At the end of the day, after waking up early for 8 a.m. classes, trekking all across campus, going to various organization meetings and reading chapters for class, a college student can feel pretty overwhelmed and exhausted. While running all over campus and trying to organize insane schedules, students often dream of a way to escape it all and leave the chaotic world of college just for a couple of hours.
zouLIFE, a new facility located in the Student Recreation Complex, offers just that. With manicure and pedicure services, massages and facials, zouLIFE operates as a spa ready to pamper stressed-out students.
“The Rec is like a resort in the heart of campus,” Recreation Services and Facilities Director Diane Dahlmann said. “zouLIFE becomes an oasis inside of the resort, ready to focus on the individual.”
In what used to be four old racquetball courts, zouLIFE utilizes every inch of space to accommodate the individual and his or her needs. Besides the traditional spa services, zouLIFE offers personal training packages and nutrition consultations, both of which are private, one-on-one sessions focused on each customer’s personal needs.
“Every personal training session is exclusive to you,” Dahlmann said. “In our personal training rooms, you’ll find everything you would find out in the Rec., but in a private and secluded room with just you and your trainer.”
zouLIFE is outfitted with top-of-the-line equipment — including BOD POD, a human capsule that measures body mass index — and a zero gravity massage chair, which reclines the customers back until they feel as if they are floating and massages every inch of the body. These pieces of equipment, along with the spa services, provide students with a unique experience not available anywhere else on campus.
“A lot of my friends have tried the services here and they loved it,” front desk receptionist Lauren Savel said. “They loved the pedicures. My roommate’s obsessed with them and always talks about it.”
One of the major aspects of zouLIFE that the staff stresses is making the customer feel welcome, at home and comfortable, which is visually represented by the tranquil fountains, the dim lighting and the ocean blue walls.
If a customer has never had a manicure or a pedicure before, or if the customer is male and feels a little embarrassed to get his nails done, the nail technicians work with and talk to the customers in order to get the best experience possible out of zouLIFE.
“If someone has never gotten their nails done before, I start by getting to know them first,” nail technician Amanda Basye said. “I would give them a full service, which is a manicure and a pedicure, and explain to them why I’m doing what I’m doing and the benefits it does for your nails.”
Students can pay for zouLIFE through student charge. Traffic flow is heavy during the weekend, so zouLIFE encourages its customers to try to walk in during the weekdays or to make sure to make an appointment on the weekends.
“It is important for college students to learn how to live a balanced life,” Dahlmann said. “It is a true marker of being wholly educated and becoming who you are.”
