traditional massage, pedicures and manicures. Upgraded upholstery options are also available, as are flex arms, which allow the table to be used for seated treatments like pedicures.
“This was a piece specifically built for the Asian market, but it’s the perfect example of Living Earth Crafts’ ability to create a bespoke masterpiece for one of the world’s most prolific and highly regarded spa operators,” says Paris.
The product was so successful, Shangri-La is now rolling it out across all its spas around the world. “Living Earth Crafts is my go-to company whenever I need any spa equipment – whether traditional massage tables, pedi chairs or getting them to design something completely new on the market,” says Hewitt. “Their customer service is outstanding, which is what has kept me as a loyal customer after all these years.”
One of the reasons for that exceptional customer service may be that Paris has a unique understanding of the clients’ needs; before becoming a partner in Living Earth Crafts, he sold spa equipment, and before that, he was a Living Earth Crafts client.
“Living Earth Crafts has always been the innovator and listened to my needs,” he explains. “Creating extraordinary solutions has always been in the DNA of the company. As a former spa director, it was vital to have unique, yet reliable furniture for my spa. As a builder and designer, there’s nothing more enjoyable than helping create the perfect spa environment.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
Living Earth Crafts has created a bespoke solution
for one of its top clients – a convertible foot massage
table. We meet up with Brian Paris to learn more
Spa equipment designers and manufacturers Living Earth Crafts are known for their innovative pieces as well as their customer service, but sometimes, those two qualities intersect, creating products that are truly unique.
Since LEC mills and manufacturers solely within their own factories, they often build products specifically for the resort and hotel groups they do business with. So when Todd Hewitt, assistant vice president of spa for Shangri-La, approached the company about creating a product to expand their foot massage rituals, Living Earth Crafts was ready to act.
“Living Earth Crafts has always been known for our ability to build truly bespoke furniture for our clients,” says Brian Paris, EVP of Living Earth Crafts. “We’ve been experiencing our strongest year ever in international sales, partly because we’ve worked so hard in recent years to deepen our relationships with our customers.”
Hewitt and Paris worked together to strategize on a concept for a foot massage table, which was built specifically for the Asian market, where foot massage is an important part of any spa treatment – often at the beginning of a spa ritual. Hewitt wanted a solution that would allow guests to enjoy a foot soak and massage from the same table as a traditional massage, making the transition from the ritual to the main treatment more seamless for the guest and therapist alike.
“Todd is a unique and brilliant spa strategist – he knows how to deliver exceptional services and is the ideal partner,” says Paris. “It only took a few design sessions, and we started to create this beautiful table, working in harmony with his protocols and service standards.”
The resulting product, created by the Living Earth Crafts design team, is the Pan Pacific Convertible Treatment Table – a versatile, luxurious convertible couch with a plumbed foot soaking tub hidden beneath retractable cushions. The tub easily disappears under the table with the push of a button, meaning that after a foot massage or ritual, guests can relax back on the plush table for the next part of their treatment.
The Pan Pacific also features LEC’s Cloudfill upholstered slipcover; an embedded Caress self-adjusting facecradle; and whisper-quiet height adjustments and electric back-tilt, so it can be used for everything from Chinese foot massage to traditional massage, pedicures and manicures. Upgraded upholstery options are also available, as are flex arms, which allow the table to be used for seated treatments like pedicures.
“This was a piece specifically built for the Asian market, but it’s the perfect example of Living Earth Crafts’ ability to create a bespoke masterpiece for one of the world’s most prolific and highly regarded spa operators,” says Paris.
The product was so successful, Shangri-La is now rolling it out across all its spas around the world. “Living Earth Crafts is my go-to company whenever I need any spa equipment – whether traditional massage tables, pedi chairs or getting them to design something completely new on the market,” says Hewitt. “Their customer service is outstanding, which is what has kept me as a loyal customer after all these years.”
One of the reasons for that exceptional customer service may be that Paris has a unique understanding of the clients’ needs; before becoming a partner in Living Earth Crafts, he sold spa equipment, and before that, he was a Living Earth Crafts client.
“Living Earth Crafts has always been the innovator and listened to my needs,” he explains. “Creating extraordinary solutions has always been in the DNA of the company. As a former spa director, it was vital to have unique, yet reliable furniture for my spa. As a builder and designer, there’s nothing more enjoyable than helping create the perfect spa environment.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
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