When in the mid-2000s the newly created company Aire Ancient Baths was looking for a location to open its second center, all elements combined to make it choose Barcelona. After inaugurating its first space in Seville in 2004, the promoters opted to reproduce their model in another large city. The Catalan capital was selected from others considered, after finding the ideal location after an arduous search: an old warehouse next to the historic El Born market. In this place, the silence only broken by the splashing of water transports visitors to an experience of well-being and relaxation, in a darkness only broken by candlelight and a blue crystalline water that vibrates in its facilities.
Since Aire opened in Barcelona in 2009, the company has expanded to have eight centers in four countries. Now, three more centers will be added, which will be located in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. All replicate the model that characterizes Aire Ancient Baths: an atmosphere of calm marked by the murmur of water, soft lighting based on candles, music, and their own fragrance; always nestled in emblematic buildings, usually with exposed brick walls and a refined industrial style.
Finding the right location is not easy, as the requirements are numerous: the establishments must total at least 2,000 square meters, be located in historic spaces and cool neighborhoods, and must allow leases of at least 25 years. The reason? Aire's relaxation centers require a significant investment and extensive works that demand a guarantee of permanence, within a strategy in which they opt for renting and not buying. "We prefer to put the money into the business" and not into properties, says the group's general director, Amadeo Serra.
The new centers join those already available to the company in New York, Chicago, Copenhagen, London, and Almería, in addition to those in Seville, the Catalan capital, and Vallromanes.The search for locations for the international expansion plan has culminated in projects in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto, the first that Aire Ancient Baths will open in Canada. On the contrary, it will be the second that it inaugurates in the Big Appleit already has a center in the Tribeca neighborhood, and the new one will be located in the Upper East Side starting in spring. "New York is a city of cities" and each neighborhood is a universe, so the company has opted for this second center in the New York metropolis. They will offer different treatments in the two establishments, andthe one in the Upper East Side will have a relevant differential element: a hanging glass pool."We take a leap of faith," Serra emphasizes. Despite this striking installation, they foresee that the Tribeca center will be theflagshipof the company, for which they will renovate and expand it this year. The opening of the Toronto center will arrive the following spring, and the one in Los Angeles will be ready in 2026. It will be the largest in the group, with 2,400 square meters, and will offer the wellness experience in the Arts District.
The new centers join those the company already has in Chicago, Copenhagen, London, and Almería, in addition to those in Seville, the one in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York, and the one in the Catalan capital. Another one is added to the list that differs from the model of opening in large cities: the one located in Vallromanes, within the Vallès Mas Salagrós ecoresort, as the group's first experience in a more rural area away from metropolises. Regardless of their location, all centers are located in unique properties and exclusive areas, such as a Victorian house near London's Covent Garden, and the old Carlsberg factory in the Danish capital. The philosophy behind the openings? "To be ambitious and prudent," repeats Amadeo Serra from the offices from which they will lead this expansion. The headquarter replaces the space the company occupied in the premises that house the relaxation center on Picasso Street. Its relocation will allow the company to gain space and employees, while the freed-up space in the spa will be used for new facilities and machinery.
The company invoiced 69.4 million from July 2022 to June 2023, and expects to increase that figure by 4% in the current fiscal year.Thus, the international expansion plan, with an investment of 55 million euros, will be managed fromthe new headquarters from which the company has started operating in Barcelona. Serra explains this from the new offices, where 52 people work in 600 square meters on Trafalgar Street. The new headquarters has been designed to accommodate more employees as the company experiences the growth it anticipates with new openings: "It will grow as much as we want to grow abroad."
The company's expansion will be spearheaded from the new space, while its registered office remains in Granada, where its three founders are from. Adrián Martinez, Armando Prados, and Amós Milton García Orozco are the initial promoters of the project, in which they collectively maintain a majority stake. Serra explains why the headquarters is located in Barcelona: the city has the international connections the company requires and facilitates the attraction and retention of talent. Globally, the company has 900 employees, 350 of them in Spain. With the opening of the second center in New York, it will reach 1,000 employees, and will grow to 1,500 when it completes its expansion plan.
Revenue of 69.4 million
With this plan, Aire Ancient Baths expects to increase its revenue by 4% in the current fiscal year, taking into account the increase in income from new centers but also the temporary closure of the Tribeca spa for renovation. The company, which operates according to the American fiscal year with fiscal years starting in July and ending in June, billed 69.4 million euros from July 2022 to June 2023. Serra highlights the weight of international centers in these figures: 50 million come from international billing, 72% of the total.
The almost 70 million from the last fiscal year exceed almost double the 40 million billed in 2018-2019, the year prior to the pandemic. Serra explains that they registered a positive Ebitda during the restrictions because closures were staggered depending on the countries where the centers are located, and celebrates that they maintained the entire staff. Covid did bring about other changes: it modified the user profile. Although it is still predominantly female and in couples —either with a romantic partner, a friend, or family member—, they are increasingly registering more visitors who come to relax alone: "It's an effect of Covid, giving oneself more time for oneself."
Relaxation amidst metropolitan hustle and bustle
This internationalization plan is accompanied by another strategy: sustainability. The multinational works with suppliers and chemical products selected with sustainable criteria, and operates with efficient facilities to reduce energy and water consumption. "We only have to provide the water that goes into evaporation," since their pools are closed systems in which water recirculates once treated.
In the current context of drought, Serra has announced that they will proactively promote measures to minimize water consumption. Thus, they will reduce the pressure of the showers in the changing rooms. "We are going to notify the client; it is a small contribution," Serra emphasizes, highlighting the profile of their visitors. And it is that the Aire user seeks a relaxation experience in a "magical atmosphere," which allows them to move to a state of full well-being, away from the hustle and bustle that precisely characterizes large cities.
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