The Inns of Aurora, a luxury boutique resort in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, has been awarded WELL Certification at the Gold level by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) for The Spa at Inns of Aurora. The accolade marks the first-ever spa in the U.S. to have achieved WELL Certification at the Gold level.
Created over seven years of research and development working with physicians, scientists, and industry professionals, the WELL Building Standard is vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful spaces that enhance health and well-being, with evidence-backed scientific research. To be awarded WELL Certification by IWBI, the Spa at Inns of Aurora, designed by Hart Howerton, underwent testing and a final evaluation carried out by third parties to ensure it met all WELL-Certified Gold performance requirements based on 10 categories: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community.
Project features include:
- Air – With a goal to achieve high levels of indoor air quality across a building’s lifetime, the Spa offers a smoke-free environment, fresh air to dilute human and product-generated air pollutants, and enhanced filtration throughout the facility
- Water – Meeting thresholds for the quality, distribution and control of liquid water, the Spa maintains drinking water with low levels of pollutants; enacts a Legionella management plan to filter legionella bacteria, naturally present in water at low concentrations; and encourages guests drink more water with at least one drinking water dispenser on each floor
- Nourishment – With nutritional transparency and healthy eating at the forefront, the Spa café features at least two varieties of fruit and vegetables daily, no menu items with more than 25g of sugar (except whole fruit), limited red and processed meats, and nutrition content information for each item
- Light – The Spa creates lighting environments that promote visual, mental, and biological health with proper light exposure designed to maintain circadian health from day to evening and enhanced access to daylight through floor-to-ceiling windows
- Movement – Promoting physical activity through design, policies and programs, the Spa encourages staircase usage through visibility and enhanced esthetics with artwork and music; provides staff with ergonomic seating and desks; and offers staff activity programs such as a cycling network
- Thermal Comfort – The Spa improves thermal comfort through geothermal heating and cooling devices; lighting and shade control systems that reduce the need for climate control; and flexible dress codes that support individual thermal preferences
- Sound – Acoustic design throughout the Spa facility provides noise separation to block sound. The Spa also measures background noise to maintain stringent sound pressure levels and guests are made aware of various sound environments in advance with a map of “sound zones” including a quiet zone, loud zone and mixed zone
- Materials – With a goal to reduce human exposure to chemicals during construction, furnishing and operations, at least 50 percent of the Spa’s furniture, millwork and features have 0.01 percent or less of chemicals and plastics
- Mind and Community – To improve emotional wellbeing, the Spa offers staff the opportunity to take a “Mental Health First Aid at Work” training led by a certified instructor, besides free monthly mental health check-ins and consultations with a licensed mental health counselor
Luxury Travel Advisor stayed with the Inns of Aurora in fall 2021 and found its spa to be on par with any five-star resort we've been to. Facilities include 10 treatment rooms, a co-ed sauna pavilion, steam rooms, six jetted spa pools, fire pits, two hydrotherapy circuits, and a complimentary café. We loved the outdoor hydrotherapy circuit; located up on a hillside, the tiered pools offer views of the lake and were a great place to unwind after hiking the day before. Based on your treatment, the spa team will recommend a specific pre- and post-treatment circuit to maximize the results.
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