A magic wand would have come in handy for Miami entrepreneur Adriana Cohen and her sister, artist Diana De Los Rios. The duo spent three months transforming 1300 square feet of strip mall space into the fairy tale Le Petite Spa.
They knew their 4- to 12-year-old clients (and their parents) would be most comfortable in an open room with everything on view. So De Los Rios’ design positioned the treatment areas on a five-inch platform cushioned with quilted edges. Twin beds set side-by-side replace traditional massage tables. Not only can the fairy-winged masseuses attend four girls at a time, “but the girls get to giggle with their friends. We didn’t want them to feel alone,” says Cohen.
Adjustable stools were reworked into right-sized styling chairs. They share luxe fabric left over from a redo of the Louis XVI sofa used as seating for pedicures.
Art plays a major role. Each figure in De Los Rios’ hand-painted mural at the spa’s entrance has real feathers, bows or “gems.” “The girls stop to look at each one,” says Cohen. The pay-off for all of the 3 a.m. nights for Cohen and De Los Rios and a $50,000 investment has been an average of five bookings a week since the spa’s opening in February.
Project Participants:
Client
Le Petite Spa, North Miami, Fla.
Design, Props and Decoratives, Wall Décor
Diana De Los Rios, Miami
Outside Consultant
Silvia Lu, Miami (feng shui)
Curtains
Fashion Warehouse, Miami