Partnering with HBA, a team from the University of Denver took home top honors for the “Spa of the Future” Student Challenge Competition at the Global Spa & Wellness Summit. The winning concept, known as “Defiant!,” targets total wellness for teen girls. The spa foregoes the stereotypical “pampering-patronizing-pink-and-sparkly-manicure” teen spa model to tackle the emotional, physical, and social needs of real girls. Designed as a girl’s “Fourth Place” (not home, school, or the mall), the spa focuses on self-care, self-acceptance, and support from the all-female staff.

Swiping her “D-Life” card at “Debut” (the reception desk), girls enter a fun, high-tech social place. They can hang out in “Daydream,” the pillow- and iPad-packed central lounge, where they can order from the healthy café, Devour, or hit the “Debauchery Den” with its “Dirty Girl” mudbaths and “Drip-Drop” rain walk. At “Define” (the fitness studio), hip-hop dance, punk aerobics, and meditation are on the menu. At “Defuse” (the spa, with shorter, affordable treatments), girls can get acne treatments or post-soccer-game leg massages. Meanwhile, teens can meet privately with staff at “Devotion”  for help with issues they face. Enrichment programming spans motivational speeches from female CEOs to advice on dealing with mean girls. Smart technology abounds: from rewards for foursquare check-ins, to allowing parents to confirm online their daughter is safely at the spa. Smart marketing strategies also play a big role, from the wide array of party packages and membership levels to local flash mob approaches.

The student team included Lian Duan, Molly Tompkins, and Jing Wan, who were paired with HBA director Cameron Zentz and associate John Sands to bring the students’ ideas to life. Teams from Cornell University, the University of Houston, and Penn State University received second and third place awards, respectively