16 PULSE ■ June 2010

Sundara Inn & Spa was designed according to the

principles of feng shui, allowing for the flow of

positive energy for each guest.

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Sundara Inn & Spa

June 2010 ■ PULSE 17

Healthy cuisine is part of the daily routine at Sundara.

Wisconsin Dells may bill itself as the WaterparkCapital of the World, but if you follow a curveddriveway just miles off the main road, you’ll betransported to a secluded spa tucked away in 26acres of pine forest. Though critics grumbled

that a destination spa in Wisconsin wouldn’t be successful, Sundarafounder Kelly Trumbull kept her eyes on the prize. “Many people thought that the Midwest lagged too far behind, but Kelly believed that

people in Chicago, Madison and Milwaukeeshouldn’t need to get on a plane or travel across

the country or across the world; that they deserved a sanctuary rightin their own backyard,” said Tara Duarte, director of marketing andleisure sales. Trumbull traveled globally, spotting trends on both coastsas well as internationally, before creating a business plan based on ablend of modern wellness and ancient wisdom.

Sundara’s grounds were designed to leave as small an impact on theenvironment as possible. Although it was challenging to construct themain building with eco-friendly principles in mind, Trumbull remainedcommitted. She made every effort to leave as many trees untouched aspossible, and to use any materials they could from the trees they didhave to remove. Sundara belongs to the Green Spa network and earnedcertification from Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary program thatrecognizes businesses that have made a commitment to reducing theirenvironmental impact. “We worked with local architects and usedlocally sourced lumber and stone in addition to incorporating naturalmaterials from the area, such as ancient Cambrian sandstone, into thelandscaping,” Duarte said. Barring plumbing and exterior wall restric-tions, the building design and furniture placement is completely basedon the principles of Feng Shui. “Everything is designed to promote theflow of positive energy,” explained Duarte. In addition, Sundara servesorganic cuisine prepared using fresh ingredients from local, sustainablesources as much as possible.

That commitment to sustainability even went into Sundara’sproduct line – the Cambrian sandstone found at the property’s excava-tion site is a key ingredient in the products. “We sent it to a lab andhad it tested and found that the sand was not only rich in minerals,but also a great exfoliating agent. That was the start of the Sundara sig-nature line of products,” Duarte explained. In addition to the SundaraSandstone Body Polish, signature products include Nourishing Body

B Y YA E L G R AU E R

“That commitment to sustainability evenwent into Sundara’sproduct line - theCambrian sandstonefound at the property’sexcavation site is a key ingredient in theproducts.”

18 PULSE ■ June 2010

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Pools, naturally formulated products and pristine

surroundings add to Sundara's rejuvenating

atmosphere.

Milk, Hydrating Mist, Body Wash, BathSalts and Essential Oil. Other naturalingredients indigenous to WisconsinDells, such as strawberry extract andwalnut shell powder, are also used.

The name Sundara is drawn from theSanskrit word for beautiful, and Sundarainterprets that as beauty flowing fromwellness. In addition to creating a desti-nation commited to organic and naturalproducts and using seasonally freshcuisine, Sundara brought Ayurveda, anancient Indian healing art, to theMidwest. “We think of pampering asmore than getting a manicure and a pedi-cure and a facial. It’s really aboutphysically and emotionally taking care ofyourself and that all starts from within,”said Duarte. “That’s really the reason weintroduced Ayurvedic services; we felt likewe needed that depth.” Ayurvedic servi-ces offer a global-inspired healingexperience for those looking for somet-hing spiritual.

Guests come to Sundara for a varietyof reasons. They’ve taken time to visitafter losing a loved one, or while goingthrough a divorce. They’ve come whenthey are about to leave on military duty orhave returned from a tour of service.Some come simply to escape the stressfrom work or to find a place to reconnect.All guests are invited begin their Sundarajourney with a Purifying Bath Ritual, afive-part, self-guided interpretation of anancient tradition of physical and spiritualcleansing. It begins with the gently exfo-liating Cambrian sandstone scrub rinsedoff with a calming shower. This is followed by an aromatic steam and acooling rinse. Lastly, guests alternatethree times between a soothing essentialoil enhanced hot tub and a plunge in acold pool.

Although the majority of guests arewomen, many men come to Sundara aswell. Duarte recalls reading some intere-sting excerpts from men in the guestjournals. “One of them said, ‘I learned anew word during my stay – exfoliation. Ilearned that it’s cool to go to spa andcool to exfoliate and even Brett Favreexfoliates.’ Another male guest said thathe enjoyed his ‘hot rock massage.’“

Sundara offers day packages, but over-night guests have a selection of beautifulsuites to choose from. Guests who can’tget enough of the suites can purchaserobes, sandals, fireside throws, featherbedcomforters and pillows used in the suitesto take home with them. “We got that ideafrom our guests,” Duarte said, “who toldus they wished they could take the bedsand robes home with them.”

Sundara works on marketing and pub-licity in various ways. At the top of thelist is public relations and social media.Sundara’s Facebook fan page gains about

June 2010 ■ PULSE 19

VITALSTATISTICSSundara Inn & SpaSpa type: Resort/Hotel

Spa open/renovation date: March2003, villas added in 2006

Consultant used: Eva Jensch, SpaSenseGroup LLC

Spa chef: John Koch

Guest ratio of women vs. men: 70:30

Square footage: 45,000 square feet inmain building, 57,542 including the villas

Number of treatment rooms: 14

Number of full-time staff: 35

Method of staff compensation:Commission

Percentage of revenues spent onadvertising/marketing: 3-4%

Signature Treatment: SundaraSandstone Polish

Product lines used: Sundara SignatureLine, Eminence Organic Skin Care

Mission statement: In everything we do,our mission is wellness. We provide asanctuary from stress, a healing touch, akind word, a place to reconnect. We setan example of love and respect for theearth. We embrace the joy of wellness inour own lives.

Unique selling point: Adult-only destination spa in the Midwest; intimateguest experience

Contact information: Sundara Inn & Spa 920 Canyon Rd Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 539651.608.253.92001.608.253.9566www.sundaraspa.com

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a hundred new fans a week, but the spaalso utilizes more traditional marketingoutlets such as television, magazines andradio. They also carefully maintain theWeb site, a huge marketing tool featuringsoothing music and stunning photog-raphy as well as up-to-date informationand a list of current specials offered.

“We knew that Sundara would be

successful, but I don’t think we realizedjust how successful it would be and howrecognized it might become,” Duartesaid. “When our guests speak and voteand we can win awards, that’s what we’remost proud of, from overcoming all theobstacles of being a destination spa in areally kid-friendly small town inWisconsin to creating this nationally and

internationally recognized destinationspa in the Midwest.” From the looks of it,they’ve overcome those obstacles andthen some. ■

YAEL GRAUER, a recent transplant from the beautiful

Sonoran desert, is a freelance writer based in the

Midwest. She teaches workshops on healing foods and

herbal medicine-making both locally and virtually, and

can be found online at www.dirttime.org.