From the soothing sound of crashing waves, to the anti-aging benefits of algae-infused skincare products, the ocean is broadly linked to emotional and physical refreshment. So for the launch of Hendrick’s limited-edition Neptunia expression, which features coastal botanicals, the historically “peculiar” gin brand hosted an Undersea Imaginarium and Spa experience in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. Media, influencers and a group of lucky consumers were invited to take the plunge into Hendrick’s underwater fantasy world March 25-26, where mind and body spa treatments were provided by a cast of strange sea characters.
Billed as the first underwater spa experience, the Undersea Imaginarium activation was inspired by the “magic of the sea”—Neptunia is named after the mythical sea goddess and is crafted at the brand’s distillery in the town of Girvan on the Scottish Ayrshire coast. In typical Hendrick’s fashion, the brand encouraged attendees to embrace the unusual at every turn along their experiential underwater adventure.
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The journey began in a replica harbor environment where a sea captain and his crew took “land dwellers” below the water’s surface to engage in a series of activations designed to refresh and rejuvenate. Attendees could immerse themselves in the calming sounds of the ocean during a guided deep-sea hypnosis, catch a whiff of the Scottish sea breeze through an aromatherapy experience, sit down for a Mermaid Sensory Treatment that “enlightened the senses” and included a mermaid sea sponge scrub, cucumber-cryo and sea-inspired hydration remedy—and have their Tarot cards read by an octopus. There was also a vegan shark telling jokes, sea creatures giving foot massages, a ball pit occupied by an octopus holding a martini glass, custom artwork by Anna Chan, who creates sculptures from seashells and other beach materials, and plenty of Neptunia cocktails to go around. And with plenty of eye-catching experience design elements, attendees couldn’t help but snap and share.
Hendrick’s underwater fantasy world was inspired by the ocean and all things “peculiar.”
For those who couldn’t attend the Imaginarium event in person, Hendrick’s made custom Magic of the Sea mail kits available at its online Tiny Shop. The kits include seashell headphones that mimic the aural sensation of being deep below the ocean’s surface, a submersion projector that creates a visual underwater effect, a Scottish seaweed and rose exfoliating mask, oceanic aromatherapy candles, highball glasses and octopus cocktail stirrers. In partnership with Project Seagrass, Hendrick’s is donating 100 percent of kit sales to help fund the conservation of seagrass meadows and raise awareness of the role they play in providing food and habitats for marine species.
“Our brand was created as a counterpoint to all of the traditional gins out there and Hendrick’s itself is a quite different type of gin,” says Lucy Cheng, senior brand manager at Hendrick’s Gin. “So that idea of going beyond the normal and surprising and delighting people is very essential to the brand. With Hendrick’s Neptunia, since it’s inspired by the magic of the sea, we wanted to make sure it comes across that it’s a very refreshing gin… And what’s more refreshing than a spa? But of course we can’t just do a normal spa, we had to turn the concept on its head and set it under the water. We took people on this progressive journey where we wanted them to shed the chaotic and normal world of the surface for an hour and enter this fantasy world and explore the things that they discovered there.” Agencies: Momentum Worldwide; M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment.
Dive into the Undersea Imaginarium:
Photo credit: Hendrick’s Gin
