This Caribbean Floating Spa Turned Devastation Into Beauty

15.01.2024 - 14:41 / forbes.com

There are many reasons to visit the British Virgin Islands, commonly referred to as the BVIs. This archipelago of 45 islands is less commercialized than its neighbors, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and easy to navigate, especially for sailors who consider this one of – if not THE – best places in the world to sail.

Jost Van Dyke is the smallest of the four main and most visited islands, which also include Tortola (where your plane will set down), Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. As the locals say, Jost Van Dyke is the small island with a big heart.

That’s reflected in Ocean Spa BVI, a jaw-droppingly beautiful spa that looks nothing like the sleek, marble spas you might imagine. Instead, its beauty comes from its origin story. It doesn’t hurt that it’s plopped down on the most exquisitely blue water, its rustic and brightly painted exterior a contrast that only enhances its beauty.

Ocean Spa BVI is the literal handiwork of Dale Mapp, a veteran of the hospitality industry who had a dream of opening his own spa. But it took a long time to make that happen. His first attempt was half built when it was vandalized, forcing him to start over. His second attempt – along with his home and belongings – was wiped out by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The hurricane devastated almost all of the homes and businesses on Tortola and Jost Van Dyke, and five months passed before electricity was restored. Undeterred, he decided to try the same concept a third time.

He and a friend scoured Jost Van Dyke, collecting wood from damaged homes and properties, picking up sections of roofs, detached wooden gates, and wood planks from siding. “I was determined to make something beautiful out of all the devastation,” Mapp says. “I took the plunge with the idea to get off the land and create a floating spa, the only one in the BVIs and one of very few in the Caribbean.”

It took four months to hand build the 550 sq. ft. structure, which rests on a pontoon enforced with aluminum. It is made entirely of reclaimed wood recovered from the hurricane.

Mapp and one other massage therapist work together, and their four treatment rooms stay booked. It’s no wonder. If you think you’ve experienced every kind of massage in every kind of environment, you might need to think again. I was skeptical myself until Mapp picked me up at the dock for the short dinghy ride to the spa.

As we motored through the water to White Bay, just a few minutes away, he told me that while many arrive to the spa the same way, some choose other modes: kayak, sailboat, or even swimming out from the shore. I couldn’t fathom that until we rounded the corner and the spa appeared before me. What a sight!

There it was, a rectangle of wood planks, some a peachy orange and some a