Nusta Spa in Washington DC
Julie Register visited this "green" downtown day spa in September 2004

Read Julie's 2010 Review of Nusta Spa

Bundled in my robe, I walked past the wall of floor-to-ceiling white curtains and sat down on a modern white chair in Nusta Spa's lounge. It was surprisingly comfortable. The receptionist offered to get me a glass of water from the nearby refreshment area. Yes, please. Plain or with cucumber? Cucumber, please. Ice? No, thank you. Glass in hand, I took a sip, sunk deeper into the chair, closed my eyes and took three deep breaths.

I had arrived at Nusta Spa just 5 minutes before my first appointment was scheduled to start. Taking the Metro took a bit longer than I thought it would, and I was directionally challenged when I emerged from the Farragut North station. Once I headed the right way, it was a quick walk to Nusta Spa. I checked in at the reception desk and was taken to the Women's changing area where I took a quick shower (the Nusta brand of shower gels has a wonderful aroma!) and exchanged my clothes for a comfortable robe and spa sandals. As a general rule, I try to arrive at a spa about a half hour before my appointment, so I can start relaxing before treatments begin.

Back in the comfortable white chair in Nusta's lounge, I had started to relax. I looked around the room and wondered what made this spa "green." The answer would have to wait. Carmen, the esthetician who would be giving me a (long overdue) Pure Facial, came into the lounge and introduced herself. She escorted me through a glass door and down a hall lined with the spa's six multi-purpose treatment rooms and ending with a large hydrotherapy suite.

We entered one, and Carmen showed me where to hang my robe. She had laid out a spa wrap on the treatment table and said I could put it on or not wear anything - my choice. She left the room and I slipped between the sheets. The treatment table was quite comfortable. I looked up at the ceiling and watched the mesmerizing light show of rainbow colors slowly weaving in and out - (Nice Touch!). I relaxed a little more. Carmen returned and began the Pure Facial. This facial is recommended for first-time clients. Carmen analyzed my skin (dry) and selected products accordingly to best meet my skin's needs. She would be using B. Kamins products for everything but the exfoliation where she chose a Skinceuticals enzyme exfoliant. Steamer on, she cleansed my face, massaging it as she went along. The exfoliation came next, then extractions. I zoned out during the facial massage and mask. When it was over, Carmen told me she would meet me out in the hallway and would leave some samples for me at the reception desk. I put my robe on and noticed another of the spa's nice touches - a good-sized mirror on the back of the door. I definitely had a case of spa head - much like the hairstyle of the Bride of Frankenstein - but I didn't care. I was going to have an Interpretive Touch Massage next, and I knew I would emerge from that in the same condition.

In the hallway, Brad was waiting with Carmen. He escorted me into another treatment room, instructed me to get on the treatment table face down and left the room. I got on the table and Brad returned. What followed was a truly extraordinary massage. It started with a fabulous back massage and ended with every tight muscle in my body being loosened and released. I could recognize shiatsu and Swedish techniques. There were a lot of range of motion movements with my shoulders and hips. Brad said he draws on a range of techniques in the massage to address the client's needs. In my case, he used Trager and myofascial release techniques as well as those I recognized. Aside from physically feeling terrific afterwards, Interpretive Touch massage increases your overall sense of peace and well-being. Honestly, if I lived closer, I would have this done every week.

I returned to the lounge where I was met by Alexis who would be winding up my spa day with a Pure Pedicure. She escorted me to a large, light-filled room with two pedicure and two manicure stations. This room is completely separate from the other treatment rooms (no noise or nail polish odors spill into the quiet areas). I was glad I had used the mirror in the massage room to attempt to restrain my spa head hair since the windows of the pedicure room were at street level and passersby could look in. Once Alexis had me seated in the pedicure chair, she drew the curtains closed. I enjoyed watching yet another nice touch of the spa - a wall-mounted flat-screen TV displaying a video of an aquarium filled with very life-like, colorful fish. In colder months, it will display a fireplace with a crackling fire. Alexis clipped, buffed and massaged my feet and I emerged with smooth, relaxed feet with shiny red toenails.

I had a chance to talk to Nusta Spa's owner, Elizabeth Snowdon, after my treatments. She told me about a trip she had taken to Machu Picchu in Peru where she heard a tour guide describe a set of stones that served as the baths of the Aztec royalty, or "Nusta" in the Quecha language. It stuck with her, and a couple of years later when she embarked on her spa adventure, she decided on it for her spa's name and intention - to treat her clients like royalty. The spa opened on May 27, 2004. Its treatments are customized, and clients have the ability to choose the music, temperature, and color of the lighting in each of the spa's seven treatment rooms.

She is particularly proud of Nusta Spa for being the first day spa in the United States to apply for and be accepted into the LEED for Commercial Interiors Pilot Program. LEED ("Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design"), created by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a consensus-based, voluntary rating system designed to define and measure the standard for green building. The eco-friendly features are subtle, and unless you knew about them, you wouldn't know they make the spa "green." Here are some of the eco-friendly elements of the spa:

• Eco-friendly paints, adhesives and sealants that have limited or no Volatile Organic Compounds (no toxic out gassing)
• Linoleum flooring and rubber base using natural raw materials (no toxic out gassing)
• Salvaged ceiling
• Appliances are Energy Star (R) compliant
• Fluorescent lighting (use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer as incandescent)
• Low mercury fluorescent lamps (mercury is a hazardous material)
• Natural daylight and occupancy sensors to control lamps
• Recycling of paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals
• Bamboo is used throughout the spa (a sustainable material due to its short harvest cycle)
• Ceramic tile in wet areas contain over 50% recycled content
• Casework veneer procured from eco-friendly forests, millwork is local to reduce environmental impact of long distance transportation
• Oak wall came from beams of an old Pennsylvania barn
• Partitions made from drywall covered with 100% post-consumer recycled paper
• Carpet is composed of more than 50% recycled content
• Wood floor bought from a timber provider who monitor the long-term health of forests, wildlife habitats and clean air and water supplies
• Wood base - composed of wheat straw fiber which renews annually
• Stone floor and wall were quarried within 500 miles of Nusta.
• LED lighting - the colored lights in the treatment rooms - require a fraction of the electricity used by other forms of lighting and do not require mercury or other dangerous gasses
• Location - Use the Metro to get to Nusta and save time, stress gas, vehicle exhaust, etc.
• Welcome mat - designed to catch and hold dirt, limiting intrusion of pollutants allergens and organic matter brought in on shoes
• Clean air - sophisticated air filtration system a
  nd carbon dioxide sensors
• Comfort - energy efficient heating ventilation and air conditioning with individual adjustment thought the space
• Furniture selected by the environmental commitment of the supplier
• Green power - Nusta spa has entered an agreement to purchase its electrical power from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind

The LEED certification uses a scorecard to give credits for sustainable sites (up to 7 credits), water efficiency (up to 2 credits), energy and atmosphere (up to 14 credits), materials and resources (up to 14 credits), indoor environmental quality and innovation (up to 15 credits)and design process (up to 5 credits). Elizabeth acknowledges that, as a spa, she will not be able to meet the water efficiency requirements. However, she should be commended for all of the thought and effort that went into the areas that could be controlled and for creating this eco-friendly spa.

4-18-05 - Nusta Spa: Green Spa Gets the Gold - Washington DC Spa First Ever to Achieve LEED Certification

 

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