Treehouse Hideaways co-owner Enoch Elwell wasn't expecting to be able to expand so quickly after opening the first luxury treehouse in Flintstone two years ago, but a recent call from Dove changed that.
"It was pretty surprising for us," Elwell said.
He and business partner Andrew Alms got their start through the community funding site Kickstarter in late 2014. Since opening in 2015, their original treehouse has become one of the highest-rated regional locations on Airbnb, earning high praise from those who have stayed there. Elwell said those good reviews were what attracted the international beauty business to his local one.
The second treehouse - designed by Pete Nelson of Animal Planet's "Treehouse Masters" show and built with the assistance of Dove - is designed to sync up with the brand's new Men+Care Elements product line, which focuses on natural ingredients such as charcoal, sage and sandalwood. Elwell said those elements have been incorporated, even going so far as to construct the structure out of them where appropriate to do so.
The aesthetic is similar to Treehouse Hideaway's original treehouse, but with more amenities, he added.
"We want to be a sort of boutique hotel in a tree," said Elwell. "It's refined lodging that you can connect with the natural beauty around you."
The shower in the new facility exemplifies the combined focus on luxury and the specific natural elements utilized by Dove. It merges modern temperature control and shower design, and has a cedar tree encased in glass literally emerging through the floor. The idea was to create a high-tech shower space that simultaneously puts the bather in the middle of nature.
To commemorate the new space, Treehouse Hideaways will host a grand opening in the coming weeks similar to the launch party held in April when Elwell and Alms announced the new treehouse.
"We'll be inviting families out here to tour the place," Elwell said. "The [Dove] line is sort of all about dads and families, and so we wanted this kickoff event to be a family-friendly affair for dads and parents to take their kids out into the woods."
For more information, visit Treehouse Hideaways' website at sleepinatree.co.