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A trendy new hotel spa raises the bar for neighboring spas and provides yet another draw for San Antonio's revered Riverwalk.
KNOWN FOR THE ALAMO AND ITS RIVERWALK, SAN Antonio recently became home to the upscale and stylish Watermark Spa. Creating a haven of relaxation downtown, the Watermark attracts savvy spa-goers from Austin and the Texas Triangle-San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. In addition, the spa draws a fair share of visitors from New York and California. According to spa operations manager Michael Simmons, the California market has begun to pick up considerably as of late.
Designed to be a trendier and more contemporary companion property to the celebrated La Mansion del Rio Hotel across the river, The Watermark Hotel & Spa resurrects the façade of the 19th century L. Frank Saddlery Building that originally occupied the site. Set on the hotel's second floor, the European-style spa includes four spa suites that offer private in-room treatments and overnight accommodations.
To differentiate itself from the competition, the Watermark provides a standard of service not typically found in the area. According to Simmons, most of the spa's therapists have on average a minimum of 850 hours of education in addition to 100 hours of practical experience. This goes beyond the state s required minimum of 300 credit hours. In fact, 90 percent of the spa's therapists are nationally certified, many having graduated from The Utah College of Massage Therapy (UCMT). Therapists from UCMT have 815 hours of training and most go on to complete the practical course, which gives them nearly 1,200 hours total. "The level of our therapists is beyond what you typically find here [in San Antonio],"...