Condo Nations

For a glimpse at the future of spa living, look up

Stressed-out urbanites are the target of the new spa-lifestyle residential developments that are going up in cities from New York and London to Bangkok. With amenities that range from onsite spas and wellness experts to studios for yoga classes and rooftop meditation gardens, the residences are appealing to primary-home buyers (mostly the over-scheduled, work-driven ones) looking to recover some work-life balance by living at the spa, says Kevin M. Kelly, president of Canyon Ranch, who should know something about it. Canyon Ranch Living on Miami Beach is the standard bearer of the urban-spa-condo genre. The just-completed 580 spa-served residences (150 of which are hotel suites) have at their disposal the East Coast's largest spa (70,000-square-feet), wellness services and a spa cuisine restaurant. While many residential spa lifestyle communities have popped up in Arizona and South Carolina, "the number of sophisticated consumers seeking this type of [urban spa] residence is expected to increase over the next decade," says Kelly. Indeed, here we are sharing seven spa complexes, many reaching completion this year and next, and all competing for the fast-moving residents of the world's busiest cities.