Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island to Unveil New Custom-Built Spa

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. October 14, 2008

AMELIA ISLAND, FL, October 16, 2006. An entirely new luxury spa experience is coming to Amelia Island. Scheduled to open on December 22, 2006, The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, a AAA Five Diamond resort, will offer an atmosphere of coastal simplicity and serenity that evokes an overwhelming sense of relaxation, comfort and well-being. The spa's unique features will include: hammocks, which will be used during treatments; signature spa treatments that include opening and closing rituals on either side of the main, customized treatment, to gently start and end the spa experience; and spa butlers. The state-of-the-art, $16.4 million spa will be housed in a newly built wing featuring 27,500 square feet of indoor space and 5,000 square feet outdoors. The facility will have 26 treatment rooms and will offer: two couples massage rooms, one of which is a wet room; two spa suites - the Ocean Suite and Seaside Suite - with a private lounge and four treatment rooms each, for parties who wish to experience treatments simultaneously; a fitness studio, and movement studio for supervised classes and personal training. To further promote relaxation and well-being, the spa will include separate sex wet areas with a steam room, sauna, cascade whirlpool and private relaxation lounge, a lounge with refreshment tables, and an indoor pool. Outdoors, a new spa pool with underwater music, a lounge area, and a signature cascade whirlpool are being created for adults only. The tranquil atmosphere of the spa will be reflected in the sea-glass color palette.

One of the most unique features will be the use of a hammock in the spa, both in treatment rooms, as well as on the spa pool deck. The hammock has a charming simplicity reminiscent of carefree Southern summer afternoons, while also offering therapeutic benefits as it allows weight to be distributed evenly, creating the sensation of floating and weightlessness, and promoting health and healing.

Featuring Epicuren and Thalgo products, spa treatments will focus on enabling the experience of time - the most precious commodity of all - in a flowing, unconstrained manner. Guests can luxuriate in complete calm by surrendering themselves to their spa therapist for as long as they choose. While traditional `a la carte services will be available, the signature Spa at Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island experience will be based on customized services, offered as pleasurable, results-oriented blocks of time rather than individual treatments. In addition to the main treatment - which will be 30, 60 or 90 minutes long - each signature experience will include an initial consultation to determine the guest's needs, a signature opening treatment to bring the guest from the demanding outside world into a more peaceful state of mind, and will end with a signature closing treatment for a few minutes after the main treatment, in order to assist the guest to gently re-enter the world.

The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island will also showcase spa butlers, who will be at hand both at the spa pool and hotel pool to serve refreshing signature spa beverages, answer questions about spa treatments and to set appointments for guests. Other proposed amenities include daily morning rituals for spa guests, such as yoga and tai chi. The spa will be made available to both hotel guests and the local community, so will function as both a resort and day spa.

The architectural, design and construction team on the project includes: KBJ Architects, Inc. of Jacksonville, Fl.; RTKL Associates, Inc.; and Skanska, an international construction services firm. Project management services are being provided by Jones, Lang, LaSalle.