Spa Business Issue 4 2010

spawww.spabusiness.com business2010 4

INTERVIEW CHRISTOPHER NORTON Overseeing 50 new spas for Four Seasons

SPA SPOTLIGHT Montenegro, Morocco and the UK SPA PHILANTHROPY: Th e art of giving well

JOAN LUNDEN Th e woman who created the Camp Reveille spa getaway

HOT NUMBERS ASK AN EXPERT: ISPA 2010 US TURNAWAYS Spa Industry Study Tracking & recovering US SPA SECTOR FIGURES UNCOVERED lost business

READER SERVICES contributors SUBSCRIPTIONS julie albone +44 (0)1462 471915 Susie Jennifer Ellis Harbottle CIRCULATION michael emmerson +44 (0)1462 471932 Susie Ellis is president Jennifer Harbottle of SpaFinder Inc, one of has been a regular EDITORIAL TEAM the world’s largest spa contributor to Spa EDITOR media and marketing Business magazine for liz terry +44 (0)1462 431385 companies. A respected analyst of the the last six years and has established MANAGING EDITOR spa and beauty industries, she serves herself as a leading commentator in katie barnes +44 (0)1462 471925 on NewBeauty magazine’s editorial the industry. Currently based in India, NEWSDESK advisory board and is also a board she focuses on writing about the Asia- sarah todd +44 (0)1462 471927 member of the Global Spa Summit. Paciﬁ c leisure sector. tom walker +44 (0)1462 471934 peter hayman +44 (0)1462 471938 Anni Rhianon martin nash +44 (0)1462 471911 Hood Howells NORTH AMERICA EDITOR Anni Hood is a leading Rhianon Howells was peter sargent +1 239 949 3394 global spa and wellness the launch editor expert. She specialises of Spa Business ADVERTISING TEAM in the conceptual and established it PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING SALES development, performance optimisation, as a journal of note. As consulting astrid ros +44 (0)1462 471911 strategic planning and brand expansion editor, she is closely involved with its ADVERTISING SALES of spas. She is also the founder and continuing development, while also julie badrick +44 (0)1462 471919 visionary behind KIS Lifestyle® – a new writing widely on health, ﬁ tness, travel john challinor +44 (0)1582 607970 pro-active health and wellness concept. and leisure as a freelance journalist. stephanie rogers +44 (0)1462 471902 jan williams +44 (0)1462 471909 Andrea Terry ADVERTISING SALES – WWW.SPA-KIT.NET Jezovit Stevens sarah gibbs +44 (0)1462 471908 Andrea Jezovit, a native Dr Terry Stevens is the ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Canadian, has written managing director of ed gallagher +44 (0)1905 20198 on business, travel and UK-based leisure and SPA RECRUITMENT/TRAINING SALES lifestyle for publications tourism consultancy Canadian Business Toronto emma matthews +44 (0)1462 471907 including and Stevens & Associates. The company Life. She now lives in the UK and is specialises in strategic planning, with WEB TEAM working towards a Masters in Electronic a focus on changing market trends, WWW.SPA-KIT.NET/ Publishing. Previously, she was also a especially in the context of health and PRODUCT SEARCH ENGINE managing editor at Leisure Media. wellbeing tourism. sarah todd +44 (0)1462 471927 SPABUSINESS.COM Th e views expressed in individual articles are those michael paramore ( ) +44 0 1462 471926 of the author and do not necessarily represent those tim nash +44 (0)1462 471917 of the publisher, Th e Leisure Media Company Ltd. dean fox +44 (0)1462 471900 © Cybertrek Ltd 2010. All rights reserved. No part emma harris +44 (0)1462 471921 of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by katie eldridge +44 (0)1462 471913 any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, DESIGN recording or otherwise, without prior permission of andy bundy +44 (0)1462 471924 the copyright holder, Cybertrek Ltd. Registered at Stationers’ Hall 30851, Spa Business ISSN 1479-912X FINANCE is available on annual subscription for UK £28, sue davis +44 (0)1395 519398 Europe £38, USA/Canada £28, rest of world £38, denise gildea +44 (0)1462 471930 from the Leisure Media Company Ltd. Portmill on the cover House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin SG5 1DJ, UK. Printed CREDIT CONTROL Joan Lunden created Camp Reveille, by Mansons. ©Cybertrek 2010 ISSN 1479-912X. rebekah scott +44 (0)1462 733477 a women’s spa camp in the US (see p46) Digital edition at www.spabusiness.com/digital

FIND spa business spa opportunities GREAT STAFF Uniting the world of spas Jobs, news and training online FOR YOUR SPA Spa Business subscribers work in all areas of the and in print updated daily spa market worldwide. The magazine is available in Spa Opportunities magazine focuses on print, on digital turning pages and as a PDF edition, in recruitment, careers and news and is published every two weeks. It addition to a daily website and weekly ezine. has a daily website showing all the latest jobs and a weekly ezine.

4 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 editor’s letter More than mediocre

f I want a technical massage, very complex soft tissue People are prepared to work or other specific bodywork, I have to confess, pay regularly for great I’dI be unlikely to visit a spa. treatments which improve Most of the treatments I have which make a fundamental diff erence to my their quality of life, body are carried out in dingy treatment health and wellbeing. rooms with hard beds and strip lighting: one therapist I visit works in a space They’re not prepared to which is little more than a cupboard. pay for ﬂ uff and at the Yet these specialists – practising in the moment, unfortunately, fi eld of complementary medicine – are world-class and normally booked solid that’s often what you get for weeks or even months ahead. when you visit a spa My spa experiences are generally the opposite – fabulous facilities, and service, but when it comes to therapeutic value or the level of advice on off er, they oft en fall short. falling steadily since the late 90s as the number of spas has Occasionally it comes together in a beautiful spa with a great grown. In the US, for example, visits per spa per year stood at therapist to create an outstanding experience, but this is unusual over 16,000 in 1999, but are now below 7,000 (see p34). – I’d say 15 per cent of the time. Of the rest, the best you can say Unless we can make a spa visit an essential part of people’s is they’re satisfactory and (hopefully) don’t do any damage. body maintenance rather than a discretionary extra, we won’t Unfortunately, the recession has created a situation where achieve the volumes necessary to fi ll the spas that are being built. it’s increasingly diffi cult for spas to off er this compelling People are prepared to pay regularly for great treatments which combination. Th is is partly because many operators have improve their quality of life, health and wellbeing, they’re not responded to falling revenues by hiring more part-time prepared to pay for fl uff and at the moment, unfortunately, therapists who have less time for training and partly because that’s oft en what you get when you visit a spa. training budgets have been cut back. Th ere’s a danger that the balance sheet is driving the industry Th ere’s also been an understandable drive to commercialise – there’s just too much emphasis on the bricks and mortar and and streamline the experience, meaning treatments are oft en not enough on the treatments and quality of experience. We standardised, rather than personalised to the individual. need to refocus on off ering personalised, eff ective, therapeutic But the main reason is that we’re still failing to engage with services if we’re going to build up the valuable regular custom therapists working at the more curative/medical end of the which will really underpin enduring success. spectrum where these higher skill levels are oft en found. Th e industry needs to drive volume to keep up with its own Liz Terry, Editor ambitious growth targets, because visits-per-spa have been [email protected] twitter: @elizterry spa business HANDBOOK spa-kit.net Th e global resource for spa professionals Th e search engine for spa buyers

The annual Spa Business Handbook brings Find the suppliers you need to equip your spa together research and vital reference content. quickly and easily. Over 57,000 buyers each Visit the website: www.spahandbook.com or month use the service, which includes sector- view it online at www.spahandbook.com/digital speciﬁ c linked websites and a weekly ezine.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 5

in this issue

Four Seasons’ Christopher Norton on opening 50 hotels with spas in the next ﬁve years, p20

La Mamounia, Marrakech, p40 Joan Lunden, p46

5|Editor’s letter 26|Everyone’s talking about: 40|Deeper underground Liz Terry on why spas need to the Indian spa market We visit Jacques Garcia’s spa at La provide more therapeutic services Andrea Jezovit talks to key figures Mamounia, Marrakech and give a about the opportunities and threats snapshot of the city’s spa market 12|Letters to India’s burgeoning spa industry Saying sorry is more effective than 46|Celebrity focus: Joan compensation, says Johannes Abeler 30|Family matters: Lunden & Jeff Konigsberg The Hougaards The US TV star and her husband 14|News The husband and wife behind India’s speak to Rhianon Howells about Starwood reveals the new in-house Serena Spa facilities and training their Camp Reveille ‘spa camp’ spa brand for St Regis hotels; Hilton institute on their successes and concept and rollout unveils its global spa concept; and ambitions. Jennifer Harbottle reports Abbajay to head up Marriott spas 50|Cabin fever 34|Research: We will survive Susie Ellis tries out the spa camp 20|Interview: We review The 2010 ISPA US Spa experience for herself Christopher Norton Industry Study and find that the Four Seasons will open more than long-term outlook is positive 54|Ask an expert: Turnaways 50 hotels in the next five years. The Few spas track turnaways or attempt chair of its global spa task force tells 36|Giving well to claw them back. What more can be Andrea Jezovit about how the group Rhianon Howells takes a closer done to recover lost business? Katie will guide its spa development look at spa philanthropy Barnes investigates

8 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 spa business issue 4 2010

Rockliffe Hall hotel and spa, p64

We analyse the Indian spa market, p26 Spa philanthropy, p36

58|We work together: Mike 70|Fitness: Kept in suspense Indursky & Séan Harrington Suspension training is a growing Steiner acquired Bliss a year ago, and fi tness trend. Kate Cracknell outlines now the new faces behind the brand its benefi ts and tries out some of the reveal their global ambitions classes currently available

62|Mystery shopper: 74|Organisation focus: Spa at the Del Hyrdothermal Spa Forum Anni Hood goes undercover to see if We fi nd out about a new organisation this award winning spa in San Diego that’s been formed by heat- and wet- measures up to its accolades experience manufacturers. Product news starts on p75 64|Modern twist ;`[pflbefnk_XkpflZXe A state of the art spa brings a 78|Product focus: efni\Z\`m\X=I<<jlYjZi`gk`fe contemporary edge to Rockliff e Hall. Heat experiences kfJgX9ljè\jjè`kje\n#î\\e\i# Sarah Todd pays a visit What’s hot when it comes to thermal gXg\i$]i\\#[`^`kXc]fidXk6 experiences? Kath Hudson reports 68|Tourism: :_Xe^\k_\nXppfli\X[ More to Montenegro 82|Research: Best of British JgX9ljè\jjdX^Xqè\ What are the operator opportunities in A study on consumer attitudes J@>ELGFEC@E<1 Montenegro? Terry Stevens fi nds out towards spa and wellness nnn%jgXYljè\jj%Zfd&î\\e

Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 9 www.nuvolaitalia.it Letters

Do you have a strong opinion, or disagree with somebody else’s point of view on topics related to the spa industry? If so, Spa Business would love to hear from you. Email your letters, thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]

Research, not a tie-up with healthcare, is the answer

Dr Zeki Karagulle, professor, Department of Medical Ecology and Hydroclimatology, Istanbul University

In the last issue of Spa Business, a feature suggested that a tie up with healthcare could be the spa industry’s reward for being more savvy about scientifi c research (SB10/3, p20). In central, southern and eastern European countries, balneotherapy and spa therapy – balneotherapy combined with mud therapy, massage, exercise and other treatments – are already part of the conventional medical system and are, at least in part, reim- bursed by health insurance systems. Is a union with spas and healthcare, as it happens Europe, possible for the global spa industry? Maybe. However, I don’t think the spas need to build a relationship with the medical sector to become more savvy about scientifi c research, they sim- In Europe, balneotherapy (off ered at Italy’s Terme Merano, above), is part of the national health system ply need their own scientifi c research. To do this, the industry needs to co-op- existing research also prove effectiveness is very timely. And I fully agree that the erate and collaborate with medical and in treating rheumatic diseases and pso- industry should pool resources to support scientifi c researchers and/or institutions. riasis. Furthermore, many benefi ts come future research. This is an opportune time For example, at Istanbul University we from massage and exercise therapies. The when patients are seeking alternative, evi- have recently conducted a meta-analysis spa industry should create a database of dence-based methods to heal and improve and assessed all data from randomised existing studies to demonstrate that a health. So-called integrative medicine controlled trails testing spa therapy and body of evidence already exists and to and medical spa practices should be the balneotherapy for patients with lower back confi rm the effectiveness treatments. places where evidence-based spa treat- pain. We found some encouraging evi- However, I think the need for more sci- ments are being delivered as credibly as dence suggesting pain reduction. Other entifi c investigation validating spa therapy mainstream medical practices.

the leisure media company publishes contact us head office / europe office Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1DJ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385 us office 22311 Piazza Doria Lane, #201 Estero, Florida, US subscribe online: www.leisuresubs.com Tel: +1 239 949 3394

12 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Saying sorry really does cost nothing

Dr Johannes Abeler, Nottingham School of Economics, University of Nottingham, UK

There’s a harsh truth for businesses, including spas, everywhere: there’s no hiding from disgruntled customers in the internet age. Bad service was once met with either a face-to-face confrontation or a strongly worded letter. Now, however, a grievance has a potentially global audience within seconds. Vita, an integrative wellness facility (above), successfully combines spa and medical services How complaints are handled has become more important than ever. So Spa and medical analysed Vita’s potential consumer, they it should be comforting for managers to matched the average spa-goer. We also learn that a study has confi rmed that say- services industries can discovered a lack of quality local day spas, ing sorry really does cost nothing. successfully merge which led to a great opportunity for Vita to Our recent research at the Nottingham be a key community resource. School of Economics investigated whether Mindy Terry, president, When Vita opened, the preventive health customers continue to do business after Creative Spa Concepts services (physical assessments, nutritional being offered an apology by a fi rm that’s counselling, acupuncture) were empty. It let them down. Chief among our fi ndings I read the Scientifi c Proof feature in Spa was the traditional spa therapies (mas- was that people are more than twice as Business (SB10/3, p20) and wish to share sage, yoga, facials) that pulled Vita through likely to forgive a company that says sorry a very successful collaboration between the fi rst year. Now better educated, Vita’s than one that offers compensation. the spa and medical communities. patrons are engaging in the preventive We worked with an organisation respon- The experience the Creative Spa Con- health offerings and programmes. sible for 10,000 sales a month on eBay, cepts (CSC) team had was with Vita. This proves two major points. Firstly, the controlling its reaction to neutral or negative Opened in 2009, Vita consumer should always feedback. Some customers were offered an is a groundbreaking Coming together with come fi rst. With integra- apology in return for withdrawing their com- wellness and lifestyle a blend of approaches tive wellness centres, it ments, while others were offered `2.50 facility from Henry Ford is not ‘build it and they (US$3.50, £2.20) or `5 (US$7, £4.40). West Bloomfield Hos- will create a far richer will come’, we must be Some 45 per cent of participants pital in Michigan, US, experience that will very thoughtful about the withdrew their evaluation in light of the which combines tradi- appeal to a greater programmes we create to apology, while only 23 per cent did so in tional Western medicine ensure they will appeal return for compensation. A higher pur- with Eastern therapies, percentage of people to the mass consumer. chase price further reduced the number other healing treatments And we have to help con- of customers willing to forgive for cash, yet and educational classes. Each pro- sumers understand the benefi ts of being it had no effect on the willingness to settle gramme – focusing on everything from skin pro-active about health. for those magic words: ‘I’m sorry.’ As cus- and body health to lifestyle and stress Secondly, as spa professionals generally tomers had no idea they were taking part management – integrative therapy and seem to be right-brain dominated and the in an experiment, we can conclude their class went through a rigorous review medical community tends to take a left- behaviour was completely natural. by a scientific committee made up brain approach, we must work diligently to So, although cynics have traditionally of physicians, scientists, nurses, and create a mutually-respectful marriage. We dismissed it as cheap talk (which in strict CSC’s team, ensuring each experience must learn each other’s language, be open economic terms is precisely what it is), to be safe and effective. to and respectful of each side’s meth- a simple apology really does work. Con- Early in our process, CSC reviewed the ods, and believe in collaboration. Coming sumers will always possess the capacity potential West Bloomfi eld market. The together with a blend of both approaches to register a complaint; but, treated prop- doctors initially wanted to offer only med- will create a far richer experience that will erly and with sincerity, they will also retain ical-based treatments. Though, when we appeal more people. the capacity to forgive.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 13 SARAH TODD » NEWS EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS news update

Harrington to oversee UK growth of Bliss brand Seán Harrington, the managing director of Elemis spas and products worldwide, has taken on the responsibility for overseeing the Bliss brand in the UK. Th is follows the acquisition of Bliss World Holdings Inc (Bliss) by Steiner Leisure – also the parent company of Elemis – in January 2010 for us$100m (€71m, £62.3m). Th e Bliss portfolio con- sists of the Bliss and Remède spas and product brands. Harrington joined Elemis, in 1991 and since then has built up a team and infrastructure to deliver the brand across the globe. See p58 for the full story on the Bliss acquisition and rollout.

Th e veryvery fi rstrst IridiumIridium Spa willwill launchlaunch at St RegisRegis LhasaLhasa ResortResort in TibetTibet Abbajay to lead global spa St Regis’ in-house spa brand arrives development at Marriott Sharilyn Abbajay has been appointed A new in-house concept called Iridium Spa Th e fi rst Iridium Spa will debut at The vice-president of global spa and retail is to be introduced within Starwood Hotels St Regis Lhasa Resort in Tibet at the end at Marriott International. and Resorts’ St Regis brand. of 2010. Facilities will include a signature Abbajay, who sits on the executive com- Speaking exclusively to Spa Business, relaxation area – the Iridium Room – as well mittee at ISPA, has 30 years’ experience in Starwood’s director of global spa brands as a stunning, gold-tiled swimming pool. the salon and spa industry and once ran and programming, Mia Kyricos, said: “Irid- Further St Regis properties in the pipe- her own consultancy. Prior to Marriott, ium Spa is a concept born from the DNA of line for 2011 include one European opening she was the COO of Neill Corporation – our brand, originating with the famed Irid- as well as two in China, launching in the an Aveda distributor – where she oversaw ium Room [a prestigious ballroom] at Th e fourth quarter. Asia is also a key market for 18 Aveda Lifestyle salons and spas. St Regis New York in 1938.” the rollout, followed by EAME. Marriott has been operating and devel- Iridium Spa will fi t with guests who are With the Iridium Spa launch, owners will oping spas for over 20 years, but Abbajay’s the most discerning of Starwood custom- be able to choose from two spa concepts appointment signals a renewed interest ers being “generally the wealthiest and the developed exclusively for St Regis; the other in the facilities which have become a life- most well-travelled” (see SB10/3 p24). is Bliss World Holdings’ Remède Spa. style choice for its hotel guests.

Rafﬂ es unveils three new properties

Fairmont Raffl es’ portfolio is to be further Elsewhere, Raffl es Praslin will open in extended with two properties: Raffl es Paris the fi rst quarter of 2011. Situated on the sec- – Le Royal Monceau and Raffl es Makkah ond largest island in the Seychelles, it will Palace in Saudi Arabia, both of which are be located close to the Vallée de Mai nature due to open before the end of 2010. reserve: a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th e Parisian property is located minutes Th e resort will feature 86 villas, each with from the Champs Élysées and will feature a private plunge pool. Th ere is also a white interiors by Philippe Starck while the all- sand beach overlooking Curieuse Island. suite Makkah Palace is directly adjacent to Th e Raffl es Spa will feature 13 treatment the Al-Masjid Al-Haram mosque and will pavilions among natural rock formations off er access to the holiest site in Islam, the high above the water, off ering spectacular Kaaba Al Sharifa. All the suites will off er views. Th ere will also be an outdoor spa gar- On e of th e sui tes at Raffl Ra es Pr aslin Seych ell es direct views of Al-Masjid Al-Haram. den and pavilion for yoga and pilates.

14 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 GoldenEye gears up for mid-November debut Nick Simmonds has been appointed managing director of the GoldenEye resort and spa in Jamaica ahead of its mid-No- vember launch. Most recently, Simmonds was the general manager at Th e Cotton House in Mustique. When completed, the GoldenEye resort – which was the former home of James Bond author Ian Fleming – will include 23 guest units among 52 acres (21 hectares) of coastline, lagoons and tropical gardens. Within the next year, there will also be a spa off ering created at Golden- Eye with the design and spa menu based on the two themes of nature and the surrounding environment.

A total of sevenseven newnew resortsresorts willwill openopen by the endend of 20112011 includingincluding AnantaraAnantara Uluwatu in BaliBali L’Occitane to enter Anantara’s extensive global development Indian spa market French brand L’Occitane is to enter the Developer and operator Anantara Hotels, Oman will be set on a peninsula in the Gulf Indian market in partnership with Devi Resorts and Spas is to extend its portfolio of Oman and open in March 2011. Resorts with three spas in Rajasthan. Th e of luxury resorts and spas across Asia, the Th e group’s fi rst venture into China will Devi Spa by L’Occitane treatments will Indian Ocean region and the Middle East to be the Anantara Sanya Resort and Spa in incorporate ingredients from Rajasthan, include 50 hotels in the next fi ve years. south China, which will open in April 2011. combined with L’Occitane formulae. Th e A total of seven new resorts in China, the Located on Hainan Island, the resort will be spas will be located in the Devi Garh Pal- Maldives, Oman, Indonesia and the UAE fl anked by two beaches, Ziaodonghai Bay ace in Udaipur, the Devi Ratn Resort in will open by the end of 2011. and Luhuitou Park. Jaipur and the Rasa Resort, also in Jaipur, Th ey will include Anantara Kihavah Vil- On the south-western tip of Bali, the which will feature luxury tents with spa las in the Maldives. Opening in January 2011, Anantara Uluwatu resort and spa will open pavilions. See p50 for a spa camp focus. it will boast 78 over-water beach suites and in mid-2011 with 77 suites. a signature Anantara Spa. Finally, there is also the Al Barari by Also featuring the signature spa brand, Anantara and Th e Al Yamm by Anantara, Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa Resort in both on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Hilton reveals a new global spa concept

Hilton Hotels & Resorts (HH&R) has unveiled a new global spa concept called eforea: spa at Hilton. Th e turnkey solution is intended Th e new facility is located at Lime Wood to provide owners and operators with a spa that is both easy to The Herb House ready to implement and customise. A notable eforea design element debut in the New Forest will be a cocoon-like Vichy shower A 22,000sq ft (2,044sq m) spa called Th e room with signature curved walls. Herb House opened in early November Other features will include inte- at Lime Wood in the New Forest, UK. grated music speakers in all Efor ea’ s Arri val L oun ge will boast bespoke li gh tin g Product houses include Irish brand treatment rooms, plus an aroma-dif- Voya and natural skincare brand NUDE. fusing system to disperse signature scents. Th e inaugural eforea has opened at Short Treatments will also use the Bamford Another highlight will be custom-design Hills, New Jersey, US, with a worldwide roll- beauty range by Daylesford Organic – lighting in the spa’s Arrival Lounge that bright- out to follow in Th ailand, Australia, Japan, the exclusive luxury farming company. ens as guests walk from treatment rooms. the Maldives and the UAE. Th is is the fi rst time that Daylesford’s The global head of the HH&R brand, Elsewhere within the group, Keith Bur- organic spa treatments have been off ered Dave Horton, commented: “With more net has left his role as global vice-president outside its own wellness facility. than 80 spas in our pipeline, eforea has the of fi tness and spa to become the joint CEO Th e Herb House spa, which comprises potential to evolve the spa segment of our of newly launched budget chain easyGym. 10 treatments rooms, includes designs by industry on a global scale.” His position at Hilton will not be replaced. David Collins Studio.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 15 news update

Coworth Park has many eco elements Eco-luxury Coworth Park unveiled near Ascot Luxury hotel operator Dorchester Col- lection has opened a new country house hotel and eco-luxury spa, Coworth Park, near Ascot in the UK. Set in 240 acres (97 hectares) of park- Th e nnew,ew, tthree-flhree-fl ooroor PPalacealace Spa hashas beenbeen builtbuilt aroundaround a 100-year-old100-year-old eucalyptuseucalyptus treetree land, the 70-bedroom hotel is a restored Georgian manor house and has a host of eco-friendly operating procedures. Es Saadi Palace Spa opens in Marrakech Th e spa will off er treatments featuring Dr Alkaitis products, which are rich in A new spa has opened at the Es Saadi Gar- Treatments will be supplied by La Sultane anti-oxidants and healing enzymes and dens & Resort in Marrakech, Morocco. de Saba, Micheline Arcier, Th alisens and are 100 per cent organic. Kerstin Florian Th e 32,000sq ft (2,972sq m) spa is spread Phyto and include aromatherapy, facials, and Aromatherapy Associates lines have over three fl oors and has been built around hydrotherapy baths and hair treatments. also been chosen. a 100-year-old eucalyptus tree. It is located Also on site will be the world’s second Dior within the resort’s 20-acre (8-hectare) pri- Institut, providing anti-ageing care through vate garden and is adjacent to its two hotels bespoke skin and body treatments. Spatality’s Claridges Spa and 10 luxury villas. In addition is an extensive fi tness off er- Surajkund opens in India Facilities include 24 treatment rooms, ing and an organic spa restaurant, called Bio Moroccan and Indian-themed hammams, du Bled, serving up a wide range vegetarian Spa management company Spatality has a relaxation terrace and swimming pools. food sourced from the resort’s own farm. opened the Claridges Spa at Th e Claridges, Th ere is also a couples spa suite with its own Th e Es Saadi Palace Spa is the second spa Surajkund, India. Th e spa was initially Moroccan hammam, twin baths for balneo- to open at the resort, following the Oriental slated to open in May 2009. therapy, a library and a herbal tea room. Spa at the Es Saadi Hotel in 2002. Peter Davis, spokesperson for Spatal- ity, said: “Like many projects, this was delayed due to cost cutting measures and construction delays. Originally planned Sankara group and Angsana combine in Africa as a complete one phase project, the spa and some of the room inventory were Th e newly-opened us$37m (€28.8m, instead slotted into a second phase.” £24m) Sankara Nairobi hotel is Spatality has been involved with the host to the fi rst Angsana Spa in project since inception via its design eastern Africa. consultation, pre-opening and technical With seven treatment rooms, in services. Th e fi rm is now providing ongo- addition to two signature rain mist ing management services for the spa. experience rooms, the 5,458sq ft (600sq m) Angsana Spa is located on the hotel’s seventh fl oor. New international project Th e spa is the fi rst to open under a manager joins MSpa team partnership formed in 2009 between Angsana’s parent company, Banyan Th e NaNairobiirobi ffacilityacility iiss tthehe fi rstrst AngsanaAngsana in east AfricaAfrica Kathryn Moore has become the new Tree, and the Sankara group. international project manager at MSpa Banyan Tree Holdings has also revealed Next to launch will be the Angsana East- International in Th ailand. further details of the next three Angsana ern Mangroves hotel and spa in early 2011 Moore will lead spa launches around properties in the pipeline. in Abu Dhabi, UAE. the world within the four MSpa brands: First, by the end of 2010, will be the Also opening by mid-2011 will be Mandara Spa, Anantara Spa, Aequalis Angsana Hangzhou. Situated within the Angsana Balaclava, a boutique resort and Spa and the Individually Tailored Spa integrated Xixi Paradise development in spa in Baie aux Tortues (or ‘turtle bay’) in Collection. She entered the spa industry China’s Xixi National Wetland Park, Ang- Mauritius. Th e all-suite hotel will feature in 2003, but previously worked in mana- sana Hangzhou will include an open-air an Angsana Spa with a hammam and gerial positions for brands such as Hilton roof garden and a hotel with 59 bedrooms. hydrotherapy pool. and Body Bronze.

16 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 The SpaFinder iPhone App Search, Book, Spa!

Connecting over 5,000 spas with spa-goers around the world Thanks to patent-pending technology, consumers worldwide can now find spas, check deals and book actual appointments 24/7 from their iPhone. Visit us at the 2010 ISPA Conference & Expo to learn more about SpaFinder’s leading marketing solutions - and to read the debut issue of the NewBeauty SpaFinder Guide to Global Spa, Wellness & Beauty. For a free download of the SpaFinder App, visit the iPhone App Store!

Visit us at The ISPA Conference & Expo, Booths 1125 & 1127 news update

Work to begin on thermal spa project in Buxton, UK A legal agreement has been signed to allow work to start on the £32m (us$49.4m, €38.9m) development of The Crescent building – which is to be transformed into a luxury hotel and thermal spa – in the UK spa town of Buxton. Th e agreement – between landowners High Peak Borough Council and Derby- shire County Council – is supported by Nestlé Waters, which bottles the local mineral water under the Buxton brand. It protects Nestlé’s right to draw underground mineral water. It is expected that redevelopment by the Buxton Crescent Hotel and Th ermal Spa Company could begin in late 2010.

Th e 27-hectare27-hectare propertyproperty willwill includeinclude a signifisignifi cantcant spa cocomponentmponent aandnd iiss due to openopen in 20142014 Akasha Wellbeing US$5bn Mina Zayed project details unveiled Retreat for Jerusalem A 10,764sq ft (1,000sq m) spa designed by Further details have been revealed about the and covering 64,400sq ft (5,980sq m). With the Milan-based interior architect Piero mixed-use Mina Zayed Waterfront Devel- 41 treatment rooms and suites, the spa Lissoni has opened at the Mamilla Hotel opment in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab will boast the fi rst Bellagio-branded spa in Jerusalem, Israel. Called the Akasha Emirates (UAE). suites in the Middle East in addition to Wellbeing Retreat and Spa and located With an estimated overall cost of us$5bn a medi-spa component. less than a mile from Jerusalem’s Old (€3.6bn, £3.2bn), the project will cover a total Spatality is currently consulting on its fea- City walls, the facility has been created of 27 hectares (67 acres). sibility, design and brand implementation. as a core component of the hotel’s experi- Th e development will be housed within Scheduled to open in 2014, the develop- ence. Th e spa’s design incorporates feng a hollow, drum-shaped building with a ment is located adjacent to Abu Dhabi’s new shui principles to create a warm and rotating sun screen and will include three growth areas of Saadiyat Island and Sow- relaxed atmosphere. branded hotels and residences – MGM wah Island. It is a key component of Plan Grand, Bellagio and SkyLoft s. Abu Dhabi 2030, a governmental blueprint Th ere will also be a health and wellness for the urban transformation of the wider centre costing us$20m (€14.2m, £12.6m) Mina Zayed area.

The Palmyra spa on schedule for 2011 launch

Th e exclusive enclave of Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is to gain a 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) luxury ESPA spa in early 2011. Treatments include a creekside massage Housed in a separate building to Th e Palmyra resort, the spa is being L’Auberge de Sedona created in consultation with ESPA revamp is completed and will feature 14 treatment rooms including two private couples suites The final phase of a us$25m (€19.2m, and nine multi-functional spaces £16m) refi t at L’Auberge de Sedona resort with showers and balconies. Other in Arizona, US, has ended. Th e central amenities will include experiential Th e wellbeingwellbeing ooffff eringering hashas a coconsiderablensiderable waterwater elementelement focus of the revamp and expansion was rain showers, a tea lounge and vital- a programme called Project Elevation, ity pools with ocean views. Th e Palmyra is located on 16 oceanfront which aimed to boost the resort’s facil- Th e Palmyra comes under the Solís Resorts acres (6 hectares), on the grounds of a former ities while remaining environmentally & Hotels brand, launched by the former plantation. It will off er 299 bedrooms and sensitive. As part of this, a new Seren- president of Th e Ritz-Carlton Hotel Com- 23,000sq ft (2,138sq m) of indoor and out- ite Spa with seven treatment rooms was pany, Horst Schulze, who commented: “In door meetings space, including a gazebo that constructed as well as 11 new spa cot- essence, Th e Palmyra, a Solís Resort & Spa extends into the nearby bay. Guests also have tages, complete with outdoor showers, to will redefi ne luxury living and travel in the access to three golf courses: the White Witch form a new spa village. Managed by Des- Caribbean based on input from world trav- Golf Course, Cinnamon Hill Golf Course tination Hotels and Resorts, the spa was ellers and guests.” and the Half Moon Golf Club. designed by Cary Collier of Blu Spas.

18 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 FEM;H;:8Ob[_ikh[Z_Who$Yec DIARY DATES

9-10 December 2010 International Luxury Spa Summit Cannes, France Primarily aimed at international hospitality professionals, this event has been designed to provide bespoke solutions for spa projects, as well as help owners to reposition existing facilities. Th ere are also short, one-to- one sessions with investors available. T: +33 4 93 78 65 92 www.internationalluxuryspasummit.com 30-31 January 2011 Hair & Beauty Messe Frankfurt Exhibition space, Frankfurt, Germany Flagshi pstep site Th eSae San ctuar y in L on don’ sCoves Coven tGadet Garden ,U, UK ,ope, open ed m or ete th an 30yeasago30 years ago Th is event will include workshops from experts as well as stage shows, best-practice examples and interviews. PZ Cussons CEO to join two key brands Th ere will also be a Professionals@ Business Corner lecture programme Following the acquisition of St Tropez by Michelle Feeney, St Tropez’s chief execu- (in German) specifi cally for PZ Cussons from private equity group LDC tive, added: “PZ Cussons off ers a synergistic salon owners and managers. for £62.5m (us$99.4m, €71.4m), the group’s opportunity for growth, particularly in con- T: +49 69 75 750 chief executive has outlined international junction with Th e Sanctuary, and will add www.messefrankfurt.com growth plans for the product range. the scaleability that the brand needs to Chief executive of PZ Cussons, Alex become a truly international player.” 9-12 February 2011 Kanellis, said: “Th e acquisition represents As of the year ending 31 July 2010, St Kosmetik Expo an excellent strategic opportunity and fur- Tropez reported gross assets of £48.1m Marriott Moscow Royal Aurora, Russia ther strengthens our portfolio of ‘masstige’ (us$76.5m, €54.9m, ) with revenue at £20.7m Th e 2011 Kosmetik Expo event brands which includes Th e Sanctuary. (us$32.9m, €23.6m). is primarily intended for beauty “We see good growth opportunities, both More than 80 per cent of St Tropez’s sales industry professionals with the expo in the UK and overseas, particularly by are said to be within the UK, while the US part of the event attracting around linking the strategy to that of Th e Sanctu- and Australia have been outlined as growth 250 Russian and global companies. ary spa brand.” markets for the brand. T: +7 495 937 1318 www.ki-expo.ru 21-23 February 2011 Inaugural European Holmes Place Spa opens IYABA Accra International Conference Th e fi rst branded Holmes Place Spa Centre, Accra, Ghana, West Africa has opened in Europe within the Featuring a range of exhibitors from Zürich Holmes Place Club across Africa as well as educational Designed by Heinz Schletterer of aids for the salon and spa industry, the Schletterer International Group, this expo will also include nail and the spa took fi ve years to build and barbering competitions as well as cost us$2.7m (€2m, £1.76m). Th e a business management seminar. interiors feature accents of cool T: +233 21 765 604 stonework and wood to create a http://iyabaexpo.com tranquil atmosphere. Spa manager Charlotte Taylor 27-28 February 2011 explains: “We wanted the spa to Th e HolmesHolmes PlacePlace Spa was designeddesigned by HeinzHeinz SchlettererSchletterer Professional Beauty 2011 inspire people to fi nd a balance ExCeL, London, UK with the stress of everyday life. It’s an ideal Work has already begun on the next spa With the recent acquisition of addition for members of the fi tness club.” to open within a Holmes Place Club, which Professional Beauty by Total A wide range of treatments from exclu- will be a Spa Club located in Berlin, Ger- Beauty, the two events will be sive spa partner Elemis are off ered while many at Potsdamer Platz. combined and take place at facilities also include a sauna, steambaths, a Holmes Place health clubs were founded London’s ExCeL. Th e event will whirlpool and relaxation areas. In addition in 1980 to complement sport programming include the one-day European Spa is a silent relaxation room with four water with health coaching and holistic wellbeing. Convention on the 27 February. beds, a drinks lounge, a VIP spa suite, a Th e company has 200,000 members at 49 T: +44 20 7351 0536 herbal bath and a scented mist walk. locations with around 4,000 staff . www.totalbeautyshow.com

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 19 INTERVIEW ANDREA JEZOVIT » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS

Christopher Norton

It’s an exciting time for the chair of Four Seasons’ global spa task force – the chain has 50 new hotels, all with spas, set to open in the next ﬁ ve years. But how do you guide the development of so many spas around the world? The hotelier turned spa expert tells all

hough he chairs the spa development task force for Four Seasons, Christopher Norton still fancies himself as more of a hotel man. “Originally, my calling and career is as a hotelier,” he says. “I work with lots of people who technically are great spa experts, some Twho have spent their whole lives studying the discipline. Some are brilliant and are better technicians than I will ever be.” But talk to Norton about spas, and you can hear his passion. Ask him for his favourite spa, and he’ll give four diff erent answers (see p24). Ask him about his favourite treatment, and he’ll name two. He speaks of past Four Seasons projects like a proud father, and excit- edly tells the story of the best spa experience he ever had: a tantric ayurvedic massage at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, a spa he helped create. “Th ey’re more rituals than they are massages. Th ere’s a very talented senior spa director there, and it was a fantastic experience – it’s the only time that I’ve literally had a conscious out-of-body experience, and it’s happened to me twice at that spa.” A post-elephant ride herbal poultice treatment in the peaceful jungle surroundings of the spa at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Th ailand, he quickly adds, is a close second. Spa development makes up only a small part of Norton’s duties – based in Paris, he’s regional vice-president overseeing the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, the Four Seasons Resort Provence, the Four Seasons Hotel Doha in Qatar and the Four Seasons Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; he’s also the George V’s general manager. Norton estimates he only spends about an hour a day on spa task force duty. But the role is still a major responsibility – established in 1960 and now with 83 properties (nearly all with spas) around the world, Four Seasons is a major brand – and the chain has 50 more hotels set to open in the next fi ve years, all with spas. Th ough Norton won’t be closely involved with each new spa personally, he’s overseeing the direction of spas for the chain at an important time. A HOTELIER BY CALLING Fift y-two-year-old Norton – who was born in the US and raised in Switzerland – fi rst became interested in hotels at age 14, through a friend with a hotelier father; he sought out an apprenticeship at Hôtel Baur au Lac in Switzerland, and began his career in the US at hotels in Atlanta, Boca Raton and New York. It was at the Water- gate Hotel in Washington DC in the mid-1980s that Norton was exposed to his fi rst spa development. “It was one of those older set- Although Norton would describe his original calling as a hotelier, ups where you had a swim club and some gymnastics and one or two he is deeply passionate about spa operations and development little rooms in the back where a big hairy man would massage people aft er the workout,” he says. “We took that apart and renovated,

20 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Norton’s ﬁ rst major spa project was at Four Seasons Bali (above); one of his favourite treatments was in Thailand (opposite)

gave it a whole new look and feel and did things that back then weren’t commonplace.” In 1989, Norton got his start with Four Seasons aft er he was off ered a role at Le Quatre Saisons Mon- tréal. “I was in charge of hotel operations, and the spa was part of it. Since I’d tasted it a bit in Washing- ton, I immediately took to it,” he remembers. “Th e spa as a business component and what it can do for a hotel environment has always fascinated me.” When Norton moved to the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay as general manager, he became involved with his fi rst major spa project. “We decided to tear down the original spa and I worked with a pretty interesting spa team including an architect [Grounds Kent], spa consultant [Blu Spas Inc], interior designer [Hinke Zieck] and landscaper [Made Wijaya],” he says. Norton worked for many years in Asia with Neil Jacobs, a regional “It was an incredible operation, an amazing experience.” Th e spa vice-president for south-east Asia out of Singapore (see SB05/2 p18). opened in 1997; it’s since been named one of the top spas in the Jacobs was also the fi rst chair of spa development for Four Seasons world by Condé Nast and Travel + Leisure, Norton adds proudly. and when he moved to the Starwood Capital Group in 2008, Nor- Th e following year, Norton helped open a second spa at the Four ton inherited the position of spa task force chair. “I’d been in Asia Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, reinventing an indigenous Balinese for a long time, I worked in the US for 20 years, and I grew up in spa in more contemporary terms. Europe, so I brought a global perspective to the role. We’d built a

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 21 INTERVIEW

Each Four Seasons spa is the product of the group’s spa task force. This was created in 2003 and today includes 30 staff of various levels globally

lot of fantastic spas in Asia, and had done a lot of trendsetting things. So the role stuck with me even aft er I moved to Paris.” GOING GLOBAL Four Seasons originally created its spa task force in 2003, involving staff of various levels globally from grass roots rather than creating a spa division at its Toronto headquarters. Th ere are now 30 people on the task force and, since taking over as chair, Norton has created a regional structure to keep up with the growth in properties, appointing four regional vice-presidents or general managers to oversee spa development in the Americas (Th omas Steinhauer), Europe (Rene Beau- champ), the Middle East (Simon Casson) and Asia (John O’Sullivan). “Instead of making it Asia-centric and saying the spa guru has to sit in Asia, the spa task force has become more global,” he says. Th e regional spa leaders work closely with senior spa directors, who are more hands-on advisors in the new developments. “Our senior spa director for Europe will oversee our spa in Paris, but also has great infl uence on the other spas. She doesn’t run them – they have Norton says spas can make an incredible impact on people’s their own spa directors – but she becomes an advisor and a very wellbeing and that guest feedback can be very powerful important resource to the other spa directors,” Norton says. “Most of our technical experience lies at the level of senior spa director.” Members of the task force – not always Norton personally – can table, there’s an entire pre- and post- sequence that’s key, and we’re get involved in a spa development as early as discussions with own- very good in planning and executing the entire experience, right ership in Toronto about a potential project; it depends on the project from when you walk in: how you’re greeted, how it looks and smells, and its needs. Task force members will discuss concepts with the and how you feel going into the treatments.” Toronto-based development and design specialists and provide input Another factor separating Four Seasons spas is the emphasis on on architectural plans, interiors, choice of consultants, technical and products, Norton says: his team has evolved to be pickier about what operational plans. Th e senior spa directors, many of whom have for- products go into a spa (there is no one main product house across the mal training in architecture and design, provide especially valuable group), as well as aiming to off er a variety of lines in each location. input at this stage. Norton and his task force colleagues also help to To please guests, they’ve followed trends to include more natural fi nd spa director candidates from within the company to run a new products especially those from Sodashi and Th e Organic Pharmacy, spa, assign certain spa directors to provide pre-opening assistance, and are also evolving more sophisticated high-tech brands with and develop and run training programmes to help staff on their L Raphael, Sodashi and Vaishaly. Th e company also encourages career tracks. “I think we probably have the best spa management exclusive agreements with suppliers. “When you come into one of training programme that exists today,” Norton says. our spas, ideally you’ll fi nd products that you can fi nd nowhere else. Four Seasons spas are extremely diverse – not only are they located If you come to our Paris spa, you’ll fi nd two out of three of the main around the world, but the company makes a point of aiming to product lines are exclusive to our French spas. And you sense you’ll provide an indigenous experience for guests. So how is brand con- get a treatment that you can’t fi nd anywhere else.” sistency maintained? Th rough a high level of service, Norton says. Th e indigenous component the company encourages in terms of “In a spa, it’s not only the 55 or 80 minutes you’re on the massage spa architecture and design extends to product lines, Norton says

22 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Discover Sodashi’s most powerful anti-ageing treatment to transform and reawaken the skin.

For more information about Samadara™ Ultimate Age-Defying Crème or the new Samadara™ Ultimate Age-Defying Facial contact +61 8 9336 6837.

www.sodashi.com INTERVIEW

PERSONAL FILE: Christopher Norton Favourite Four Seasons spa: Jimbaran Bay – I gave birth to it, it’s important to me – and the Hong Kong city spa Favourite non-Four Seasons spa: the one at the Dolder Grand Hotel, Zürich Favourite treatment: a really, really good Balinese massage. And a massage treatment we’ve developed that’s on our menu in Paris, Tropical Magnolia What do you do in your free time? What free time? If I have any, I love spending it with family and a few very close friends Favourite book: Conversations with God, by Donald Walsch Favourite fi lm: Th e Great Escape Favourite food: grilled fi sh Favourite place: wherever I am Who do you admire most in life? People who have the ability to stay young in their mind, people who keep growing and learning, and who keep their minds open What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Never take yourself or others too seriously, but take your work seriously, and live every day like it’s going to be the last

- it’s a policy not to impose products globally, and spas have lots of autonomy in choosing products. “It’s important,” he says. “If you walk into a spa in Bali, you don’t want to fi nd a typical French cosmetic brand on the shelves. You want to fi nd something made by a little old lady up in the mountains that has incredible healing power and is rare and special.” Creating exclusive partnerships Places like Florence – which had no luxury hotel or spa until isn’t hard – providing their product to high-end spas with guaran- Four Seasons launched (above) – are important for future growth teed customers give suppliers a great benefi t, Norton says, and his team spends a great deal of time on merchandising. Th e task force has no infl uence over where Four Seasons is headed DIVERSE DEVELOPMENT next – headquarters decides on new development locations – but As the company’s spas vary greatly, so does the spa development Norton has lots of thoughts on what areas have spa potential. Asia process, with expenses, consultants and timelines diff ering depend- is still an important region for growth, he says, but somewhere like ing on the project and location; occupancy and capture rates vary Florence – which had no luxury hotel or spa until Four Seasons too greatly to give one average, Norton admits. “In a good city spa, opened there in 2008 (see SB10/3 p64) – is just as important for the we’d look at treatment room occupancy rates of about 60 per cent,” company, he says. “You can have some incredible experiences in he says. “At a city hotel we do about 16 to 20 per cent capture rate, Europe,” he says. “Some of the Middle Eastern spas are going to be but you can have 30 to 50 per cent outside guests. In resorts, some- fascinating – we’re embarking on a ladies-only spa in Riyadh, Saudi times you look at capture rates between 35 and 55 per cent, because Arabia, which is going to be incredible, and we have an amazing spa if you go to Bali you’ve got to have a massage. in Doha, which would rival most facilities worldwide. And there “You have to look at various measures at the same time. Instead are some beautiful spas in the US.” Four Seasons is currently under- of looking only at how much we capture, we look at the quality of represented in South America, and there’s also interest in going into what we do, and we look at the revenue per available treatment room. Russia, he notes. “Th ere has to be a global consciousness to make Th e quality part is as important as the quantity.” sure [what we off er is] quality, indigenous and exciting.” His team looks at a variety of other KPIs including total spa rev- Wherever Four Seasons takes its spas, it’s an exciting time for Nor- enue per occupied hotel room, RevPATH and spa retail revenue as ton: “Th e company is excited to take the spa seriously as we grow, a percentage of total spa revenue. Th e spa task force has also put and to make sure there’s a culture where we keep rising above the together a specifi c yield management protocol. “You should be sure rest in terms of passion, quality of products, service, and results,” to mix the occupancy of treatment rooms with the average price of he says. “Spas make an incredible impact on people’s wellbeing, and, your treatments and what you provide, whether you book one or two when you do it well, the feedback from your guests is very powerful hour sessions and how you make the most of your square footage.” and immediate and there’s great satisfaction to that.” ●

24 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010

[

!"#$$%&'$$( !"%)*(+&'$$) ,-'$$. OPINION ANDREA JEZOVIT » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS

Everyone’s talking about... The Indian spa market

Geo Spa Fitness, which worked on the spa at Leela Kempinski Delhi, says hotels are leading spa development in India

AS INDIA’S EMERGING SPA INDUSTRY FINDS ITS FEET, WE ASK SOME LEADING EXPERTS AND INDUSTRY PLAYERS TO DELIVER A SWOT ANALYSIS

rom the breathtaking Himalayas and tourists visited the country in 2008 – up industry will climb to 2.4 per cent by the end F the beaches of Kerala to the bustle 57 per cent from 1996. of 2012, and medical tourism is expected to of Mumbai, India is full of spectac- Though healing is ingrained in Indian cul- generate us$2.4bn (€1.7bn, £1.5bn) for the ular natural beauty and world-class tourist ture, the modern spa and wellness sector is country by then, growing at a compound attractions. Coupled with an ancient tradi- still emerging and open to new brands and annual growth rate of 27 per cent between tion of healing practices, and you’ve got a ideas. While hundreds of low-end beauty 2009 and 2012. Medical tourist numbers very tempting spa destination. salons and massage facilities across the are expected to grow at 19 per cent annu- And now may be the time to enter the mar- country label themselves spas, most world ally, reaching a total of 1.1 million by 2012. ket. One of the BRIC economies predicted to class spa development has taken place only Challenges to entering India include poor be most dominant by 2050, India is seeing over the last five to eight years, and has been infrastructure, bureaucratic red tape and a a lot of growth and one of the most promis- mainly limited to hotels. But the market is shortage of international-standard therapists. ing areas for spa operators to target could be expanding rapidly – an April 2010 report by But infrastructure is slowly improving, and its burgeoning middle classes. While India’s global knowledge services firm Netscribes government-accredited training institutes middle class currently comprises less than values India’s wellness services market at are in the pipeline as well as new initiatives 30 per cent of its 1.2 billion population, its inr110bn (us$2.5bn, €1.8bn, £1.6bn), grow- to ease development. Notably, a government consumption is forecast to treble as a share ing at a rate of 33 per cent annually. panel recently recommended that India open of India’s total consumption over the next 15 Medical spas present a particularly strong its equity markets to foreign retail investors. years, according to a recent Deutsche Bank opportunity for all investors. A report by So what does the future hold? We ask some Research report. India is also growing rapidly market research firm RNCOS predicts that leading experts about India’s strengths, weak- as a tourist destination; 5.37 million foreign India’s share in the global medical tourism nesses, opportunities and threats.

26 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 ndia already allows for- MANOJ VOHRA eign-owned brokers to trade directly on the Director of research, India Economist Intelligence Unit country’s exchanges. INow, a panel set up by the gov- already been made in some areas a large number of Indian and foreign com- ernment has recommended the (notably telecoms, roads and panies are building new hotels across the Finance Ministry make it easier ports), but the huge amount of country. Th ree hundred hotel projects have for foreign retail investors and, investment still required means been approved by the government and are in particular, affl uent Indian expatriates, to infrastructure will be poor for many years. in varying stages of development, according buy shares on Indian exchanges. Foreign However, rising income levels mean this to India’s Ministry of Tourism. investors will benefi t as they get to directly population of almost 1.2bn is becoming an Still, capacity constraints are unlikely participate in India’s growth. increasingly important market. In addition, to be eased in the short term, as demand Th e main impediments to foreign invest- India remains an increasingly attractive des- is expected to continue to exceed supply. ment are a cumbersome political system that tination. Th e enormous gap between limited Furthermore, nearly half of the new hotel slows the pace of reform, and the poor state hotel room supply and high demand implies projects are luxury, suggesting the current of the country’s infrastructure. Progress has strong potential returns on investments, and situation of high prices and low availability of accommodation will continue. The opportunity exists at both ends: A panel recently set up by the government has recommended budget and luxury. However, developers should identify investment locations care- that the Finance Ministry should make it easier for foreign retail fully, as the extent of the opportunity for investors to buy shares on India’s exchanges each will vary from state to state.

e’re not a strong VANESSA MAIN operator in India at the Director, spa operations & development, moment, but Asia Paciﬁ c, Hilton Worldwide Wwe have 15 properties opening between 2011 and 2014, 13 of don’t fi nd that in every market – which will have spas. From our here we’ve got the fl exibility to perspective, India is a market look at diff erent models. With with high barriers to entry. Entering it can its natural beauty and spirituality, India be challenging, but recently there have been provides a perfect environment for holistic changes from a development perspective. modalities and retreats. Governmental reforms have eased height Th e people of India have a strong affi nity restrictions, allowing for larger properties with spa services and spiritual healing tra- and more room for facilities like spas. ditions. However, we’re now also starting to It’s an exciting market, and we’ve got a see a demand for more sophisticated spa blend of development projects, from urban experiences, and people are beginning to and resort to a very holistic retreat-style. We embrace high performance-style treatments

and skincare. There’s Hilton isn’t big more brand awareness in India yet, but coming into the mar- it does have 15 ket, and it’s starting to hotels – and 13 become a very competi- spas (above) – tive landscape as well. in development Cultural sensitivities also have to be taken into consideration when developing Indian spas. It’s not just providing segregated areas for men and women – it’s about being sensitive to their culture. You need to be able to execute ayurveda with full integrity; you can’t take it halfway, because in certain areas that might off end. India is defi nitely a long-term market for us. We’re consistently adding projects to our development pipeline, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in fi ve years time we’re operating more than 20 spas in India. We’re really look- India, unlike many markets, lends itself to urban, resort and holistic retreat spa models ing forward to the upcoming challenges.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 27 OPINION

JANE CREBBIN-BAILEY

Partner, HCB Associates

ndia’s spa industry is nating from Kerala, are now turning committed to ensur- into spa schools, or adding courses ing guests receive in services or Oriental therapies. the highest quality, Interestingly, the recently-opened Iauthentic spa experiences. Oriental Spa Academy, owned by But, currently, the lack of India’s Cambay Resort, has linked professionally-certifi ed staff up with the Lanna Th ai Spa Acad- is a challenge; spas are left to emy in Bangkok: it’s important to poach good therapists, and employ unqual- off er students a global perspective. ifi ed staff who may be good masseurs, but At ASI, [which I consulted on] we’re try- lack formal training and knowledge of anat- ing to promote longer courses [typically omy, physiology and best hygiene practice. nine months to three years] but off er short India will require 20,000 new spa thera- courses as well [typically two weeks to six pists by 2012; it’s an ambitious number. But months] to attract people. a lot of new training institutes are opening. To encourage national students, ASI and Many off er short beauty courses and claim many other institutes off er a two-tier price they’re a spa training school, but there are system – one for international students, and currently seven major spa training institutes one for nationals with reduced fees. Th ere off ering certifi cations around the country— are also programmes set up by hotel groups including the fi rst institute designed and to recruit and provide accommodation and built for spa training in India, the Ananda training for those in poorer communities. It’s Spa Institute (ASI), owned by renowned important for India not to rely on recruiting brand Ananda (see SB08/3 p36). from overseas but rather develop its own tal- Th ere are seven major Indian spa training Spas and ayurveda go hand in hand, so a ent or encourage those working overseas to institutes including ASI (above) lot of the ayurvedic schools, mostly origi- return with their international expertise.

By 2012, India will require 20,000 new spa therapists and that’s an ambitious number... however, it’s important for India to develop its own talent rather than rely on recruiting from overseas

nowledge of day CARINA CHATLANI spas has increased recently among Chief executive, Spa and Wellness Association of India the people of India; Kthis market is blossoming due to located at hill stations (hilltop sanctuaries and protected, government-run a burgeoning middle class with towns popular with vacation- forests, which make it an easy choice for incredible disposable income, ers) are also attracting locals. development of ayurvedic and resort spas. and there are opportunities Th ese spas are generally geared Emerging tier III cities – a collection of for operators to tap in. Th ough recent eco- towards western-type treatments with about 30 small, booming cities located near nomic pressures have aff ected the country, some infl uence from ayurveda, though it’s major Indian metropolises – show the most the desire to enjoy experiential treatments challenging to honour the authenticity of promise for spa development, as saturation does encourage locals to experiment with ayurveda in a day spa format. in tier I and rising property prices in tier locations in their vicinity. Other existing regions with potential for II cities are driving investors away. One Bangalore was probably the fi rst city to developers include Delhi and Mumbai, with of these, Nashik, located in a burgeoning see day spa development geared towards their vast numbers of tourists and residents; wine region, off ers tremendous potential for attracting a domestic audience, with Aroma Kerala, known for its traditional ayurvedic resort development, with its spiritual herit- Garden, a day spa founded in 2000. It was a therapies; the northern Himalayan region, age and location near the Godavari River. pioneer in introducing western-style treat- which draws locals and foreigners and Goa, Th ere’s great potential to utilise India’s ments in a day spa setting to India. Spas a highly-visited state with numerous wildlife own natural creations – yoga, ayurveda, vastu, pranayama – in spa concepts. And while the world has seen these cre- Tier III cities – small, booming cities near major metropolises – ations originating from the indigenous show the most promise for spa development, as saturation in tier I healers, Indians feel compelled to explore as well as ensure their own traditional phe- and rising property prices in tier II cities drive investors away nomena are honoured.

28 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Everyone’s talking about... Th e Indian spa market

s a medical tourism DR SARAT YENIGALLA market, India has the most poten- Director, LeoJuventa Centre for Integrated Medicine tial of any country. AAnd since India is the home Homoeopathy (AYUSH), an national visitors and patients, including of ayurveda, opportunities for initiative by India’s Ministry of corporate groups visiting for pampering its use in medical tourism are Health, is doing pioneering work packages and medical tourists. immense. India has 220 col- in bringing standardisation to We’ve already opened a successful inte- leges teaching ayurveda, and one university institutes, universities and hospitals teach- grated facility in Hyderabad and are now entirely devoted to it. Facilities in India off er ing and practising these ancient medicine looking to tap into opportunities elsewhere ayurveda packages from four days to four systems. Th e organisation has formalised an in India. We’ve decided to expand to the east- weeks; these attract international tourists, accreditation programme, clearly diff erenti- ern coast near Visakhapatnam, the western and some have waiting periods of more ating a wellness spa and a medical spa. coast near Mumbai, the Western Ghats near than 12 months. In larger Indian cities, up At the LeoJuventa Centre for Integrated Panchgani, and the north near Rishikesh in to 30 per cent of local people already seek Medicine, we practise ancient Indian tradi- the Himalayas. Th e government’s strong ini- ayurvedic treatment, and in rural areas the tions along with cosmetic dentistry, weight tiatives will lead to stupendous growth of the percentage is almost 97 per cent. management, diabetes management, physio- wellness sector – promotion of the ancient Lack of standardisation is the biggest therapy and rehab, performance diagnostics systems through the Ministry of Tourism challenge. Th e Department of Ayurveda, and sports injuries rehab. We currently get and its offi ces around the world is already Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and a healthy mix of local, national and inter- boosting the sector.

n the early 1990s, all eyes NIQI KUNDHI PHOTO: THE SPA AT KEMPINSKI DELHI LEELA were fixed on India’s external trade policies Group CEO, – duties were as high as Geo Spa Fitness I250 per cent on imported luxury items. Th e relaxation that has tor. So far, India’s hotels have led taken place since has spurred the way in spa development, as India on its path to becoming an hospitality leads India’s social economic superpower, and created an envi- structure – whatever the hotels do has a tor- ronment that’s fi nally truly ripe for world rent eff ect on the aspirations of the Indian class development in the wellness sector. consumer, making these hotel spas appeal to Over the past two decades, India’s hospi- domestic as well as foreign customers. Spas are now vital for hotel developers tality sector has experienced unprecedented Th e spa zone, once thought of as an out of growth. It encouraged new brands and ideas, sight basement activity, is now considered Beyond the hospitality sector, spa devel- and pushed for international standards in vital for hotel developers in India and takes opers in India are creating destination, architecture, interiors and service; it’s now prime position by the poolside, with easy urban, day and medi spas, and this devel- a very exciting time to invest in this sec- access from the guest bedrooms. opment is set to continue. Young, ambitious Indian doctors who can lend their expertise to medi-spas are also a particular strength. So far, India’s hotels have led the way in spa development as I predict that India will see a fi ne-tuning of franchise, hospitality and spa brands in hospitality leads India’s social structure – whatever the hotels do the future – the country is positioning itself has a torrent eff ect on the aspirations of the Indian consumer to be a brand creator, not a brand adopter.

ndia’s hospitality sector is RAJINDERA KUMAR doing very well. By 2013, there will be an enor- President, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India mous supply of hotels, Iwith at least 20 companies in that’s streamlined, it should a value-for-money option and to balance out play. Th ere will be lots of com- encourage more investors. all the luxury fi ve-star off erings. petition in the market, and India What’s required today is to India’s biggest strengths are its beautiful will become a very competitive come up with something for locations and its [kind hearted] people – there destination in terms of attracting tourists. the mid-market segment, which is totally is much potential for hospitality and tour- We’ve been wanting the government to missing from the scene. Th e government is ism across the country. Th ere are big cities put a national tourism advisory board in providing incentives to encourage this part and beautiful tourist attractions providing place which will allow new project holders to of the sector. Th ere’s a lot of focus on the a strong pull for visitors and we’re trying to get clearance for their developments quickly. mid-market segment at the moment – I think develop our infrastructure and facilities. Once Foreign players haven’t been able to come that even chains could profi t from targeting all these are in play, we’ll be complete in all into India because of red tape, and once the mid-market, as there’s a need to provide respects as a world-class tourist destination.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 29 JENNIFER HARBOTTLE » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS

Sabrina and Jesper Hougaard the in India. During his frequent travels to visit them, Jesper became interested in ayurveda and he says this was the catalyst for devel- HOUGAARDS oping his own resort spa concept. With perfect Nordic confi dence, Jesper Ten years ago, Jesper Hougaard and his wife Sabrina chose claims that “although Th ai and Balinese spa concepts are wonderful, they belong to India as the inspiration for their spa concept, Serena Spas. Th ailand and Bali and they don’t belong any- Having enjoyed great success, their next step is to persuade where else.” He wanted something to suit the and help the Indian government set spa training standards location, heritage and native ingredients of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, which is why he homed in on Indian wellness. esper Hougaard is Danish. in Malé, the capital, since 1994. On a small “Serena Spa is more about pampering than He’s also very funny. Ask island where everyone knows everyone else, ayurveda, which is not really a spa concept,” J him how he ended up mar- he had built himself a robust reputation as says Jesper. “It’s a curative and hospital con- rying his wife Sabrina, and a successful businessman. cept and is not really suited to week-long he says that, having first In 2000, the airline invested money in a tourism. We do not pretend to cure any- hired her to set up the recruitment of staff resort and luxury spa on Malé, and Hou- thing, we’re just for relaxation.” for his spas, “it soon became more econom- gaard became involved in its management. In 2000, Hougaard gave up his job at ical to marry her than to pay her a salary”! He says he immediately saw the rewards the airline, and won a contract to own and Serena Spas was established by Jesper in of working in the spa market. “Th ere’s no operate his fi rst Serena Spa in Th udufushi, a 2000 as a turnkey solution for resort own- industry where you get closer to your guests Maldivian resort. What he designed became ers who either didn’t know anything about and get immediate feedback about whether the template for all Serena Spas – it included running a spa or wanted an independent what you’re doing for them is good or bad.” antique wooden Indian furniture and treat- operator to do it for them. ment products made in India using native Previously managing director of Maldi- AN INDIAN LOVE AFFAIR ingredients. Th e spa menu was a mixture of vian Air Taxi, one of the world’s largest sea At the time, Hougaard’s two children from ayurvedic massages and traditional Indian plane airlines, Hougaard had been based his fi rst marriage were in boarding school and Maldivian body and facial therapies.

30 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Since opening in 2003, the Serena Spa Institute in Mangalore, India, has trained more than 500 students, who are all guaranteed a job at one of the facilities within the Serena Spa portfolio on completion of their studies

Only two years later, he had developed and them with training. Recruitment was a par- “Th e spa industry still has was operating nine resort-based spas under ticular challenge she says: “Because Jesper the Serena Spa brand – seven in the Mal- was off ering an authentic Indian experience, a huge stigma in India. Many dives and two in Sri Lanka. he didn’t want Th ai or Balinese therapists, he therapists lie to their parents During a visit to a potential new property wanted Indian ones”. However, fi nding spa in Kerala, India, Hougaard met Sabrina. She therapists in India is a struggle. about their jobs as their was a guest at the resort and he discovered “Th e spa industry still has a huge stigma in families assume it is not an her background was in human resources and India,” says Sabrina. “Typically, a therapist is training. Sabrina recalls: “Jesper asked me to a rural girl who has come into urban India. honorable profession” put together a course for his therapists that Many of them lie to their parents about their would include specifi c technical treatment job because their families assume it is not training. He also invited me to the Maldives an honourable profession.” certifi cate in spa therapy. Th en, students are to see the way the spas were run.” To overcome this, the Hougaards set up trained in specifi c treatments and massages Eighteen months later, Hougaard asked their own training centre in Mangalore, to off ered at Serena Spas. Sabrina to marry him and she agreed, on one off er students a credible career. Th e Serena A warm, motherly fi gure, Sabrina admits condition. “I didn’t want to leave the place I Spa Institute off ers training courses of three her role is not just as director of operations. was born because I wanted to look aft er my to six months duration, with a guaranteed More oft en than not, she says she plays the elderly parents. I told him I couldn’t marry job in one of Serena Spas at the end. Since role of confi dante and regularly helps out him unless he moved to Mangalore.” Today, its opening in 2003, the academy has trained any of the 135 staff members having rela- their head offi ce and training institute is over 500 students. tionship or family troubles. still based in the 101-year-old house her Sabrina does a lot of the training her- father was born in. self – creating a career for her therapists THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP is her passion and she loves learning new Hougaard says his time is taken up look- A CREDIBLE CAREER spa modalities. Alongside her, the institute ing aft er the company’s relationships with Professionally, Sabrina complemented Hou- employs up to four teachers, as well as doc- resort partners. Th ere are now 14 spas under gaard well. While his role was – and still is tors and physiotherapists to teach subjects the Serena Spa umbrella (see p32) and each – negotiating new contracts and looking aft er such as anatomy, dermatology, hydrotherapy partnership works the same way, based on the fi nances, hers was to fi nd staff and provide and guest relations in order to obtain their a basic revenue sharing model. “We get a

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 31 percentage of all spa revenue,” explains Hou- gaard. “The employees of each spa are ours, we pay their salaries and their insurance. They provide the space and the laundry but otherwise it’s our baby. The resort takes the remaining profit and benefits from getting a turnkey spa operation, without any hassle. Plus it means they can up their star rating and the price of their rooms.” When looking for a new resort partner, Hougaard stresses the importance of the resort being high-end (typically five-star) and having the right price range because, “you obviously can’t have a spa treatment costing more than a room for a night”. Most importantly, however, the resort A current focus of the Serena Spa team is establishing quality control within the Indian market must be eco-friendly as Serena Spas is mindful of its impact on the environment – it uses organic products and has INDIA many other green initiatives. ■ Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club (Aristo Spa)

When Hougaard says he can offer a SERENA SPA ■ Grand Mercure, Bangalore (Aristo Spa) turnkey spa operation, he’s serious. As ■ Novotel Hyderabad Airport PORTFOLIO well as being able to provide a fully oper- ■ Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, Mumbai ational spa business with a ready made ■ RAAS Walled City, Jodhpur team of spa therapists, the company has its MALDIVES ■ Radisson Temple Bay, Chennai own product division and spa cuisine. ■ Athuruga Island Resort ■ The Metropolitan Hotel New Delhi(Z en Serena Spa) Serena Spa formulates (and licenses) ■ Embudu Village ■ Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri (opening Nov 2010) its own products – comprising five ■ Equator Village ■ Royal Orchid Resort, Goa (Aristo Spa opening Nov 2010) body oils, three hair oils and a com- ■ Hulhule Island Hotel plete range of facial products – which ■ Summer Island Resort SEYCHELLES are manufactured by a partner company ■ The Rania Experience ■ Enchanted Seychelles Round Island (opening Dec 2010) in Rajasthan. Sabrina says having your ■ Thudufushi Island Resort ■ Enchanted Seychelles Waterfront (opening Nov 2011) own product label is important in India to ensure exclusivity, “otherwise you’ll be using the same products as some disrep- hotel F&B staff and guests. In some instances, Another big, current focus for Jesper and utable day spa down the road”. they can also supply organic produce. Sabrina is in establishing quality control Hougaard says that, for the past two years, within the Indian spa market. the company has also been developing an QUALITY CONTROL As the country has very few barriers to Indian version of a macrobiotic diet, which Despite Serena Spa’s success, not everything entry, there is a large growth of unauthorised they’re slowly introducing into select resorts has been plain sailing. In 2004, the com- and opportunistic spa operators, so the Hou- as part of a lifestyle concept. “We believe that pany’s two Sri Lankan spas were destroyed gaards have joined forces with some other the future spa is not just a place where you get by the tsunami. Although they were rebuilt, key figures in the Indian spa industry to help massages, but where you’re inspired to live a tourist figures never recovered and they were set a nationwide standard for spas. healthier life.” They offer cooking classes for shut down. At the moment, there are no Sri- A major priority is to make recommen- Lankan-based properties. dations to the Indian government about However, the business is guidelines for spa training, including a sug- undoubtedly moving forwards. It gested syllabus. A government-approved is looking for new resort partners syllabus would demonstrate that a career in the Seychelles and in May 2009 in the spa industry is an honourable one it launched the Aristo urban spa and would also enable students to obtain brand to target India’s business educational loans. travellers. Hougaard describes it In the longer term, the husband and wife as “a little less fluffy than a Ser- team have a more personal dream – a farm- ena Spa as business people have house in the hills of Mangalore where they’d less time, so the treatments have like to create their own destination spa with less ceremony.” So far, there are wellness and lifestyle at its core. But, for now, three Aristo spas in India and their focus is on maintaining their position the plan is to roll out 10 more in in the market and helping their beloved India By 2011, there will be 17 Serena Spa facilities in operation the next two years. establish and fulfil its true potential.●

32 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Axor Urquiola Awakening your Senses.

Visit www.axor-design.com for more information on the Axor Urquiola bathroom collection and the designer Patricia Urquiola.

RESEARCH

WE WILL SURVIVE Th e ISPA 2010 US Spa Industry Study shows that the long-term outlook for our sector is positive, yet many challenges lie ahead. We take a closer look

he International Spa Association’s (ISPA) 2010 GRAPH 2: EMPLOYMENT IN THE US SPA INDUSTRY study on the US spa industry confi rms positive long-term trends in terms of total spa 180 revenues and visitation levels, despite the 160 downturn in 2009. According to ISPA’s pres- 140 T ident Lynne McNees: “We are ... encouraged 120 to see that the industry remains viable, despite 100 the economic concerns of the past two years. While not every spa 80 has been able to overcome the eff ects of the recession, the industry 60 as a whole has weathered the storm quite well.” 40 20 total employees (000s) employees total POSITIVE LONG-TERM TRENDS 0 Th is latest ISPA 2010 study, which reports on 2009 fi gures, includes 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 responses from over 1,000 survey returns and was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The margins of error on FULL TIME CONTRACTOR PART TIME this survey are between ±3.9 per cent and ±4.7 depending on the slice of the sample in question. On the supply side, spa locations showed continuous growth from REACTIONS TO THE RECESSION just over 4,000 in 1999 to 20,610 (see Graph 1 below). Although this Not surprisingly, for an industry which is so closely tied with employ- is a decline on the peak 2008 year, when there were 21,310 spa loca- ment prospects and personal income trends, between 2008 and 2009 tions in the US, the long-term trend is nevertheless one of growth. there were declines in: On the demand side, total spa industry revenue has not increased ■ Total spa revenues: -4.3 per cent every year, yet the long-term trend is also one of sustained growth, ■ Total spa visits: -10.2 per cent having risen from us$4.2bn (€3bn, £2.6bn) in 1999 to us$12.3bn ■ Total spa locations: -3.2 per cent (€8.9bn, £7.8bn) in 2009. Although most indicators in 2009 ■ Total square feet: -5.2 per cent (from March 2009 to May 2010) show a decline on the 2008 peak year, they still remain above the ■ Total employees: -2.5 per cent (from March 2009 to May 2010) 2007 fi gures – the previous high. Similarly, the number of employees in the spa industry has been con- Th e industry has reacted to the economic downturn with a mixture sistently increasing from around 125,000 in 2000 to 332,000 by the spring of predictable measures – attempts to increase revenues while con- of 2010. Other key statistics from 2009 can be seen in Table 1 (opposite). trolling costs. According to the report: “Spas have re-engineered Overall, all indicators show considerable growth in the long-term. their menus and introduced discounts and rewards to incentivise customer loyalty and attract new spa-goers”. Promotions – eff ectively GRAPH 1: US SPA INDUSTRY – SUPPLY AND DEMAND discounting – were introduced by 67 per cent of all spas. Th is was much higher in hotels/resorts, where 76 per cent reported having 25,000 14 introduced promotions in response to the recession. Further, 75 per revenue in us$ billions 12 cent of spas introduced “express treatments of 30 minutes or less”. 20,000 Given that payroll is the largest cost in the spa industry, it’s not 10 surprising that this is where operators turned their attention; 61 per 15,000 8 cent of respondents took “one or more steps to manage and reduce costs by reshaping their workforce and seeking greater control over 6 10,000 labour costs”. Specifi cally, 38 per cent of businesses reduced employ- no of spas 4 ees’ hours, 33 per cent “reduced the number of employees” and 21 5,000 2 per cent “shift ed full-time staff to a part-time status”. While employment in the industry overall dropped by 2.5 per cent, 0 0 with a decline in full-time employees (-13 per cent) and contractors 1999 2001 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 (-19 per cent), in fact there was an increase in the number of part- time workers of 22 per cent – there were 112,000 part-time employees NO OF SPAS REVENUE IN US$ BILLIONS in March 2009 rising to 137,000 in May 2010 (see Graph 2, above).

34 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 As a result of the downturn, 33 per cent of operators reduced staff hours; and for the PHOTO: © AVAVA ISTOCK.COM/ very first time, the number of part- time employees is nearly equal to those in full-time employment

TABLE 1: KEY RATIOS BY SPA TYPE

Revenue (mean): All Day Medical Resort/Hotel Other Per visit US$86 US$76 US$132 US$108 US$118 Per sq ft US$161 US$185 US$211 US$106 US$183 Per employed person US$36,941 US$34,810 US$54,692 US$39,366 US$38,749 Median per spa Revenue US$300,000 US$245,000 US$437,000 US$850,000 US$550,000 Visits 3,616 3,500 2,500 9,000 5,050 Square feet 2,000 1,900 1,900 10,000 2,940 Total employees (% full-time) 7 (43%) 5 (60%) 5 (60%) 21 (48%) 15 (33%)

For the first time, the number of part-time employees has virtually able or unacceptably high levels for 38 per cent of businesses, despite equalled the number of full-time employees in the spa industry. recent downsizing in employment of 6 per cent, as estimated by PwC. Although the 2.5 per cent decline in employment seems moderate Yet, 39 per cent of survey respondents still find a “lack of qualified can- compared to other leisure sectors, this doesn’t take into account the sig- didates applying for positions” and find it “hard to maintain qualified nificant shift from full-time to part-time employment. The researchers management and staff. [Staff have] high expectations regarding wages, say: “If each part-time job is considered to be 60 per cent of a full-time perks, etc ... [meaning it is] unsustainable to keep on full-time staff.” equivalent, the decline would have been in excess of 6 per cent”. But the shift towards more part-time workers has its own pitfalls. Part- timers may be less loyal, particularly when a full-time position becomes THE CHALLENGES AHEAD available, and according to survey respondents, “better business train- Many spas used varying forms of discounts/promotions in order ing and knowledge [is] needed [but we] cannot invest in training due to retain volume. The challenge will be, as the report states, to dis- to restrained budgets especially for more temporary staff”. count “without cheapening the product or damaging reputation”. It is clear that there will be further casualties as the industry moves In addition, the danger of discounting is the difficulty in subse- from growth into a mature phase in what are turbulent times. The sur- quently increasing prices back to previous, or even higher levels. vivors need to grow demand above all, convincing clients that spas are Consumers become accustomed to the discounted price which can not only a treat, but contribute to their health and wellbeing. ● subsequently act as a barrier to purchasing at the previous higher rates. Any discounting increases the value-consciousness of clients ISPA members have free access to the ISPA 2010 US Spa Industry of all spas, even of those spas that do not discount. Study. Non-members may visit www.experienceispa.com, or call Staffing is a major issue. On the one hand, payroll is at unsustain- +1 888 651 4772 to purchase a study for us$800.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 35 SPECIAL FOCUS RHIANON HOWELLS » CONSULTING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS

Giving Well

Philanthropic activities can be a great way for spa companies to give something back while also being good for business. But how can you make sure your initiative is a win-win for giver and recipient?

o give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power,” said Aristotle. “But to decide whom to give it, and how much and when and for what purpose, is neither “Tin every man’s power nor an easy matter. Hence it is that such excellence is rare, praiseworthy and noble.” Every bit as relevant today, these words will no doubt ring true to any operator or supplier which has delved into Sense of Touch day SEE FOR YOURSELF the world of spa philanthropy – giving either money, products spas in Hong Kong Oriele Frank, director of or time to support a charity. How to pick a benefi ciary from the collaborated with marketing, Elemis multitude of good causes out there, and how to make sure their Plan International contribution is well used, are age-old challenges. with the aim of Th e skincare supplier has recently partnered And with the reverberations of global recession still being felt, sponsoring 100 with new British charity Mothers4Children, the challenges of good giving are even greater than usual. With Nepalese children which supports disadvantaged children payroll, marketing and capital spending all being cut, can a busi- through existing charities Kids Company ness really justify giving anything away? Inevitably, it’s easier if it Elemis recently in the UK and FRODO in Romania. also benefi ts the business. Charitable activities generate ample PR partnered with “We chose Mothers4Children partly and marketing opportunities and, for some companies, choosing new British charity because one of their charities, Kids Com- a cause that reinforces its own brand can be particularly advan- Mothers4Children, pany, is on our doorstep. Th is allows us to tageous. Others cite the value of philanthropy in motivating staff . which supports help them on a more personal level, provid- In Bloomberg Businessweek magazine earlier this year, Tae Yoo, disadvantaged ing practical as well as fi nancial support. We senior vice-president for corporate aff airs at Cisco, was quoted as children in the UK work very closely with Heart Yard, its ther- saying that internal surveys had shown that “people would stay at and Romania apy centre where vulnerable parents can get a job with less money if they believed the company was treatments while their children are cared for. responsible… it’s an employee recruit- We share our expertise and provide stock so ment and retention strategy.” their staff can focus on nurturing clients. Of course, the old adage – ‘giving We also off er a complimentary treatment is its own reward’ – is also true, and at our day spa to one member of nowhere more so than in an indus- Kids Company staff a week. try which prides itself on helping Seeing the results of our and healing others. Th e challenge work first-hand has really is how to maximise the benefi ts motivated our staff to get for all concerned. Here, some of behind the initiative and those who have tried and suc- made everyone much more ceeded share their experiences… passionate about it.”

36 ©Cybertrek 2010 Marine skincare company Thalgo joined forces with the Marine Conservation Society and activities included staff participating in beach clean-up days

“Seeing the results of our charity work ﬁ rst-hand has really motivated our staff to get behind the initiative and made everyone more passionate about our partnership”

INSPIRE YOUR STAFF BOOST YOUR BRAND GO NATIONAL Neil Orvay, CEO, Asia Spa & Wellness Marian Green, CEO, Th algo UK Mona Sappenfi eld, owner, Mona Th e operator of Sense of Touch day spas in Last year, the marine- Spa, Memphis, Tennessee Hong Kong has teamed up with Plan Inter- based product supplier Mona Sappenfi eld was the recipient of the national, a global children’s development partnered with the Marine Day Spa Association’s Philanthropy Award organisation, with the aim of sponsoring 100 Conservation Society 2010. Last year, Sappenfi eld supported the Nepalese children in need of more healthy (MCS), donating a pro- American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go living conditions and educational support. portion of revenue from Red for Women campaign, raising more Sponsoring a child costs hk$200 (us$26, €18, fi ve products sold during the than us$5,000 (€3,600, £3,200) through a £16) a month and for every child backed by a year to raise £10,000 (€11,300, Valentine’s Day Gift Card promotion at the spa guest, Sense of Touch matches the com- us$15,900). Staff also partici- spa and chairing a luncheon, which raised a mitment by supporting another child. So far, pated in beach clean-up days. further us$115,000 (€82,300, £72,600). 30 children have been sponsored. “For a fundraising link to ben- “I chose to support the Go Red campaign “We’d been looking for a charity initia- efi t both sides of the partnership, because statistics show that my county is one tive for some time, but wanted to avoid just it must be credible and relevant, so it was of the highest-risk areas in the US for obes- donating money without any interaction. Th e vitally important to us to choose a cause that ity-related heart attack and stroke. I knew Plan International scheme allows an entire was true to our brand. We pride ourselves on that the AHA funded our three local research company and its clients to get involved, while being responsible in our use of marine ingre- hospitals and I knew that women were really targeting a specifi c group of people who need dients, so supporting the MCS was one way the caretakers of a family’s health. So with help. Our choice of Nepal was inspired by the to show we understand how precious the our client reach, it was a very good fi t for fact that most of our staff are Nepalese – we ocean is. Donating a proportion of revenues us. As the owner of a very small company, I wanted to give something back to their coun- rather than profi ts was a risky strategy, but also felt we could have a broader impact by try and inspire them to get involved. Th ey we benefi ted in terms of the increased mar- working with a large organisation. Another selected the regions we would focus on and keting visibility, while the hands-on element advantage of choosing a national campaign several now communicate directly with the with the two clean-up days was extremely was that AHA provided a liaison member, sponsored children. Next year, we hope to important in bringing the MCS partnership who helped with the administrative details go to Nepal and meet some of them.” to life for both staff and clients.” to avoid burdening my own staff .”

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 37 SPECIAL FOCUS

“At Rancho La Puerta, our guests are invariably gratiﬁ ed to ﬁ nd that a business they’re supporting is making such a difference to the local community and environment”

INVOLVE YOUR GUESTS BE PART OF Dorothy Purdew, chair, SOMETHING BIGGER Champneys Health Resorts Monique Iacobacci, executive director, SpaCare For many years, the UK-based destination spa chain Champneys fundraised for a cho- A US-based non-profi t organisation, SpaC- sen ‘charity of the year’. However, in 2006, the are was founded ‘to unify, organise and independent non-profi t organisation Champ- manage industry-wide participation in com- neys Charitable Foundation was established. munity and national charitable events’. Th e Purdew has been awarded an OBE for her organisation provides planning, marketing services to charity and the spa industry. and PR support, as well as hosting awards, “Before we set up the foundation, we felt fundraising and networking events through- that donating to a single, large charity that out the year (spacarecharity.org). was known to our guests was the most trans- “Partnering with a larger organisation such parent route. Becoming a registered charity as SpaCare can be benefi cial for a number has allowed us to support a greater number of reasons. Spa owners and managers oft en of good causes, including individuals and don’t have the time or experience to plan small charities that are oft en forgotten about. a charitable event or campaign in a way One way we raise money is to give our guests that gives them maximum results. Partic- the option of donating £1 (us$1.60, €1.10) ipating in one of our joint initiatives can when they settle their bill, which makes ease the stress of that process while creat- Fundación La Puerta initiatives include ongoing around £50,000 (us$79,000, €57,000) per ing prime opportunities for media exposure. programmes for children at an education centre annum. Because of this, it’s very important Non-profi t organisations have marketing that our guests feel connected to our char- budgets set aside, as well as large databases BREED GOODWILL itable eff orts, so we always invite them to and a variety of opportunities for target mar- Laura Silvan, executive director, nominate charities they’d like us to support. ket outreach. Th ey may also use an array Fundación La Puerta, Mexico We also encourage guests to join staff on of awareness tactics, such as website pages, our annual charity bike ride as well as on press releases and educational pamphlets. Fundación La Puerta is a non-profi t organisa- our overseas fundraising challenges, which Th ere are also people on hand to guide you tion affi liated to the destination spa Rancho have included expeditions to the Great Wall through the event planning process, which La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Founded in 1977 of China and Machu Picchu. Our next chal- may end up saving you time and money by Deborah Szekely and the ranch’s then lenge is dog-sledding in Norway!” when you launch your own campaign.” general manager, Jose Manual Jasso, it is dedicated to protecting the environmen- tal and cultural heritage of the region and promoting a sustainable way of life. Under the current presidency of Szekely’s daughter, Sarah Livia Brightwood, initiatives include ongoing programmes for local children at Las Piedras: an education centre for schools within a 28-acre (11-hectare) park. “Although we get funding from a variety of sources, the ranch is our main sponsor, covering 75 per cent of our budget. Most recently, it’s launched a new skincare line, with all proceeds coming directly to us. Th e mutual benefi ts of the relationship are clear. We work with many children from families of ranch staff , and there is a close, aff ection- ate relationship between the employees of the two organisations, and happy staff are good for business. We provide tours of Las Piedras for anyone who’s interested, and guests are invariably gratifi ed to fi nd a business they’re supporting is making such a diff erence to the Fundraising for Champneys staff and guests included an expedition to the Great Wall of China local community and environment.” ●

38 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010

' ' W " " ' # $ T U ' " " " $ '( ) MARRAKECH RESORT SPA KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS

DEEPER UNDERGROUND Renowned French designer Jacques Garcia has created a magical, mysterious spa in the basement of Marrakech’s La Mamounia hotel. But how well does his spa work operationally and how’s the business measuring up?

ith more than 40 large- He also specialises in rejuvenating iconic The opulent style of the hotel continues scale projects completed places, with his most recent project being La through the 27,000sq ft (2,508sq m) spa each year, Jacques Garcia Mamounia in Marrakech. Famed for being which is situated in the basement (see p42). is one of the most sought- Winston Churchill’s favourite hotel, the Intricately crafted lanterns and archways W after French interior property reopened in September 2009 fol- add authenticity, while black marble floors designers. His career took off in the early lowing a major three-year renovation. and dark blue walls create a sensuous and 1990s when he established a relationship alluring atmosphere. with the French hotel group Lucien Barrière. Against the grain Marianne Nielsen, the Danish regional spa He went on to renovate some of the groups Situated towards the centre of Marrakech, director at La Mamounia says: “Being given most prestigious properties, including on the edge of the walls of its old city, La an underground space must be a tremendous the Hôtel Majestic in Cannes and his crea- Mamounia is named after its 200-year-old challenge for a designer. Garcia has changed tions stood out because of their personality gardens which still surround it today. the way we look at spas by creating an inward, and opulence, at a time when minimalism The city is certainly in demand: there instead of outward, journey. From a young was all-pervasive. are currently 15 luxury hotels in various age, he travelled with his family and experi- Garcia is still well known for his outstand- stages of development (see p44). However, enced old, mysterious hammams, and that’s ing designs and spas he’s worked on include La Mamounia captures attention with its where his inspiration came from. those at the Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo impressive Moorish architecture and the “The spa guests love it. They say they find it (see SB06/2 p44) and the U Spa at Hôtel way that Garcia has recreated the luxuri- extremely calming and the low lighting gives Fouquet’s Barrière in Paris. ous mood of Oriental palaces. it a subdued but cocooning sensation.”

While paying homage to traditional Morocco with features such as two hammams (left), the spa also has a many modern touches (above)

40 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Standout features include a decorative water basin (above) and plasma TV friezes in the reception (below) that display illuminated, changing patterns

Nielsen, who also oversees the spa at La be one person who wants something exotic Mamounia’s sister property in northern or different and our focus is on customer Morocco, says that having a spa designed by service and to give them what they want,” Garcia has brought more kudos to the devel- says Nielsen. “The core of our menu is the opment and nearly all tourist guides list the Moroccan hammam treatments and other hotel and spa as a must-see attraction. body massages and facials. These are our top “I think big designers such as [Philippe] sellers and so we’ve put them at the front, Starck and Garcia love creating spas because rather than making guests trawl through they themselves are spa-goers. Garcia has everything else as a marketing ploy.” had many treatments with us and it’s some- Something is certainly working because thing he’s passionate about. However, he only a year after opening, each spa guest was humble enough to say: ‘Listen, I don’t has an average of three treatments and the actually work in a spa, so how can I design treatment room occupancy sits at 45 per something for you?’” cent. “The capture rate is easily a minimum With a 24-year career in spas worldwide of 20 per cent, sometimes more, but what – working for operators such as Hyatt and we’re finding is that the average length of La Manga – Nielsen was only too happy to stay has increased and guests don’t leave the give advice. Yet, in hindsight she says she hotel, they stay here.” This means that the would have created more private/couple’s spa, which works as an independent profit hammams (there are only two standalone centre, is already 20 per cent above revenue ones, plus one in the spa suite) because of porary ranges. The marocMaroc line and projections. “I’ve worked in spas that make their popularity. the spa’s five signature, own-brand products a lot of money, but I’ve never seen one start have all been made from locally sourced out this fast,” adds Nielsen. “We’ve really hit Hitting the ground running ingredients. Shiseido products which are the ground running.” While paying homage to traditional Moroc- from Japan are also used. “Everybody Hotel guests make up the majority (87 can themes, La Mamounia’s spa also has expected us to pick something French,” says per cent) of spa customers at La Mamou- many modern touches. Plasma TV friezes Nielsen, “but we chose Shiseido because nia. But there is also big demand from showing illuminated, changing patterns and it had a good balance of core body treat- visiting day spa guests. Nielsen says getting birds in flight, for example, provide a back- ments and its cosmetic collection also gave the balance between these two groups right drop to the reception and corridors. it a fashionable edge.” is “very delicate”. She says: “We don’t want Similarly, the product houses reflect both The spa at La Mamounia offers a stag- to be overrun by tourists and we want to the country of origin and more contem- gering 80 treatments. “There will always control this.” Therefore, off-site clients must

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 41 MARRAKECH RESORT SPA buy a pass, which permits access to the The indoor pool (above) is ozone-treated spa, the indoor and outdoor pool LA MAMOUNIA HOTEL while other water facilities include an areas and the fitness centre. There outdoor swimming pool and a whirlpool are day, weekend, week and month- AND SPA BY NUMBERS long spa passes on offer which range the market rate, plus offer high-level from MAD500 (us$62, €44, £39) to ■ The hotel has 209 rooms training and healthcare packages which MAD8,000 (us$989, €710, £626). She ■ Thirty-five per cent of hotel guests are aren’t always given in Marrakech. “It’s can monitor spa bookings via the TAC French, 20 per cent are American and worked well so far because not a single Reservation software and, if hotel occu- Canadian and 10 per cent are British person of has left,” she says. pancy is 70 per cent or more, passes are ■ The average length of stay is three days In addition, Nielsen believes strongly restricted to ensure that those staying ■ Average hotel occupancy is 60 per cent in employee wellness: “I schedule one on-site have priority use of the spa. ■ Spa facilities consist of: two single and hour treatments, but always leave 20 one couples hammam; a spa suite; a diag- minutes in-between. I want to make sure Hand-picked therapists nostic room and nine treatment rooms; a customers get the best service but also So what does Nielsen think is the key to hair salon by Jean-Michel Faretra Paris; a that my therapists don’t get exhausted. the spa’s success? “As a spa director I am relaxation room; six outdoor massage cab- I control how many massages they have dependent on my team,” she explains. “I ins; a whirlpool; an indoor and outdoor in a row, so if they have more than three know there’s nothing special about what pool; a fitness studio with Life Fitness I put a break in. It may mean that I lose I’m saying, but it’s so true.” equipment and Kinesis exercise room; clients, but the ones that I have been Having been at the spa a year before two manicure and one pedicure cabin able to fit in will always come back.” opening, Nielsen hand-picked the its 21 ■ The five signature products include a full-time therapists. “The pool of quali- black soap, ghassoul (a local clay), orange The next generation fied therapists in Morocco is incredibly flower water, rose water and argan oil This loyalty to staff, is what Nielsen says small, so in the beginning I had to go ■ A 60-minute hammam ritual costs keeps her driven. “I have a duty to teach to different spas to look for therapists,” MAD900 (us$111, €80, £71) the next generation and form other spa she recalls. “But even then we were really directors. Many of my past assistants strict with our interviews – I think we have gone on to have hugely successful only hired one out of every 10 applicants in high-end hotels, however, La Mamounia careers – Steven O’Neal [now spa director because we wanted the best in the market. invested significantly in their training. at The Setai Wall Street, US], Pedro Lopez “We wanted therapists who were techni- “One of the main challenges I’m going to [spa director at Grand Hyatt Santiago, Chile] cally competent, but we also looked closely face is losing staff to other spas – there are 19 and Jane O’Brien [spa director at La Quinta at why they were in the industry. Did the five-star hotels due to open here in the next Melia in Spain]. These people are like my therapist want the job as a means to an end, five years,” says Nielsen. “And you should kids – they call me ‘spa mummy’ and I’m or was it because they had a gift and were always be respectful of your competition.” very proud of them. I want to do what I’ve just naturally ‘giving’ people?” To keep therapists, Nielsen says that the done for them in Morocco.” ● As the majority of therapists – and indeed hotel’s general manager made a “very astute For more on other spas in Marrakech and most other staff – were not used to working decision” early on to pay 20 per cent above upcoming hotel developments, turn to p42

42 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 PERFECT HYGIENE GENTLE CERAMIC RADIANT HEAT VITALITY

www.sommerhuber.com MARRAKECH CITY FOCUS

SEEING RED An overview of the spa market and pipeline developments in Marrakech: the red city

ominated by sprawling pink, red and ochre coloured buildings, Marrakech is a hub for D international tourists. In fact, tourism is its main economic activity and the Moroccan National Tourist Office is promoting the city to families, golf, sport and adventure enthusiasts, luxury and fash- ion-conscious travellers and wellness seekers alike (see www.marrakech.travel). Since 2009, over 10 top hotels have launched, with at least 15 more in development. Hand in hand with the high-end hotels come impressive spas, such as those at La Mamounia (see p40) and Es Saadi Palace which has just been unveiled (see p14). One of the more well-known spa businesses within a riad is the ISIS spa Riad retreat heated room – with pampering (above), while day visitors flock to the As well as hotels, many riads (traditional massages. These mostly com- Spa at Le Beldi Country Club (below) houses) have been transformed into spa prise up to five treatments rooms, businesses which combine the authen- plus hammams and steamrooms, tic hammam experience – where guests relaxation areas and sometimes are scrubbed and cleansed vigorously in a pools. Some of the more well known include Les Bains de Mar- DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE rakech (see SB10/2 p64), Maison d’Arabe and ISIS spa. These companies are planning to open Leila Zouet, a trained thera- hotels in Marrakech in the next few years*: pist and owner of ISIS, opened ■ Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts her first facility in the heart of (opening early 2011) the souk area four years ago, fol- ■ Beachcomber Hotels & lowed by the smaller Medina Resorts (opening mid-2011) Spa just off the central market ■ Assoufid (part of the Rocco Forte square Jemaa el Fna. Collection, opening 2011) “We attract the tourist market,” ■ Baglioni (boutique hotel with says Zouet, “so we offer several private residences designed by triple massage rooms for groups Jade Jagger, opening 2011) of friends, rooms for couples ■ Fairmont (opening 2011) and also a family experience.” At ISIS, there hotels are underground or boxed in,” says ■ Park Hyatt (opening 2011) are also three bedrooms designed especially French owner Jean-Dominique Leymarie. ■ Jawhar Estate (opening late 2011) for séjour bein-être (a wellness retreat). “Our spa isn’t. It is big, has lots of natural ■ W (opening late 2011) Zouet is clear that the success of spas in light and beautiful, open surroundings.” ■ Marriott (luxury golf hotel opening 2012) Marrakech lies in their quality of service. The business started as a conference des- ■ Banyan Tree (opening tbc) Having worked as a therapist, she under- tination six years ago and, three years later, ■ Mandarin Oriental (opening tbc) takes much of the spa training herself. the 6,450sq ft (600sq m), nine treatment ■ Ramada (opening tbc) room spa, swimming pool and restaurant ■ Royal Ranches (exclusive equestrian Country charm followed. This May saw the completion of facility with hotel, opening tbc) Located on a 15-hectare (37-acre) site with a 28-bedroom boutique hotel. ■ Samanah Country Club 13,000 rose bushes, on the city outskirts, Le Beldi means ‘traditional’ in Arabic and, (golf resort, opening tbc) Beldi Country Club competes by drawing while undoubtedly modern, the grounds – ■ Suite Hotel (by Accor, opening tbc) in day spa visitors who want to escape the including the buildings constructed using *Source: Moroccan National Tourist Office city – hotels even organise excursions to it. old-fashioned daubing techniques – have a “Although luxurious, most spas in Marrakech charming country appeal. ●

44 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 CLINICALLY TESTED EYE WRINKLE REDUCTION OF 65% WITHIN 28 DAYS

ONE OF THE WORLD‘S FIRST AUTHENTIC LUXURY ORGANIC SPA BRANDS

WWW.THEORGANICSPA.EU CELEBRITY FOCUS For a ﬁ rst-person RHIANON HOWELLS » CONSULTING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS account of the Camp Reveille experience turn to p50

JOAN LUNDEN &JEFF KONIGSBERG

US TV star Joan Lunden and her camp-owner husband Jeff Konigsberg believe camaraderie and playfulness are just as important to wellness as fi tness and spa treatments. Here, they talk about the ‘spa camp’ concept they created and how they plan to roll it out

t’s safe to say that Joan Lunden and champions numerous campaigns – all in Maine – the 65-year-old Camp Takajo for knows about multi-tasking. As the while being the mother of seven children: boys in Naples and 100-year-old Tripp Lake presenter of Good Morning Amer- three daughters from her fi rst marriage and for girls in Poland – Konigsberg is a lifetime ica, Lunden, 60, was the sweetheart two sets of boy-and-girl twins (aged fi ve and believer in the power of the American camp of US breakfast TV for 17 years, and seven) with Jeff Konigsberg, who she married concept (where parents send their children Iin the 13 years since she resigned she’s never in 2000. “It’s a little bit of a noisy household,” during the summer break from school) to been far from the small screen stateside. In laughs Lunden, “but we run it like camp!” mould boys and girls into well-adjusted addition, she is the author of eight bestsell- Th is is something Konigsberg, 50, is cer- men and women. Th is is not just marketing books on healthy living and parenting; tainly well equipped for. As the owner and ing spiel – Konigsberg himself was a camper has a packed nationwide speaking schedule; director of two summer camps for children at Takajo from the age of nine, and later a camp counsellor, then associate director, before he fi nally pur- chased the site in 1988. It was Lunden, however, who fi rst came up with the idea of holding a weekend wellness retreat for women at Camp Takajo, and in August 2007 – at the end of the children’s camping season – the fi rst Camp Reveille (‘reveille’ meaning ‘wake-up call’) was launched at the site. Now in its fourth summer, the four-day, three-night camp attracts around 150 women a year (see p50), and last April Lunden and Konigs- berg took the concept on the road for the fi rst time, launching a Reveille retreat at the Ritz-Carl- ton Dove Mountain in Arizona. Speaking to Spa Business, the couple explain their vision for a wellness concept that has fun Camp camaraderie encourages women to try out new and diff erent activities (above) and community at its heart.

46 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 While Jeff runs the children’s summer camp, at spa camp he steps back and lets Joan take the lead

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH “At the end of [kids] camp, I’d alone. When it comes to dinnertime, if THE IDEA FOR CAMP REVEILLE? think ‘wow, I’m in the best you’re travelling by yourself, you have to walk into the dining room alone. Joan: Every summer, I would go up to shape... so happy, relaxed and Th at can be very hard for women. At Camp Takajo with Jeff and our family, at peace with my body... if only I Reveille, the women all arrive together and by the end of the season, I’d think, and share bunks [in dormitories] so no ‘Wow, I’m in the best shape! I’m happy, could bottle this and sell it’” one has to be alone – whatever you’re relaxed, fi t and healthy, and at peace doing, there’s a whole bunch of you, and with nature, my body and myself. If only that makes it so much easier to chal- I could bottle this and sell it!’ So I said to Jeff , HOW DO YOU STAFF THE CAMP? lenge yourself and try new things. You know ‘Look, I’m all across America, speaking to the old saying, ‘it takes a village [to raise a women’s groups and appearing on TV, cam- Jeff : We select Camp Takajo counsellors to child]?’ Well, at Reveille, at the bottom of paigning about the importance of staying assist the specialist staff that Joan hires. the climbing wall or on the tennis courts, healthy, and you have this amazing facility Joan: I have a wonderful personal trainer, there is a village. Th ese women are cheer- – I’m going to run a women’s wellness camp who helps me put together a programme and ing each other on and it really boosts their right here.’ Th e following summer we ran hire all the other fi tness instructors. Murad confi dence and self-esteem. the fi rst Camp Reveille. sends me aestheticians [Joan is the face of Jeff : We also off er added-value compo- Murad’s Resurgence skincare line], and for nents, which you don’t usually get at spas, HOW DO YOU SPLIT THE the last two years, I’ve also hired a derma- such as campfi res under the stars and the RESPONSIBILITIES? tologist to do melanoma skin checks. Reveille Relay, a ‘wacked-up relay’ where every camper has the opportunity to com- Jeff : I’m the back-of-house guy. All summer WHAT MAKES THE REVEILLE plete an event as part of a team. Th at doesn’t long, I’m the camp director, the one in front CONCEPT DIFFERENT TO OTHER mean they have to do something out of their managing everything. So at Camp Reveille WELLNESS OFFERINGS OUT THERE? comfort zone, such as running around a fi eld I happily take a step back and support Joan – it might be something simple or silly such while she leads the walks, participates in Joan: One thing it has over the spa experi- as whistling a song… classes and lends every aspect of her body ence is that if you go to a spa, once you’re Joan: …or eating six saltine crackers and and soul to this venture. in your room, you close the door and you’re then whistling a song!

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 47 CELEBRITY FOCUS

Th e spa camp is more than just a holiday or break, it’s a bonding experience that boosts self-esteem

Jeff : Overall, it makes for a very spe- AT US$1,500, REVEILLE AT DOVE cial, even life-changing experience for “We’re in talks with half a dozen MOUNTAIN IS MUCH MORE THAN these women. resorts... The goal is to hold THE CAMP IN MAINE AT US$899 PER PERSON. HOW WILL YOU KEEP PRICES A RITZ-CARLTON RESORT IS four retreats a year in diff erent DOWN IN OTHER LUXURY RESORTS? VERY DIFFERENT FROM A parts of the country, and CHILDREN’S CAMP – WHY DID Joan: I think there are two marketplaces. YOU CHOOSE THAT FOR YOUR maybe one in the Caribbean” Th ere were some women who came to FIRST REVEILLE-ON-THE-ROAD? Reveille in Arizona who we couldn’t talk into coming to camp in Maine, but Joan: We’ve been marketing Camp Reveille which was unique to that venue. We had they said, ‘tell us when you’re holding one through SpaFinder Inc for the last couple about 45 women, so it was a smaller group at another Ritz-Carlton and we’re there!’ At of years, so when we started to think about – though that’s partly because we didn’t start the same time, I know many of those who rolling out the concept they put out feelers marketing it until about three weeks before! come to Maine would be put off by the price to a number of diff erent spas and resorts, all But they’ve asked us back again next year, so in Arizona, and quite frankly wouldn’t be of which were interested in working with us. it worked for them and it worked for us and that enticed by the experience anyway. So Ritz-Carlton was looking for ways to build it worked for the women who came. we’re exploring all kinds of venues – the awareness of its Dove Mountain resort and only restriction is to keep it below a cer- they really rolled out the red carpet – so it WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP IN tain price point. was a very comfortable way to dip our toe ROLLING OUT THE CONCEPT? in the water. WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING TOGETHER? Jeff: Also, Ritz-Carlton is known for its Joan: We’re in talks with half a dozen resorts, great service, and if I was going to lose my looking at business models that will work for Joan: He totally gets how I want to touch back-of-house role, we wanted the comfort them and for us, while still keeping the price the lives of other women and supports me of knowing the programme would be run palatable for women, who oft en feel guilty 100 per cent, so it’s been a lot of fun and I’ve in a very professional manner. Ritz-Carlton about spending money on themselves. Th e learned a lot from him. I’ve been a TV host gave us that comfort. ultimate goal is to hold four retreats a year and an author and a speaker, but I’ve never in diff erent parts of the country, and maybe run a business. Jeff has a great business mind HOW SIMILAR WAS THE RETREAT one in the Caribbean. and I couldn’t have done this without him. TO CAMP REVEILLE IN MAINE? Jeff : Th e immediate goal for 2011 is Dove Jeff : When you share a passion as a couple Mountain in the springtime, Takajo in the and then share it on a larger stage, that’s Joan: We have more sporting facilities at summer and a third camp in the fall – we very exciting. Also, we’re both very busy peo- Takajo, so we couldn’t off er as many activities currently have a shortlist of places we’re ple with seven children, yet we have to fi nd at Dove Mountain. But in addition to ten- entertaining for next October. time for each other and take care of our own nis clinics, Murad facials and inspirational Joan: We’d also consider holding a second health and wellness. Th is is a great oppor- campfi res, we were able to have a golf clinic session at Takajo if the demand was there. tunity to do that. ●

48 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 TRANSPONDER LOCK OTS THE SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR YOUR CLOAKROOM LOCKERS

AD8@H#JCAD8@H >CH>9:#DJIH>9: >H>I7:86JH:D;>IHHINA>H= H>BEA>8>INDGE:G=6EH 7:86JH:>IHHI6C96ADC: DE:G6I>DC>HB6>CI:C6C8: ;G::4 >H>I>CIJ>I>K:DC:HI:E DE:G6I>DC!DGH>BEA>8>IND; >CI:DCL>I=688:HH 8DCIGDA!B:B7:GH=>E :"EJGH:HNHI:BH4 >H>I7:86JH:>I>H 8DBEA:I:AN8DBE6I>7A: L>I=I=:I:8=CDH>II=:699>I>DC6A H:8JG>IN6C9E:68:D;B>C9 I=:HNHI:BL>AA7G>C<4 6iD_bVglZXVccdiiZaa ndjl]^X]d[i]ZhZgZVhdch lâabV`ZndjX]ddhZi]^h ZmXZei^dcVahnhiZbdgl]^X] gZVhdchXdck^cXZYhîZhVaa dkZg:jgdeZidjhZDIH#L]Vi lZXVc\jVgVciZZ^hi]ViDIH lâaZmXZZYndjgZmeZXiVi^dch VcYWZVeaZVhjgZ[dgndjg XjhidbZghidjhZ#

:mVbeaZhd[XjggZciDIHjhZgh/ I=:<=I=DJH:HE6! A>DCFJ6NH!7J96E:HIHE6H### ;dg[jgi]Zg^c[dgbVi^dc/ Jc^iZY@^c\Ydb D_bVgAZ^hjgZJ@ Bgh#7ZkH]VgeZ E]dcZ/))&,',-)%*&( WZk5d_bVgaZ^hjgZj`#Xdb HeV^c D_bVg!H#6# Eda#>cY#YZAZgjc!h$c '%-,%:a\d^WVgÕHeV^c I#/ ().)(,)-)-)Õ;#/ ().)(,)-).% lll#d_bVg#Xdb FIRST PERSON SUSIE ELLIS » PRESIDENT » SPAFINDER INC.

The medical clinic is turned into a spa offering Murad facials The camp has been created for women to take time for, and better care of, themselves Every morning between 8-9am, Lunden (far right) leads a walk or running session CABIN FEVER

Susie Ellis bunks down at Camp Reveille, a women’s only spa camp ran by TV personality Joan Lunden, and shares her experience of cabins, treatments, creativity and bonding

s those in the spa industry RESOLVING THE PARADOX see how this nascent trend, this interweav- will know, two powerful Joan Lunden, a well-known TV personality ing of ‘camp’ and ‘spa,’ would play out. trends have been on the in the US (see p46), approached SpaFinder On the drive up to Maine, I thought upswing over these last cou- two years ago to help her market her Camp about what seemed like some obvious par- ple of years: hybrid spas, ie Reveille, a four-day summer camp for adoxes. I hadn’t been to camp since I was Aspas that strongly incorporate another ele- women that she created out of her passion a young teenager, and remembered loving ment such as medicine or wellness; and for helping women take time for, and bet- the swimming, canoeing and eating s’mores social spa-ing. In SpaFinder’s 2010 trends ter care of, themselves. Th is summer she [marshmallows and crackers] around the report, we noted that spa has increasingly invited my colleague Sallie Fraenkel (COO campfi re, but not relishing the hard bunks, become a hyphenated aff air – think spa-yoga, of SpaFinder) and me to join her and 140 the bugs, the poison ivy and sharing showers. spa-fi tness, etc – and that the industry Spa, of course, connotes pleasure and is getting pretty creative at inventing the luxury, pampering touches. When new you-name-it hybrid models. And “Will spa camps become a full- we arrived at Camp Reveille, I saw that in our 2010 State of Spa Travel report, blown trend? The jury is out. some of these paradoxes were resolved. travel agents worldwide ranked social It’s held at a posh boys’ camp owned spa-ing as the number one trend gaining Will more models – from luxury by Joan’s husband, Jeff. When regu- ground, reporting they see signifi cantly or family-focused ones to boot lar camp season is over she adds extra more friends, groups and families hit- touches like foam padding and comfy ting spas to connect or ‘play’. camps – appear? Without a doubt.” bedding for the bunks – and latte So, it’s not surprising to see ‘spa-camp’, machines, lamps, and surprise gift s in a concept that so neatly straddles both each cabin. Th e medical clinic area is trends, hit the landscape. I always try to sam- other women at Camp Reveille, explain- transformed into a spa where women can ple as many emerging spa trends as I can, but ing that the experience would feel like an receive massages and facials. recently I was fully immersed in a spa camp, adult version of a kids camp, but one that It became immediately apparent that the spending four days at Joan Lunden’s Camp included massages, facials, and a heavy ros- staff at Camp Reveille were top notch: the Reveille in Maine in the US. I’m recounting ter of fi tness, sports, activities and social therapists, aestheticians and fi tness instruc- my personal experience there to off er a little experiences. So, I decided to sew my name tors are all personally selected by Joan – and fi rst-hand insight into the special qualities into my gym clothes, pack my duff el bag and many are ‘her people’, ie her celebrity hair and appeal of this concept. give it a whirl! I was exceedingly curious to stylist and makeup artist. It’s probably the

50 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Joan Lunden will be off ering additional spa camps in 2011. To fi nd out more about her and the Reveille-on-the-Road rollout, turn to p46.

Being surrounded by nature has a profound eff ect on women at the camp, many of whom live in cities

best collection of spa staff I’ve ever seen. And, Other interesting off erings throughout I really wanted to do was sit in a barn- surprisingly, at us$899 (€643, £571) for the four days included: a mole check by a like structure stringing beads or working four days/three nights (which includes all dermatologist, tribal drumming, a pontoon with clay pots. I noticed that lots of women the fantastic food and a facial), it’s really cruise, LifeBreath (a unique breath-work were participating – they seemed to be hav- quite a bargain! practice taught by the woman who origi- ing fun – and the sparkling assortment of nated it), sing-a-longs, an insight into Joan’s beads and baubles looked interesting, but A typical day at Camp Reveille make-up secrets, meditation, climbing walls, nevertheless, I passed. includes the following: and tennis. And of course, facials and mas- Th at aft ernoon an odd thing happened. 7am: breakfast sages that could be scheduled any time – a I attended the Chakra Balancing session, 7.30-8am: t’ai chi on the beach 3o-minute Murad facial was free, but mas- where the instructor had us lie down and 8-9am: walk with Joan or morning run sages cost US$70 (€50, £44). then passed a pendulum over our various 9.15-10.30am: pilates, beach yoga, cardio, core chakra points to check our energy. Well, my and sculpt class, or arts and craft s activities EMBRACING CREATIVITY chakras checked out pretty well over my 10.45am-12pm: archery class, Zumba, yoga, Whew… as you can see the daily agenda was body. Th en she reached the chakra point self-defense or arts and craft s activities completely packed, however, we were also over my head and all of a sudden – noth- 12.30-1.30: lunch in the dining hall encouraged to do as we pleased, even if this ing. No swinging. No energy. 1.30-2.15pm: rest, Eat your Way Fit talk or meant doing nothing at all. It wasn’t long She gently mentioned that this chakra Unclutter Your Life lecture before I realised that the schedule I was opting point represented creativity and that pos- 2.15-3.15pm: the Reveille Relay for looked suspiciously similar to my favour- sibly the imaginative part of me was 3.15-4.15pm: boot camp challenge, archery ite spa routine: long early morning nature suppressed. Yeah, right… if you believe class, canoe class or arts and craft s activities walks, some cardio classes, a massage – that kind of thing. But later that night I 4.30-5.50pm: volleyball, Zumba, gentle yoga and in the aft ernoon, maybe a stretch class got to thinking (a left -brain activity, hint, stretch or arts and craft s activities followed by a nap. hint) that indeed much of my life is fi lled 5.30-6.15pm: shower time On the fi rst day, Sallie noticed that I had with lists, emails and analysis. I embrace 6.30-7.30pm: dinner quickly reverted to my typical spa routine very little right-brain activity: virtually no 8-9pm: dance party and suggested I shake it up a bit. She nudged music, painting, drawing or dance (and def- 9pm: campfi re and eating s’mores and aft er me – or maybe dragged is a better word – initely no arts and craft s). that playing cards and games and watching into the arts and craft s centre. When there So, reluctantly, the next day, I accompa- movies in the late evening. are spa activities available, the last thing nied Sallie to the jewellery-making room,

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 51 FIRST PERSON

Susie (far left) and Sallie (third right) found the four-day spa camp fantastic fun and filled with laughter thinking that injecting a little creativity into sion that is on the rise, but still too rare at Were there any negatives? Well, the great- my day might do me some good. Well, the spas. While destination spas (in particular) est challenge came from something inherent beautiful blue and white speckled stones, are beginning to offer creative programming in the camp group-lodging scenario. I shared silver pearls and sparkly beads became like drumming, journal writing, photogra- a cabin with five other women, and the pos- mesmerising. Before I knew it, a couple phy, cooking classes and gardening, other itives were laughing, sharing life stories and of hours had passed and I had created an spas could put more emphasis on offerings bonding – but the downside is that we’re attractive piece of jewellery. In fact, Joan’s that elicit people’s creative and emotional older adults and inevitably someone would mother-in-law liked it so much she asked sides. For so many of us, especially the tech- have to use the bathroom in the middle of if she could copy it! connected and work-obsessed, they have the night and a couple of my cabin-mates When Sallie and I left camp four days unique therapeutic value. snored. Several of us couldn’t sleep, and later, we drove off feeling truly renewed. while I don’t have a solution to this And although I haven’t tested my crea- aspect of spa camp, it’s an issue, because tivity chakra post-camp, I do feel that “Spas could put more emphasis sleep is such a crucial part of de-stress- my inner child was positively nudged on creative programming like ing and rejuvenation. at Camp Reveille. drumming, journal writing and THE CAMP TREND UPON REFLECTION photography as they have Camp Reveille was an extraordinary way Several months have now passed since to immerse myself in the intersection of my summer spa camp experience, giving unique therapeutic value” spa and camp, and it’s a marriage of con- me time to reflect on how it affected my cepts that has come to my attention more life and what, specifically, is so different widely recently. Luxury hybrids include: about spa camp, compared with other spa Thirdly,being immersed in nature had a the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Tri- experiences. Three things stand out: profound effect on me: the trees, grass, clear angle in Thailand, with open-air spa salas Firstly, camp was fun! I have been to sky and the way the campfire danced against blending into the bamboo forest; and The many spas and they have all been relaxing, the backdrop of the dark lake, remain embla- Resort at Paws Up in Montana, which has restful, gorgeous and inspiring – but rarely zoned in my mind. While nature is a part an entire ‘spa town’ comprising individual fun. I have not laughed hysterically with a of many spa experiences, it’s usually lim- treatment tents. And there are now many group at a spa for days on end, played volley- ited to a hike, an occasional outdoor yoga spa-focused camps for kids and teens. ball, told stories by the campfire and cheered class, or a view from a window. Lying in the Will spa camps become a full-blown indus- for my relay team. Laughing and hearing grass, climbing a tree or sleeping under the try trend? The jury is out. Do I think more laughter was truly refreshing! stars are too rare experiences and they have spa camp models – from luxury or family-fo- Secondly, the creativity element, in my a powerful effect on a person like me who cused ones to weight-loss/fitness boot camps case, the jewellery making, added a dimen- resides in a concrete city. – will appear? Without a doubt. ●

52 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 A convention to change your business…

Take home practical ideas to improve your business from the World’s leading spa owners at our strategy conference.

Gain profitable sources of new revenue from suppliers in our focused exhibition.

Network with key spa and hotel decision-makers on the show floor, at the conference or at the convention party.

For more information, visit www.spaconvention.com

or call + 44 (0) 207 351 0536

2011

CONVENTION 27-28 FEBRUARY ExCeL LONDON

Media partner Association support As part of

Gold sponsors Silver sponsors ASK AN EXPERT KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS turnaways

What kind of routines could be put in place to help receptionists log turnaway data quickly and easily? PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/©NIKO GUIDO ISTOCK.COM/©NIKO PHOTO:

ost operators are reluctant The use of waiting lists is becoming stand- to reveal how many cus- Some spas can turn away ard practice, but is this enough? What other tomers they turn away, and 25 per cent of customers kind of information should be logged when with pressure to prove their a customer can’t be accommodated? And – Mworth to shareholders and owners it’s easy to or more. We ask how most importantly – how can these details be see why they don’t want to admit a customer operators can track and used to optimise business? has slipped through the net. One challenge is collecting the data in Off the record talks have revealed the per- claw back this lost business the first place. When staff are busy dealing centage of customers turned away can range with customers face to face, it can be dif- from 5 to 25 per cent or more. And all agree ficult to get them to spend time gathering that this can fluctuate according to the type that plays a key part in creating a success- and recording details from phone calls and of spa, time of day and week and location. ful yield management strategy. “There’s so emails from customers who – in their eyes In Asia – where spas typically open for much you can improve on and refine in your – are not a priority. longer and have more therapists due to business by looking at what, when, why and What kind of routines could be put in lower labour costs – it’s rare not to be able how a customer was turned away,” says Lyn- place to make this an easier and quicker task? to accommodate a customer. A destination sey Hughes, spa director at the Mandarin Is software the solution? Could a simple tick spa is also likely to have lower levels of turn- Oriental in Hong Kong. “You get to under- sheet be the answer, or is manual gathering aways, as guests are on-site for the whole day stand demand and by measuring it you can of turnaways inefficient? and can usually fit into scheduling that suits use solutions, such as changing staff sched- And could all this be avoided if staff had the spa. Yet day spas may have a higher level ules or training, to maximum effect.” the right customer management training, or of lost business, as customers tend to opt for But although this sounds pretty straight- were even incentivised enough, to sell a dif- peak times and aren’t as flexible. forward and most operators would agree in ferent time slot on another day, or to push a However, it’s the recording of lost business theory the importance of minimising turna- special promotion in order to keep the busi- and subsequent analysis of trading patterns ways, very few of them actually do this. ness? We ask the experts...

54 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 pas aren’t really of the day, time, guest type recording turna- ANNA BJURSTAM (hotel/day/spa member) and way figures. In fact, treatment and at the end of S Director, Raison d’Etre when we have implemented the month we’ll then look independent turnaway at when our peak times are, recordings at spas we con- how we can drive business sult on, they’ve been higher during quieter periods and than what the operator has told us. turned away so that a manager could then at other ways of staffi ng. Because of the turn- Th e industry just isn’t mature enough in look at whether this is in the peak times or away factor in our busy weekend periods this area and it needs to be honest and rec- due to bad staff scheduling/management. we limit each customer to short, one-hour ognise that the typical receptionist response Part of the issue is also down to poor spa treatments. Th at way we’re keeping more cus- is ‘no, sorry, we’re full’. While most spas do manager training. You need to get managers tomers and we’re also making more money have some sort of waiting list, only about 50 to focus on collecting fi gures and analysing because shorter treatments tend to be more per cent of turnaway customers are being how these can be used to increase business expensive per minute than longer ones. recorded as the rest just say ‘OK, I’ll look and this isn’t happening yet. To avoid losing customers to begin with, for a treatment somewhere else’. Revenue management is going to be one however, spas need to manage bookings and To ensure all the information is captured of the biggest things coming into the spa the onus is on reception staff training. At the accurately, a spa needs to use a computer industry in the future. Th is will involve peo- moment, receptionists, are booking takers system – although I’m not sure that any ple analysing various sets of data including not makers. Th ey should be asking a guest are sophisticated enough at the moment. turnaways. At our own spa in Stockholm how they want to feel, how long they’ll be Ideally the soft ware would have a wait list [see SB10/2 p54] we’re trialling revenue man- staying and suggesting putting something feature and the ability to automatically text agement practices to see what might work diff erent together on another day if their fi rst a customer if an appointment is suddenly elsewhere. At the end of each month we have choice isn’t available. available. It would also be essential for the a fi ve to 10-page management report. Start to become booking makers and system to have a feature for detailing at what With regard to lost customers, we gather you’ll be able to handle the turnaway factor hours and on what days guests are being the information manually and make a note much better. We’ve trained receptionists on this in our spa and have seen a 50 per cent drop in turnaways as a result. To ensure all information is captured accurately, a spa Based in Sweden, Raison d’Etre is a spa con- needs to use a computer system – although I’m not sure sultancy and management company which that there are any sophisticated enough at the moment works with hotel partners across the globe. Details: www.raisondetrespas.com

ost spa direc- and types of treatments on tors have a gut LYNSEY HUGHES any day of the week and all understanding the receptionist needs to do M Spa director, of how their business oper- is circle the relevant entry ates, but to really know Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and write the reason for the exactly where you can tweak turnaway next to it using a T it, you need to look at the (lack of therapist) or R (no turnaway fi gures in detail. room spa, serving a 501-bed hotel plus room available). One member of the team If we turn down customers because a ther- external guests. Naturally we’re busier from adds the numbers to a spreadsheet, which apist is unavailable, we look at scheduling. Fridays to Sundays. We noticed this was we analyse on a monthly basis. For example, can staff on the same shift when we were losing the most business, so Th e emphasis is usually on the receptionist cover all types of therapies between them? we now open an hour earlier at weekends. or what we call our ‘spa concierge’ team to We keep on top of training – teaching ther- We also looked at room confi guration. We gather turnaway data and they really need to apists based on the popularity of treatments originally had two double treatment rooms, be on the ball. We cover this in their training, – to ensure poor training is not a cause. but thankfully had enough space to change but I also think it comes down to encourage- From analysing turnaways we discovered another single room into a double. So, at ment and explaining to them why they need that we were turning down customers in the peak times we try to encourage couples or to track this information and how important evenings (aft er 5pm), which was a peak time. friends to have treatments together so that it is for the success of the business. Originally we had three shift patterns: morn- we can discourage turnaways. If all else fails, All the spas I’ve worked in have tracked ing, starting at 9.30am; aft ernoon, starting at we off er basic massages in hotel bedrooms. turnaway business and I would encourage all 11.30am; and evening, starting at 2.30pm. But Although we use the SpaSoft soft ware spas, regardless of their size, to do the same, due to demand, we cancelled the mid-shift system, which gives a very succinct turn- so that positive changes can be made. and put more therapists on in the evening. away report, we actually record turnaway When it came to losing customers due to fi gures manually using a simple tick sheet Lynsey Hughes has worked in Mandarin lack of treatment rooms, we also put some – you have to make it as easy as possible to Oriental spas for more than 10 years. Details: simple solutions in place. We’re an eight- collect data. Th e sheet lists the time slots www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 55 ASK AN EXPERT

eeping track of All Fairmont Raffl es spas turnaways was our LINDSAY MADDEN-NADEAU have a standard for record- saving grace in the ing turnaways and I think K Spa director, Amrita Spa, Raffl es Dubai recession. At the time spas most other large hotel spa were laying off staff. By chains would too. However, tracking turnaways, how- I think they’d be surprised at ever, I could prove that there how in-depth our system is. was still demand for business and that we we have regular customers nearby. As people We record the turnaways using a track needed to keep therapists. By recording the in Dubai always seem to book at the last- sheet, which lists all the treatments and times. type of treatment we turned down, I could minute we also have a waiting list. We note turnaways based on service type and also calculate the amount of money lost and It’s important to look at turnaway num- analyse the fi gures on a daily basis (especially show that it would actually be cost-eff ective bers because you can review your customer in peak times) to drill down into the rea- to hire more team members. levels and see when you’re busy and what sons why. Was it because the service wasn’t I think spas should turn down some busi- you’re getting bookings for. available (no therapist) or because we didn’t ness because it shows that they have a good Our reception staff are responsible for col- have enough room? We then re-evaluate our reputation and that they’re in demand. How- lecting turnaway information manually and operations and look at what we can change to ever, the turnaway level should be low – no the protocol for this is covered in their train- enable us to lower our turnaway levels. more than 10 per cent on a daily basis. ing. Each evening these numbers are then It’s diffi cult to track turnaways in Dubai Our main focus, however, is on not losing entered into our corporate report spread- on a monthly basis as there really isn’t much business in the fi rst place. If we don’t have sheets. I’ve found that the best way to ensure consistency in how people book. We do run availability for one service, we’ll try to sell that the details are recorded is to explain to into issues of male and female staff availabil- another or encourage off -peak bookings – as them the importance behind doing it and to ity in turnaways due to the culture here, so we’re a city spa we can do this more because get them to take ownership of the task. we’re cautious of that in staff schedules. Th en there’s the high demand at the weekends (Friday to Saturday here). Again, we try The best way to make sure receptionists record turnaway to limit this through up-selling other treatments or times or through promotions. ﬁ gures is to explain the importance of these numbers and to get them to take ownership of the task Madden-Nadeau has worked in Fairmont-Raf- fl es spas for 10 years. Details: www.raffl es.com

ven though most ing levels by time-of-the-day operators recognise DANIEL LIZIO-KATZEN and day-of-the-week. the importance of If a spa has room and E Co-founder and COO, GramercyOne avoiding turnaways, few staff availability for facials, explicitly track or analyse but customers are request- the reasons they occur. ing massages, then staff can One of the fi rst challenges be retrained. If all resources is defi ning what constitutes a turnaway, as no availability, spas can try selling them an are being utilised, perhaps it’s time to adjust this depends on the type of spa, and the alternative time or service, but if this isn’t the pricing? Th e exception is that in spas market segment it operates in. A destina- possible, the only option may be to put them with regular customers, peak times should tion resort, for example, will have a higher on a waiting list. have turnaways to encourage customers to level of turnaways, since most people don’t In January, our SpaBooker spa manage- book early and reverse the trend towards book treatments when reserving their holi- ment system will launch a Smart Waitlist last minute bookings. day so prime times are oft en full when they with features to track turnaways. Th is will Th e system will highlight which days spe- arrive. In contrast, urban day spas will have a enable operators to both forecast demand cifi c staff or treatments are booked or which lower number, as they rarely run above 80 per and optimise the management of live turna- have the highest utilisation. Using this infor- cent occupancy, except during peak times. ways. Th e module will automatically record mation, less tangible things that impact on Th is means taking a general approach details of customer requests that can’t be performance – like therapist popularity – to turnaways is oft en wrong and detailed accommodated, saving time for staff . can be better understood. knowledge of peak times is needed before Th is ‘smart’ waitlist will automatically pri- Th e goal of every service business is to eff ective changes can be made. oritise waiting customers by their value to fully utilise staff and facilities. When you As more reservations move online and the business. Th e system will enable them combine the ability to gain insight into why onto mobile devices, the time between when to be contacted via social media, SMS, email turnaways are happening with the appro- a service is booked and when it’s consumed or phone to ensure the highest possible uti- priate tools, you gain the ability to allocate is decreasing, meaning more treatments are lisation – and profi t – is achieved. resources in a more intelligent manner. booked at the last minute. Th is makes it even Additionally, it will be possible to exam- more challenging to schedule optimum staff - ine the previous 30/60/90 days of sales and SpaBooker, the online scheduling and ing and room allocation without the proper reveal whether turnaways were caused by business management soft ware, is owned by tools. If a client calls to book and there’s under-staffi ng, to determine optimal staff - GramercyOne. Details: www.spa-booker.com

56 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 turnaways PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/©NIKO GUIDO

More treatments are booked at the last minute, making it diffi cult to optimise staff schedules without the proper tools

e’ve managed to Firstly, this has an excel- run a successful, CATHY BALL lent ‘pending’ element where seven-treatment requested appointments are W Spa director, room spa at Calcot Manor – held on the system and if a a 18-bedroom boutique hotel Calcot Health and Leisure Ltd cancellation appears, a text in England – for seven years message alert can be sent to and as I’ve been there from notify those on the waiting day one taking calls and speaking to clients up this second business, turning away cus- list. We are expecting that this will work well I feel I know my business intimately. tomers could lead to a completely diff erent in a hotel environment where customers are At Calcot our soft ware includes a success- scenario: I could lose a client – who may probably already on-site or nearby. ful wait list feature but does not run a report be my highest spending customer – forever. Secondly, it has a ‘missed opportunity’ allowing us to list reasons why we could not At the moment we never turn down a spa window than can be used to track the meet that clients’ needs. Unfortunately we booking until we have tried to create more amount of business that you have to turn have to enter our turnaway details into a availability. Consequently, I have a pool of down due to either employee unavailabil- spreadsheet manually to be useful. part-time therapists working between Cal- ity, a lack of resources or the business being While the information we gather is detailed cot and Barnsley who are happy to be called closed. Details of the missed opportunities – we cover the time and date of the appoint- in to pick up additional treatments. within a specifi ed date range can then be ment, the type of treatment, the demographic It’s more important in this new business to viewed in a report. of the customer, the reason for not being able record and analyse turnaways. I’ll be looking While it’s still too early to tell how to accommodate them and note if there’s a for patterns in demand so that I can recruit well this soft ware works we have high hopes request for a specifi c therapist – collecting accordingly – ie ensuring I staff effi ciently to that it will help us grow the business by and collating it is time consuming and in make sure I have enough availability at the creating more availability at the times and reality I would like more accuracy. right times to maximise potential. However, days that it highlights. In June 2009, we acquired another prop- as I’m not at this property so much, I need erty nearby – Barnsley House Hotel, which to rely on reports and manually recording Both spas at Calcot Manor and Barnsley has 18 bedrooms – and following refurbish- information is not really scientifi c enough. House Hotel have been the recipients of trade ments we relaunched its fi ve-treatment room Th erefore, last month, we installed the Mil- and consumer awards. Details: www.calcot- Garden Spa this April. Now I’m building lennium programme by Harms Soft ware. manor.co.uk or www.barnsleyhouse.com

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 57 PROFILE KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS

{ we work together } Mike Indursky & Séan Harrington

The new faces behind Bliss World Holdings explain their ambitions to grow the brand’s spas and product ranges globally

n January 2010, Steiner Leisure Ltd acquired Bliss World Holdings (Bliss) – comprising the Bliss and Remède spa facilities and product lines – from Starwood Hotels and IResorts for us$100m (€72.3m, £63.6m). Th ere are currently 21 Bliss Spas and 10 Remède Spas, the majority operating under a preferred partner agreement with Starwood’s W and St Regis hotels, respectively (see SB10/3 p24). Both Bliss and Remède also have pro- Indursky (left ) and Harrington (right) are the driving forces behind Bliss’ rollout outside the US fessional and retail product lines which are sold through spas, via e-commerce, in bou- How did the opportunity to What are your responsibilities? tiques, department and speciality stores and join Bliss present itself? MI: To manage the company towards long- on TV shopping channels. Mike Indursky (MI): It was wonderfully term profi table growth; and to set a vision Steiner, already one of the biggest spa com- serendipitous – I had just fi nished my con- and put together an organisational structure panies globally (see SB04/Q2 p58), operates tract at Burt’s Bees in North Carolina and to help it realise its full potential. 130 spas on its cruise ships, plus 70 Mandara, wanted to go back to New York where I grew Séan Harrington (SH): I’m here to run four Chavana and two-branded Elemis spa up (which is where Bliss is based). I wanted Bliss in the UK. Over the last 20 years, I’ve facilities. Elemis, Steiner’s principle product to stay in the beauty business, but work in a built up a team and infrastructure to deliver line, turned over £65m (us$102.2m, €73.9m) fast-moving environment where I could use Elemis in the UK and worldwide. I’ll be in 2010 – its best year to date. my entrepreneurial and creative skills and using my team, network and contacts in the Th is March, Mike Indursky was appointed really roll my sleeves up. I got a call from UK to now promote Bliss. Th e aim is to also president of Bliss. Indursky has 20 years of Bliss and the role met my every criteria. leverage Elemis distributors and accounts experience in a broad range of aspects in Not long aft er I joined, it was recognised internationally for Bliss where appropriate. the personal care industry and most recently that we needed someone to head up the UK worked for Burt’s Bees Inc as chief marketing side of the business. While Bliss was strong How would you describe and strategic offi cer. Séan Harrington, one of in the US, in the UK it wasn’t performing so the Bliss brand? the founders of Elemis, took on the respon- well, despite high demand for the product. SH: Bliss isn’t a new brand: it was created sibility for Bliss in the UK in June 2010. We needed to reinforce the infrastructure. in the mid-90s by Marcia Kilgore, who is So, just what do their posts involve, how Séan [Harrington] is such a powerful per- a genius in the world of marketing (see are they integrating the two businesses and son in the UK and Elemis has such a strong SB06/3 p103). She brought great energy to what exciting things can we expect from infrastructure there that it made sense to use the brand and came up with something that them in the future? him and his resources. has a fun, unique edge.

58 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 “WWWhen we loooked aat tthhe Bliss and Ellemmiss client dataabbaases sside by siiide, there waas onlyy a 3 pper cennt crossssoover [yet tthe brraannds hhave thhe samme channnels of diistribution] whhicch I thinkk is veerry exciiting””

So far, Bliss products and treatments have only been sold in Bliss-branded spas, but that’s about to change

MI: Bliss has a fun, witty brand image and for us$54 (€39, £34) and Clinique would be What are your plans for Remède? we think of it as being the fountain of happi- cheaper than that, while Lancôme would be MI: Remède is very different from both ness. There are tonnes of brands to make you more. When it comes to spa facilities, we feel Elemis and Bliss. It’s a five-star skincare line look beautiful, but only Bliss can make you it’s in a unique category. which incorporates the very best ingredi- happy. For example, you can eat brownies in SH: In the UK, competitors include ents and technology and is used at only the the spa lounge and receive complimentary Philosophy, REN, Liz Earle, Origins and top spas worldwide. It’s for very discriminat- product samples. Guests feel empowered Molton Brown. Yet none of these brands ing consumers, aged 40 and over, who have after our results-driven treatments, adminis- are actually as focused on the spa business incredibly high standards and are willing to tered by expert technicians who specialise in and facilities as Bliss. pay a premium for this – Remède’s Alchemy individual areas such as facials or nails. Premium Night Cream costs us$165 (€119, Bliss targets a younger audience, however, Will bliss take away £105) for a 2oz (57ml) pot. Its distribution is the clientele isn’t a demographic, it’s a psy- business from Elemis? more exclusive, for example, it’s only sold in chographic – they’re people who first and MI: No, because the positioning of the high-end department stores. Unfortunately, foremost believe that they look and feel their brands are completely different. Remède has been overshadowed by Bliss, but best after they’ve had a spa treatment. SH: Elemis has an older client base, aged 35- it’s still a very important brand to us. to 70-plus, and has about a 25 per cent higher Which companies does price point. It’s also more experience driven, How has Bliss been integrated Bliss compete with? while Bliss treatments are usually shorter into the Steiner business so far? MI: In the US, Bliss is sold in speciality stores and focus on maintenance services. In fact, MI: We had never offered Bliss services out- such as Sephora and I would say it has an when we looked at the two client databases side of a Bliss Spa, so when Steiner bought us, average to higher price point. A 2oz (57ml) together, there was only a 3 per cent cross- one of the first things to do was to introduce Triple Oxygen+C Energizing Cream goes over, which I think is very exciting. our services and products onto its cruise

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 59 PROFILE Mike Indursky & Séan Harrington { we work together }

ship spas. That was just business waiting to What challenges have you MI: Bliss has also just launched in Australia happen and we did that pretty much right faced with integration? in 50 of its Myres department stores. Some away – we’re now on 95 ships and growing. MI: It’s all happened very quickly and quite Asian and Eastern European countries are SH: Interestingly, Elemis sales haven’t seamlessly actually. Moving fast has been very appealing too. declined on cruise ships since Bliss came key and we – me, Sean and Leonard [Flux- Our strategy is to look at markets in on board, so it’s only been incremental. man, president and CEO of Steiner] – have terms of size, barriers to entry and regu- MI: We’ve also integrated the e-commerce worked closely together as Steiner employees. latory issues. We’ll also consider countries sides of both the Bliss and Elemis businesses. Yet we’ve also been able to wear our brand where Bliss will resonate best – such as Eng- In addition, Bliss Spas in the US and UK hats without being territorial and that takes lish-speaking nations where customers can now retail a selection of Elemis products and a certain level of maturity. It also helped to relate to its quirky American image or Asian offer two of its treatments. We’re focusing on have a strong team in place, although I have countries, especially Japan, where America how Elemis spas might further incorporate already narrowed down my direct reports has a strong appeal. For every new territory, Bliss and will be looking into possibilities in from 20 to eight. Those who still report into it’s important to have a supply chain that can the Mandara and Chavana spas. me include the head of sales, brand develop- support the growth and to have some kind ment, e-commerce, HR, our CFO and our of Bliss Spa service or presence. How else will you gain two heads of spa operations (one focusing efﬁciency in the group? on the east and the other on the west). What’s Bliss’ best selling channel? MI: Bliss has already been moved to Steiner’s MI: Our spa business, where we sell treat- warehouses in the US and Elemis’ ware- What new territories will ments and products, is the strongest – it houses in the UK. We’ll also look to share Bliss be targeting? generates 50 per cent of our turnover. distributors where appropriate. Next, we’ll MI: An overwhelming majority of our busi- be looking at other ways to make the sup- ness is in the US at the moment and our How will you improve the ply chain more efficient, especially in the main strategy is to grow internationally. We Bliss spa business? purchasing of ingredients, laboratories and have constant requests from distributors all- MI: Bliss is the preferred third party spa research and development. over the world. It’s great to have so much partner for Starwood’s W hotels, we’re in SH: It’s inevitable that we’ll share best prac- choice, but we need to be very deliberate 17 of them, and this model works perfectly tice such as the formulation of products and about our expansion. for us. Previously, however, we’ve been quite ideas gathered from raw material. SH: The UK is obviously a key market for selective over which W hotels we go into but MI: Bliss has a hard core expertise in the Bliss: clients are crying out for something as we do so well in them our aim is to launch US and we want to use this to make Elemis different. Although it was already sold here, in as many new future W hotels as possi- more successful there. There’s a big differ- the business was managed directly from New ble – although this is obviously dependent ence being ‘in the market’ and ‘of the market’. York and was still at entry level in the UK and on W’s project pipeline. We would not open To sell into another country you need to be generating about £5m (us$7.9m, €1.1m). Now in any other hotels as we’re exclusive to W. of the market – you need to understand the it has a strong UK base, we’ll look to double However, there is the opportunity to develop culture, consumers and how to talk to them the revenue by tapping into Elemis’ 1,000- more standalone Bliss Spas and we’re work- – Bliss can do that for Elemis in the US. plus doors of spa distribution. ing with our distributors on this.

PERSONAL FILES MIKE INDURSKY SÉAN HARRINGTON

Favourite book The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, by Michael Lewis Favourite ﬁlm Breaker Morant The Sting

Food you love Sushi Anything Asian How you relax Play the guitar very loudly Sail, ski and play tennis or exercise outdoors Favourite non- The Umstead Hotel & Spa The spa at the Four Seasons Steiner spa in North Carolina, US in Chiang Mai, Thailand Preferred A great, long (75-minute) massage One where you can ﬁt as many treatment services as possible into 60 minutes – I don’t have the patience for anything longer! Best advice Create your own future as no It’s sounds corny, but one else will do that for you it’s ‘live the dream’ Most admire Ayn Rand, Teddy Roosevelt Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and Frank Zappa – people Bliss’ funky image will go down well who have done whatever it in English-speaking countries takes to realise their vision

60 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Bliss’ spa business – selling treatments and products – accounts for 50 per cent of its turnover

SH: The really big opportunity is in selling Debenhams [a key account for Elemis] in Bliss products and treatments in other spas London and Glasgow, UK, with a rollout of – at the moment this is only done via Bliss self-select areas across the country to follow. branded facilities. Elemis is certainly doing In retail, Elemis’ sales are therapist- big business this way. driven and the focus is on bringing the spa MI: It’s still early days on this, however, as experience to the counter. We think this is we’re only just starting to think about who something that Bliss can learn from. we want to partner with and we need to be very careful about this to ensure we protect What new products can our brand equity. we expect from Bliss? MI: When Marcia set up Bliss, it was her What are your plans for selling belief that the spas and website would act as bliss online and on TV? curators in introducing customers to third- MI: The Bliss website is very sales-orientated party product and equipment brands that at the moment, so we want to develop the they might not see otherwise. We will still online experience for our customers and continue with this, as it’s an important part create more of a relationship with them of our business. However, where’s there an Bliss Spa at W Doha by offering beauty advice and giving them opportunity to introduce more Bliss-branded access to the expertise of our technicians. products, we will. We’re now reviewing what As for TV sales, QVC is working really well such as Sephora and Blue Mercury in the personal care and wellbeing categories Bliss for Bliss in the US and we want to launch US and Harrods and Harvey Nichols in the should be developing products in. on other QVC channels worldwide. UK. We mainly operate within a self-serv- SH: Elemis is the highest performing beauty ice environment, which cuts out the cost What is your goal over brand on QVC in the UK – we sell about of beauty advisors. However, it does mean the next 12 months? £12m (us$18.9m, €13.6m) worth of products that our merchandising and point-of-sale MI: To strengthen Bliss’s core business – annually – we have a fantastic team of peo- material must be exceptional and we’re cur- across spas, department stores, online and ple managing this side of the business which rently reworking this. on television – by making sure that we Bliss will be able to take advantage of. Of course, we plan to increase our number have the same look, feel and brand message MI: Direct response television is another of retail outlets in department stores too, but in everything that we do. I would also like path we’re considering. we’ll do this at the right pace to ensure that to ensure that we have the right infrastruc- we pick the right partners. ture internally which will enable us to do How will you grow your retail SH: Elemis is sold in 170 department stores this. This will then set us up for big growth business in department stores? globally, so there’s an opportunity for com- in the long-term. This company is going MI: Bliss retails in around 90 department mercial deals with Bliss there. In late 2010, to have such an amazing run and I’m so stores globally. We’re in the high-end stores, it will launch a flagship Bliss retail area in excited to be a part of it. ●

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 61 MYSTERY SHOPPER Spa at the Del Hotel del Coronado

This spa is hailed as the jewel in the crown of San Diego wellness facilities, but our mystery shopper felt the only real gem was her therapist

ANNI HOOD » GLOBAL SPA AND WELLNESS SPECIALIST

he Hotel del Coronado is THE VISIT thorough, knowledgeable and efficient. I a stunning piece of archi- explained I wanted to bring a friend who tecture with interiors that wouldn’t be having a treatment and she was take you seamlessly back in The offer expansive about the use of the facilities, spe- time. Located at the ocean’s Located on the beachfront, the Spa at the cific about cost and nothing was a problem. Tedge, this now 757-bedroom property Del has 21 treatment rooms and offers day first opened in 1888 and attracts as many packages, massages, facials, scrubs and wraps. day visitors as it does overnight guests. Shorter, 25-minute treatments for teens are Access In addition to the spellbinding loca- also available. The product houses are Babor The spa could only be accessed through the tion, the hotel boasts a wealth of and Epicuren. Other facilities include a hair resort: not a grand entrance. And car park- retail therapy – selling everything salon, retail/reception area, fitness centre ing was tricky – we could only get a ticket from clothes and chocolates to books and outdoor infinity pool and lounge, as from the resort and this was refundable and homeware items – and is clearly well as gender specific areas comprising a against our bookings. However, if you go a mammoth hit with the locals. changing room, relaxation area, whirlpool, over the three hour limit (very easy on a The hotel launched its new Spa at sauna and steamroom. spa day) there is a charge is us$35 (€25, £22). The Del in January 2007 and only a This was not pointed out to us until leav- year after opening it was named one ing and considering that I had spent over of the top 20 hotel spas of the world by Booking us$400 (€285, £254) on products, it did sour Travel + Leisure magazine. The spa cov- The initial booking experience was excel- the experience somewhat. ers 12,500 sq ft (1,160sq m) and was lent. The person who took my call was very designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates. Disabled access Disabled access was good and I spotted a few wheelchairs. Most of the spa itself was flat, however, some parts – especially in the male VITAL STATISTICS area – could have proved problematic.

Address: 1500 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118 Design & layout Prices: 50-minute massages range I was surprised at the design – I was expecting from us$155-165 (€111-118, £98-105); something to match the stunning grandeur 50-minute facials are from us$160- of the property but the spa fell short of that. 165 (€114-118, £101-105); day packages, The design was based on a colonial theme, which last for three and a half but it looked dated and flat. hours, cost us$490 (€349, £311) Entering the spa, you’re immediately each. Haircuts in the Yamaguchi immersed in the retail offering with the Salon start at us$65 (€46, £41) reception desk at the rear, but there was no Times: Friday and Saturday, 10am- lounge or waiting space. 7pm; Sunday to Wednesday, There was no cooling experience in the Unfortunately, women had to use the 10am-6pm; closed Tuesday sauna/steamroom area and I wondered men’s spa area on the day we visited To book: +1 619-522-8100 whether space was the issue, but an ice fountain doesn’t take up much room. Being

62 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 The spa’s outside lounge area (above) was a highlight; our mystery shopper found the colonial décor to be a bit flat (right) unable to alternate between hot and cold is a thumbs down for a die-hard spa-goer. The infinity pool and outside lounge area, with a fire pit located centrally and views of the ocean, was the nicest part of the facility by far. Yet it wasn’t at all private as only a sheet glass divided guests from the main thoroughfare immediately adjacent. This must have been a difficult choice between privacy and view, clearly the view won and admittedly it is mesmerising watching the waves break on the shore.

Cleanliness Cleanliness could have been better. Although the vanity area was clean and well stocked, there were several house-keeping issues. The dispensing of towels and slippers was done from a cupboard that was wide open and incredibly messy. There were no towel bins, some plastic slippers that were comforta- which meant that guests discarded large tow- ble and clean. No refreshments were offered. els and face cloths on the ground, chairs or The experience We could help ourselves to water but there beside the whirlpool. Unfortunately, on the day of my visit there was no tea or juice, even to buy. Apples and In addition, one of the attendants was were technical problems in the ladies’ spa oranges were available in the waiting area. also spotted throwing half consumed cups area, so we had to use the male area (euww). The relaxation room was very masculine of water into the whirlpool – oh dear. The sight of the urinals, although partially (obviously) and functional. Chairs were lined covered, isn’t the best image to begin a spa up along the perimeter of the wall with a experience! Gents were changing in the fit- water cooler in a corner. I did have a peek at The staff ness facility and clearly there wasn’t any the usual ladies side – although a little larger, The spa team members that I met were waiting space for them as they had to lin- it still didn’t have much atmosphere. lovely. They were informative, welcoming ger by reception looking uncomfortable. We relaxed in the whirlpool and steam- and knowledgeable. My therapist was par- We were shown to the changing area and rooms and spent the biggest chunk of time in ticularly amazing – her name was Cori – be given a tour of the facilities. The young the outside area with the fabulous pool, fire sure to ask for her if you’re visiting. lady asked for our shoe sizes and gave us pit and wonderfully comfortable loungers.

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 63 MYSTERY SHOPPER

WHAT’S THE SCORE?

Ease of booking 10 Facilities 5 Cleanliness/maintenance 4 Staff 9 Experience/treatment 10 Value for money 6 Overall experience 6

I ventured back inside to the ‘waiting area’ for my therapist to collect me – difficult to refer to it as anything else as it was brightly lit, had no music and everyone was speaking normally. There were lots of groups on that particular day. The therapists appeared at a The retail area is in a great position central doorway and called out the name of particularly in the US. One thing was for sure in front of reception (above), yet their guest. This felt like I was on a conveyor – she knew what to ask and responded with an guests are not sold to at all belt, but it’s not easy to imagine how else they assured expertise to any questions I had. would operate with the volume of guests. As a therapist she was exceptional. I Cori collected me and we exchanged learned that one of her passions is crystal treated their staff, how much she loved work- pleasantries en-route to the treatment room. healing and crystal energy. Not only did I ing there and how much she adored meeting I had originally opted for a hot stone ther- receive a fantastic massage, I also had the people from all over the world. I thought apy treatment, but having overdone it on advantage of her considerable gift of read- wow, here’s an absolute star of an employee exercise (very easy in California!), I needed ing and working with my energy. and they obviously know it – great to see. a sports massage integrated with the hot The design of the treatment room was Retail is my hobby horse. I love it from stones. Cori was already aware of this and poor. All equipment was on display. From both sides of the counter but sadly the Spa at it wasn’t an issue – she said she would tailor the hot stone bath and treatment towel The Del scored a big fat zero. No recommen- the treatment to whatever I liked. heater to the products, all of which were dations, suggestions, engagement or even Although I had signed a disclaimer upon positioned on a side bench. However, I still offers of help as I was looking around the arrival, no consultation was carried out. I left the room feeling fabulous and it was retail area. Fortunately for them I bought asked Cori, who said that consultations 100 per cent down to the expertise and pure a few things anyway but if that is the con- were done verbally and that everyone knew loveliness of Cori. sistent standard of retailing, they must be what to ask. I questioned how they would I also liked what Cori had to say about missing out on a small fortune. fare on any litigation issues and she said the Hotel del Cornado. She has worked there disclaimer took care of that. This amazed me – for 20 years and talked about how well they Value for money The treatment was very expensive and not STERY MY S H R O good value for money and for the cost of the E P P P P

RIGHT TO REPLY E day packages, the scope of facilities in the

R O

Y relaxation and wet areas were limited.

E T M S

Nancy King, spa director, Hotel del Coronado Y e are happy to see that the shopper enjoyed her treatment and feel that it Summary is indicative of the quality of service we provide. Unfortunately, during the Overall, I thought my experience was very W week of her visit, we were upgrading. As the operational issues she encoun- ‘mass-clusive’ – exclusive, but for the masses – tered have been resolved, we’re confident that spa guests are now enjoying an exceptional it had great PR, but it’s not somewhere you’d experience. Although she was not particularly fond of the spa’s aesthetics, many of go for a quiet treat. The service was not five- our guests enjoy its classic charm. In designing the spa, care was taken to preserve the star and the design disappointed me. There structural and aesthetic integrity of this National Historic Landmark, and to create a were some operational issues that could space that allows modern conveniences to blend with Victorian style. With passion- have been fixed very easily, alongside some ate and professional therapists, a spectacular beachfront relaxation terrace featuring a commercial opportunities that simply were vanishing-edge pool and unique ocean-inspired treatments, it’s easy to see why it has not being explored. Having said that, if every been voted one of the top 20 hotel spas in the world by Travel + Leisure. therapist is as good as Cori they’re going to win every time. ●

Introducing the Glowing Radiance Range.

Containing pure rose damascena otto essential oil from India.

Deeply nourishing and rejuvenating.

We create completely holistic, bespoke face and body treatments which result in unrivalled purity, energy and balance. Combined with ﬁ rst class therapist training, ila provides experiences with a deep healing ‘Best Signature Facial’ eff ect. Our treatments are available at the world’s leading hotel spas and ‘Best Body Experience’ including the Four Seasons Maldives, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shangri La at the Crystal Awards Tokyo, Muscat, Rocco Forte Prague and Forte de Marmi Tuscany. Asia Paciﬁ c 2010

FOR ALL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: l Tel +44 (0)1608 677 676 l [email protected] l www.ila-spa.com l RESORT SPA SARAH TODD » NEWS EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS modern TWIST

The new Rockliffe Hall hotel, a former 18th century English estate, is steeped in history but features a state of the art spa

oasting landscaped gardens, rare as a destination.” And one particular selling While the hall sadly stood derelict for trees and flanked by the River point of this ‘destination’ is its history. more than a decade, Holmes says “it was Tees, the 375-acre (152-hectare) always part of Steve’s plan to eventually do grounds of Rockliffe Hall in the A sporting chance something special with it.” north of England are stunning. The original plans for Rockliffe Hall date BThe hall, formerly an 18th century stately back to 1774. It was a private home for many Quintessentially English home and estate, reopened in November years, with residents including renowned It took more than five years and £60m 2009 as a multi-layered business featuring botanists the Backhouses, and from 1950 (us$96m, €68.2m) to fully refurbish the a 61-bedroom hotel, an 18-hole golf course was also a hospital and community centre. former stately home. The architects Browne and a number of restaurants including the In 1996, the estate was acquired by Gib- Smith Baker and interior designers RTR Michelin-starred Orangery. The jewel in the son O’Neill, a company which Steve Gibson Design kept much of the building’s Vic- crown, however, is a 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) – chairman of local football club Middlesbor- torian and gothic architecture, but added spa and health centre – one of the largest UK ough FC – has a 75 per cent share in. Gibson, modern touches. A standout feature of the spa openings in the past year. a self-made millionaire, is a local hero: he’s spa, for example, is an indoor swimming “The strength of Rockliffe Hall is really in saved the club from liquidation, built it a pool which is saturated in colourful lights the sum of parts,” says managing director new stadium and in 1998 he opened a £7m from stained glass windows, sourced from Nick Holmes. “Although any of the ele- (us$11.2m, €8m) training and sports science a disused chapel on-site. ments could be independent profit centres, academy in the grounds of Rockliffe Hall, Many areas of the operation also have our primary objective is to market ourselves where the team still practises today. a quintessential English feel to them – from afternoon tea and traditional Sunday lunch Rockliffe Hall hotel & spa by numbers to clay pigeon shooting and rambling over the idyllic grounds. This extends to the spa ■ Bed and breakfast prices at the hotel where six ‘butlers’ are always on hand to start at £270 (us$431, €307) based on ensure that guests have all the guidance two people sharing. There is no extra and information they need, especially in the charge for the chromatherapy rooms. hydrotherapy area and thermal suite where ■ Day spa membership costs £95 they give advice on how to get the maximum (us$152, €108) and includes a lifestyle benefits from the five different heat experi- analysis, regular health checks, access ences that are on offer. to all spa and fitness facilities and a Meanwhile, the spa’s signature therapies 10 per cent discount on all products, have drawn inspiration from Alfred Back- treatments and food/drinks in the resort house, the estate’s 18th century owner who ■ Residential spa programmes can was an ardent horticulturalist. Scents from last two to three days. The Time to his favourite plants are used in the Sweet Dream Sleep programme with Doctor Pea and Rose Facial, while the Horse Chest- Meadows costs £395 (us$631, €449). nut and Pine Scrub Wrap was inspired by ■ The 60-minute Sweat Pea and the woods he commissioned. The thera- Rose Facial costs £80 (us$128, £91) pies, which were created in conjunction Ila has picked plants on-site to be used ■ Forty people work at the spa with the UK organic product company ila, in the spa’s signature therapies including 12 full-time therapists are a unique selling point and use ingredients harvested from the grounds.

66 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 21st century wellness For all its history, however, Rockliff e Hall Spa butlers off er advice is also home to a contemporary spa, which on using the thermal accounted for £12m (us$19.2m, €13.6m) of suite and hydropool the total budget. Th e two-storey facility is (above); the big spa feels part of a brand new extension, which also intimate thanks to a rich comprises 33 new bedrooms. palette of colours (right) Th e spa has a bright, airy reception and retail area on the ground fl oor, plus the 20m pool, an 11m hydropool and the thermal suite – all mood. In addition, they’re equipped by Taylor Pools. Th ere’s also a sub- currently working with Dr stantial fi tness provision including a 50-station Guy Meadows, a UK sleep Technogym gym, two studios and the UK’s specialist, to create a new fi rst Nordic walking programme at a resort. spa residential programme On the next level there are 13 treatment to combat insomnia. Th is rooms, including a couple’s suite. A mud will include an overnight rasul, salt suite, relaxation room and spa stay in one of the suites, bistro complete the off er. the relaxing ila Dreamtime In spite of its considerable size, the spa treatment, and a lifestyle has an intimate feel – a palette of rich col- analysis, plus meditation. ours such as brown, burgundy and violet, Th is will be just one of a new combined with metallic tile fi nishes give a range of packages to cater for guests wish- In terms of spa usage, day spa guests feeling of being cocooned. ing to focus purely on wellbeing. account for 60 per cent of treatment rev- Th e driving force behind the spa has been Liz says: “We plan to develop our wellness enue compared to 40 per cent from hotel Nick’s wife Liz Holmes. Together the pair centre concept and to excel in any aspect guests. Th is is partly due to a successful spa have brought much passion to the project that people come to our spa for – weight- membership scheme – there are already 412 and 50 year’s experience in hospitality and loss, anti-ageing, stress management or to members and the limit is 600. fi tness. To create the spa at Rockliff e, Liz simply relax. I have a high-level of expecta- While it may be too early to give accu- worked with UK spa consultant Lisa Know- tion of my team in delivering this.” rate performance fi gures, the Holmes are les from Th e Spa Set. “Th e aim of the spa is slowly building up business – in July the to surprise guests,” she says. “We believe that A passion for success treatment room occupancy was 90 per cent it will be the standard bearer for spas, not Currently, 60 per cent of business at Rock- and they’re using this as a future benchmark. only in north England, but across the UK.” liffe Hall comes from guests visiting for Th ey expect to see a return on investment An interesting touch is six chromatherapy leisure purposes, with corporate custom- in three to fi ve years and certainly have the bedroom suites in the new extension. Th e ers making up the rest. All come from the passion to make the spa a success. Holmes’ are advocates of colour therapy and UK, putting it in direct competition with Nick says: “I genuinely love the team spirit these suites consist of light panels on either other high-end resort spas such as those at here and there really aren’t many places like side of the bed, where guests can choose a Seaham Hall and Titanic Mill, both within this being created at the moment.” Liz con- particular colour such as a soothing violet or a 90-minute drive. But Liz has every con- curs: “It has been so exciting to be a part of energising red, or select a pre-programmed viction that they can outperform them in creating something so special. I couldn’t ask sequence of diff erent colours to suit their terms of standards and services. for anything more.” ●

MORE TO Montenegro

In the concluding part of our focus on the Balkans, we reveal the potential for spa development in Montenegro

TERRY STEVENS » MANAGING DIRECTOR » STEVENS & ASSOCIATES

overing just under 14,000sq km (5,405sq miles), Mon- OPERATOR tenegro has a small population of 650,000. Yet it OPPORTUNITIES attracts up to one million tourists a year. Located in The transition towards higher south-east Europe, with an Adriatic coastline stretch- value wellness tourism has ing nearly 300km (185 miles), it has traditionally been already resulted in two major Ca highly seasonal summer beach destination with Serbian and Kos- developments. In December ovan families. It is now keen to make the transition to a more high 2007, the Hotel Splendid in value, international tourism market. Consequently, a focus on sus- Becici – one the country’s main tainable tourism – with a strong emphasis on wellness – is emerging coastal resorts which is owned as the way forward in both its coastal and inland mountain resorts. by the STARS Hotel Group – An independent state since 2005, Montenegro claimed its new opened an €8m (us$11m, £7m) constitution in October 2007. Three years on, and the government spa. The 3,000sq m (32,292sq has submitted its application for EU membership, its economy has ft) Splendid Spa is linked to 13 stabilised and GDP has grown by 18 per cent per annum in recent wellness apartments with whirl- years (although this is still one of the lowest in Europe). Tourism pools. Further south, on the now accounts for 21 per cent of national GDP – equating to €480m island of Sveti Stefan, Aman- (us$662.1m, £421.1m) a year – and is increasingly seen as a major resorts (see SB10/2 p24) has economic activity. The latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism redeveloped a luxury resort show that the country receives over 1 million tourists annually and Villa Milocer, a former royal this is set to grow further over the next 10 years, albeit slowing down residence. Initially an eight- in the face of the recession. Net foreign direct investment has been suite retreat, phase two will close to €600m (us$827.2m, £526.3m) per annum, two thirds of which include 47 more suites and the have been in real estate including resort and spa projects. creation of a fully-equipped, signature Aman Spa is due for completion in 2011. Elsewhere, opportunities for international operators exist in the form of two tourism schemes – on Ada Bojana Island and in Valdanos Bay – that were put up for tender in 2008 by the country’s Ministry of Tourism. So far, the most significant investment inter- ests have come from Norway, Austria, Russia and Slovenia. Ada Bojana, an island surrounded by the Bojana River, is on the southern coast of Montenegro and because of the site’s ecologically rich, beautiful environment and secluded private setting, the government foresees the configuration and operation of an exclusive four- to five-star hotel/resort/village complex. The vision is to create a resort that will reflect contemporary Mon- tenegrin architecture and include up to 2,500 hotel bedrooms and recreational facilities and services. The government anticipates that the development, once opened, will be listed in the international The island of Sveti Stefan (above) features an Amanresort development hospitality industry as a top nature resort.

A part A N

H three

N A A L K

Valdanos, a former military vacation camp in Valdanos Bay, is also situated on the southern coast. The €8m Splendid Spa (above) opened in December 2007. Meanwhile, The total area of the complex in this tender is nearly 1sq opportunities for international operators exist in the form of two tourism mile (2.6sq km) and the space for facilities is 8,767sq schemes put up for tender by the Ministry of Tourism in 2008 m (94,367sq ft). The conceptual framework includes a wellness resort with luxury tourism accommodation and protection of the coastal and ecological area. Montenegro is try could generate revenues of around €800m (us$1.1bn, £701.7m) primarily interested in public-private partnership projects. from tourism over the next 15 years, helped along no doubt by the Although Montenegro is a relatively small country, the quality and development of luxury resort and wellness destinations. diversity of its natural and anthropological offerings makes it one of The immediate tourism demand will come from summer leisure the most attractive regions in the Mediterranean and a region that visitors seeking the republic’s relatively underdeveloped coastline. attracts holiday makers in search of wellness, sea and sand and winter However, its heritage, culture and increasingly its wellness product sports experiences. Given this, it’s not surprising that the Montene- will also command global attention. Montenegro’s desire to become gro’s government has highlighted tourism as a strategic sector for its the primary destination for health and wellness in the Mediterranean economic development. According to external estimations, the coun- region will be challenging to achieve, but remains a future goal. ●

SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 69 FITNESS KATE CRACKNELL » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS KEPT IN SUSPENSE

With suspension training taking the health and ﬁ tness Whoever would have thought that just hanging around could sector by storm, we outline the beneﬁ ts of this technique be so good for your health? and try out some of the classes currently available OK, fair to say there’s rather more to suspension training than that, as STRAP SYSTEMS I discovered for myself when I tried THE LOW-DOWN: TRX out some of the off erings currently he simplest, cheapest and on the market – it’s actually a pretty most common form of space required: Quick to set up and take tough workout. But it’s certainly the T suspension training are down, the TRX system can be attached to hanging aspect that injects the nov- the strap-based systems – where any secure overhead anchoring point (wall, elty factor into the sessions, as well straps are fi xed to an anchor, but tennis court fence, beam, post etc), so no as opening the door to a wide variety can move freely to challenge the permanent training area is required. However, of unusual exercises and movements user to move their bodyweight freestanding frames designed to facilitate group that simply wouldn’t be possible on around an unstable point. training of up to 24 people are available. traditional gym equipment. One of the most well-known cost: £150 (us$236, €169) per TRX. All in all, it’s easy to see how the brands is TRX, which launched Door anchors cost £23 (us$36, €26) each; popularity of this training method in 2005 and is available world- frames start at £990 (us$1,550, €1,100). is growing so rapidly: it’s diff erent, wide. Wendy de Knoop, who training: One-day course delivered by it’s fun and, if my aching muscles focuses on sales and marketing a TRX master trainer. A course group the following day were anything to for Escape Fitness, the European training sessions is also available. go by, it also yields results. So, what distributors says: “The TRX® systems are available and what do Suspension Trainer™ is a highly spa and fi tness operators thinking portable performance training tool that lev- goal, simultaneously building strength, bal- of signing up need to consider? erages gravity and the user’s bodyweight to ance, fl exibility and core stability. Th at’s all enable hundreds of exercises for every fi tness you need: the TRX and your own body. “In real life, our bodies move to the side, backwards, forwards and diagonally. Shouldn’t we train the same way? Unlike traditional weight training that tends to be linear and follow one plane of movement, suspension training encourages multi-planar training that mimics real life movement. Th is will bring a muscular balance to your body, increasing performance and preventing injuries.” In the US, TRX has not only been installed in health clubs but is also being used by the military and professional athletes. Yet suspension training caters for all levels of fi tness even deconditioned users, those seeking rehabilitation or less-able bodied people. It can also be used in one-to-one or small group training session and circuit training classes. De Knoop adds: “It also attracts men who have traditionally shunned group fi t- ness classes. Clubs are reporting almost 50/50 TRX is one of the best known strap systems men and women in their TRX classes.

70 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 AntiGravity Yoga allows even beginners to undertake advanced inversions safely

ANTIGRAVITY YOGA ntiGravity®, an acrobatic troupe spe- advanced inverted poses. Th e cialising in aerial arts, was founded benefits are said to be wide- A in New York in 1990 by Christopher ranging, from the relief of AntiGravity Yoga is probably the Harrison. A former Broadway dancer and compressed joints and the world-class competitive gymnastics special- spine to improved body aware- best class I’ve ever done – the ist, Harrison launched AntiGravity Yoga in ness and overall agility. Having use of the hammock makes it 2008. Th e programme, for the everyday exer- tried out AntiGravity Yoga for cise, is based on yoga, but also combines myself – at the Aspria Ber- great fun and I honestly forgot modifi ed acrobatic and elements of dance, lin hotel, club, spa and sports pilates and callisthenics – all performed on centre in Berlin, Germany – I how hard I was working the AntiGravity Hammock. can also vouch for its ability to Connected from two overhead points, the deliver a tough upper body and hammock acts as a soft trapeze, support- core workout, to get the heart ing participants in movements ranging from pumping, and to facilitate deep simple suspension techniques through to stretches. The support of the THE LOW-DOWN: ANTIYOGA® GRAVITY hammock allows even beginners to hold challenging yoga space required: Concrete ceiling required, postures for longer, and in the with a 4m x 2m area needed for each hammock. correct alignment, leading to a cost: €400 (us$560, £356) per hammock, real sense of achievement – not plus around €30 (us$42, £27) per ceiling to mention great results. Other attachment. In addition, an annual licence fee exercises range from pull-ups must be paid. Costs provided by Aspria Berlin. to planks, handstands to ham- training: €1,000 (us$1,400, £890) per string stretches, and swinging instructor for two weekends of training. while seated in the hammock distribution: AntiGravity Yoga is currently to simply relaxing in a cocoon available in the US, Canada, certain parts of at the end of the session. Europe and is expected in the UK soon. Best of all, the use of the hammock makes the whole class great fun – I honestly forgot how hard I therapy services to the NYCityBallet, agrees: was working. By the time we left the studio “AntiGravity Yoga is revolutionary. Th e tech- I was sweating, with tired muscles, but felt nique gives a low-impact cardiovascular energised and had a huge grin on my face – workout while strengthening the muscu- probably the best class I’ve ever done. loskeletal system. I found it challenging for Marika Molnar, president of West Dance my brain and body to move in 3D, with end- Movements require muscular balance Physical Th erapy and director of physical less possibilities of positions and shapes.”

The JUKARI Fit to Fly programme was developed by Reebok and Cirque du Soleil in 2008

JUKARI FIT TO FLY n 2008, Reebok and Cirque du Soleil and lengthen the body while came together in a new partnership – creating the sensation of fl ying. THE LOW-DOWN: JUKARI FIT TO FLY™ I their aim: to make fi tness fun again for Lyn Heward, creative director women. “Th e task was to create the ‘smile of the Reebok-Cirque du Soleil space required: Specifi c measurements while you’re sweating’ workout,” says Leslie programme, explains: “From are not supplied but, says Mahoney: “You Calvagne, training director at Reebok. day one, we committed to mak- need a minimum height and enough space The result was JUKARI Fit to Fly™. A ing sure every move would be to make participant numbers worthwhile.” whole body workout that delivers a combi- inspired by real moves Cirque cost: Costs were not provided by Reebok. nation of cardio, strength, balance and core du Soleil artists do. Anyone tak- However, says Mahoney: “It’s not something training, JUKARI is designed to be accessi- ing the Fit to Fly class must leave you can enter into lightly. Th ere are training ble to all women regardless of fi tness levels. it feeling they’ve experienced costs, licence fees and set-up costs.” It uses a specially designed piece of equip- something diff erent.” training: Originally delivered in ment, the FlySet, which resembles a circus Th e Reebok Sports Club in North America, but training camps trapeze. With a bar that can be varied in London was the fi rst site in the are now being set up in Europe. height, the FlySet is suspended from a 360˚ UK to off er JUKARI. “I think it’s swivel point in the ceiling and allows for a an amazing exercise routine and series of moves that are said to strengthen it’s been well received,” says managing direc- class and I got to the end of the session feel- tor Ian Mahoney. “It’s diff erent and has two ing as if I’d had a good workout. key ingredients that, in my book, give it an However, although the session included excellent chance of becoming a long-term a small amount of jumping and spinning Although the session established feature of our timetable – namely, while hanging from the bar, I never felt any included a small amount it’s both fun and challenging.” real sensation of fl ying – the promise at the I went along to try out the class for myself heart of the workout. I also occasionally felt of jumping and spinning and it certainly was both of those things. Th e the moves were only tenuously linked to the upper body was taxed through pull-ups, legs FlySet; we would easily have been able to do from the bar, I never felt worked through side-kicks and squats with some of the exercises without it. JUKARI will the FlySet used almost like a ballet barre, no doubt gain loyal fans – one of the girls in the sensation of ﬂ ying and the bar removed and replaced with foot my class told me she goes four times a week. that was promised stirrups for extra-challenging planks, press- Perhaps really feeling as though you’re fl ying ups and shoulder bridges. I certainly thought in JUKARI comes later, as you get stronger it was more fun than your average exercise and more able to do advanced moves. ●

1995 EFX®

2010

The best in the business

In 1995 Precor changed the face of aerobic exercise, with the introduction of the world’s first Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer – the EFX® 544. Emulating the body’s natural movement in a low impact motion, the EFX® 544 captivated members worldwide, and revolutionised the health and fitness market.

Precor’s modern-day range of premium crosstrainers continue to lead the way, with Precor’s EFX® 576i being the world’s only crosstrainer to feature both moving arms and a CrossRamp®, delivering a total body workout. Contact Precor today, to find out what the best in the business can do for your business. CALL: 0844 8480101 · E-MAIL: [email protected] · VISIT: www.precor.com ORGANISATION FOCUS KATH HUDSON » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS

Don Genders Co-founder, Hydrothermal Spa Forum

Hydrothermal areas are one of the on issues such as the ventilation, design most technical and expensive elements and layout of heat and wet experiences. in a spa. Yet operators, consultants Co-founded at the 2009 Global Spa and designers know the least about Summit by Don Genders, MD of Design them. With this in mind, designers for Leisure, and Rolf Longree, MD of Lux and manufacturers of hydrothermal Elements, the organisation is still ﬁ nding equipment have set up the Hydrothermal its feet, but after a meeting this October Spa Forum to share some of their it has renewed vigor and more certainty knowledge with the wider spa industry of its direction. Genders tells us more.

After the initial formation, the association went quiet for a while, why was this? There have been many legal issues to sort out. Initially, we were going to call ourselves the Global Hydrothermal Spa Standards Association, until we discovered that legally this could lead to many problems. If someone adopted our standards and then there was an accident or claim against the property, we could be sued. The professional indemnity policies we looked at to cover ourselves were very costly, so we downgraded the standards element to best practice and eventually came up with the Hydrother- Th e organisation was co-founded at a Global Spa Summit breakout session in 2009 (above) mal Spa Forum as a name. Unfortunately, when designing high-end As well as give advice on matters such What is the forum’s main aim? spas, which owners want to be bespoke, as how much space needs to be used We are an association of industry pro- there isn’t a blueprint for the design of for getting people hot and how much for fessionals, who want to put knowledge the equipment or the area (see SB10/3 getting them cold. into the public domain. We will write p12). We want to put across the mes- guidelines, which interested parties – sage that we are not mysterious, that How many members do you have? such as spa consultants, designers and this is a complicated issue, and that While we’ve been thrashing out details, architects – can refer to as consultation we’re willing to make public as much it’s just the founder members: Design for documents. Hopefully we will create a information as we can about how to Leisure, Lux Elements, Barr and Wray, library resource of downloadable papers design an area safely and effectively. Haslauer, Klafs and Thermarium. Howev- for those designing spa areas. er, now that we’ve decided on a direction What areas will you advise on? we can start recruiting more members. Why is this organisation needed? There are many basic design mistakes We’re setting it up in response to criti- still being made, because architects Is there a fee for joining? cism of the industry that hydrothermal generally don’t know how to design hy- We were going to charge a fee to cover suppliers are unnecessarily secretive drothermal spa areas. They think it’s just costs. However, this caused legal and about standard equipment speciﬁ cations a case of drawing a number of boxes and VAT issues, so membership is free. and layout. The design of a hydrother- forget that pools and steamrooms need mal area is one of the most technical a lot of space for technical equipment. Why should companies join? (and expensive) elements of a spa. It is We will highlight some of the common We are hoping companies will enjoy the also an area that consultants, design- mistakes, such as not putting steam opportunity to be part of the forum to ers and operators know the least about. inlets under benches in steamrooms. take the industry forward. ●

For more information, or to contact any of these companies, visit www.spa-kit.net

TAC software now available Luxury new OCCO spa Glass feature doors from in more than 50 countries brand makes its debut Craftsman Quality Lockers TAC, the Austrian soft ware vendor, has A luxury new spa brand called OCCO Craft sman Quality Lockers’ glass feature installed its Reservation Assistant Spa & has launched. Comprising a total of 65 doors can be easily installed within a Activity Soft ware in more than 50 coun- products that are split into seven ranges, line of lockers. Clients can choose from a tries, following its work at the Park Hyatt each named aft er an area in Croatia, the Tiff any window-style display to promote Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Available in 16 products contain a minimum of 95 per a single product or there is also a series diff erent languages, a Chinese version of cent natural ingredients and 100 per cent of refl ective glass doors in a variety of the soft ware is also now also on off er. TAC natural fragrances. Headed up by Anna colours available. Th e glass is installed estimates that 4,500 users work with the Doyle, her previous experience includes using a mounting system that greatly soft ware each day. posts at Th algo and Molton Brown. reduces the risk of doors shattering. spa-kit.net keyword tac spa-kit.net keyword occo spa-kit.net keywords craftsman quality

Global launch for Samadara™ Decléor’s Harmonie Calm Heated loungers and hammam Ultimate Age-Defying Crème skincare range is unveiled revealed by Sommerhuber Sodashi has introduced its Samadara™ Decléor has created a new range of prod- A range of products have been released by Ultimate Age-Defying Crème. Said to be ucts for delicate, sensitive skin. Th e Har- Sommerhuber including a heated lounger the company’s most powerful anti-ageing monie Calm range features four products called the Lounger Two. Th e loungers treatment yet, the product has been fi ve as well as a salon-only Harmonie Calm have been created with a ‘fl oating’ design years in the making and was created by Intense treatment. Th e lacto calm complex from ergonomically-formed ceramic and Sodashi’s founder, Megan Larsen. Featur- at the heart of each formulation features are available in 19 diff erent glazes. Mean- ing a range of antioxidant-rich plants, Damask rose essential oil. Including a day while, the hammam has a linear design it is intended to promote the skin’s own cream and gel cream mask, each product is and features a table with only one joint natural healing abilities from within. colorant-free and contains no mineral oils. and ceramic heat radiation. spa-kit.net keyword sodashi spa-kit.net keyword decleor spa-kit.net keyword sommerhuber

For more information, or to contact any of these companies, visit www.spa-kit.net

Ashiyu foot spas to pamper IBD introduces a Microsalt launches the guests in relaxation areas lightweight UV gel polish SaltPro1 system for spa clients A new line of mini foot spas for soaking IBD has introduced a new range of light- Microsalt, the supplier of controlled dry feet and lower legs are an ideal addition weight UV gel polish. Called Gelac, the salt aerosol solutions, has launched the for exterior or interior placement in spas. product is applied like a polish with the SaltPro1 system. A cost-friendly micron- Inspired by Japanese foot baths, the foot longevity of a gel and can be completely izer, it is suitable for use in smaller halot- spas can fit up to four people at once and soaked off in 10 minutes. Available in a herapy rooms, when a controlled dry salt the water is heated to 108˚F. Each spa is total of 12 classic shades including a aerosol microclimate is needed but where custom-built and comes in a range of five number of reds, pinks and nudes, the Gelac non-stop operation is not required. It was different shapes including a wide style in range also includes a nail prep, a top coat, a developed specifically for spas which offer cedar, topped with slate stonework or tiles. base coat, a cleanser and a remover. respiratory and skin cleaning treatments. spa-kit.net keyword ashiyu spa-kit.net keywords grafton international spa-kit.net keyword microsalt

Babor’s HSR® de luxe anti- Attain a radiant glow courtesy European debut of Shiseido’s ageing series is unveiled of ila’s luxury new collection make-up simulator mirror Babor has unveiled its new anti-ageing The new Glowing Radiance collection Shiseido has unveiled a new make-up series called HSR® de luxe. Combining the from ila comprises four products. Each simulator mirror. Said to be the first of its high performance active ingredient HSR contains pure rose damascena otto essen- kind in Europe, the technology has been Telovitin as well as an HSR Lifting Integral tial oil, sourced from India by ila’s founder installed at Selfridges department store Complex to stimulate the regeneration Denise Leicester. The roses are grown in in London, UK, and was previously only of collagen, products include the HSR very pure conditions and are harvested available in Japan. Able to virtually create de luxe ultimate anti-aging cream; an at dawn, according to ancient traditions, make-up application, the Makeup Simula- anti-ageing cream rich for dry skin and an to harness their vitality and then distilled tor is equipped with a camera to capture anti-ageing serum. within a few hours. real-time movement and expression. spa-kit.net keyword babor spa-kit.net keyword ila spa-kit.net keyword shiseido

Discover the future of innovative and health-oriented spa equipment.

Steam bath Herbal bath Sauna

Herbal bath Sauna

Foot reﬂexology bath Treatment pools Relaxation

INVIION® GmbH Contact England:d: t +44 1376 572100 | f +44 1376 572300 | E-Mail: offi[email protected] Head Office: Gewerbegebiet 193 | A-6261 StrassStras i. Zillertal www.inviion.com Tel.: +43 720 010099 | Fax: +43 720 010099 55 | E-Mail:ail: offi[email protected] PRODUCT FOCUS KATH HUDSON » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS

For more information, or to contact any of these companies, visit www.spa-kit.net

– PRODUCT FOCUS – Heat experiences

We take a look at some of the most innovative and stand out heat experiences on the market

Klafs green sauna

From the traditional Finnish sauna, to the Native American sweat lodge, hot rooms are the mainstay of any thermal area. Health benefi ts include improving blood Energy-saving is controlled by a touch pad (below) and can be added to existing Klafs saunas (above) circulation and eliminating toxins. Klafs is now offering a Green Sauna a double-walled Eco Plus thermal ceil- package, starting at E590 (US$818, ing, which keep the heat in the cabin for £520), which can reduce energy con- longer. All the energy-consuming devices sumption by over 40 per cent. It can be – such as the sound equipment, coloured integrated into all existing Klafs sauna lights, or light features – operate only models and the functions are activated by when the cabin is occupied via a motion a touch pad. The same heat for signifi - sensor to also reduce energy consump- cantly less energy input is made possible tion. Sustainable wood is used too. with the addition of an electrical fl ap and spa-kit.net keywords klafs

Cryotherapy offers packages which combine time in the room with an exercise programme. For this It may sound unpleasant, but spending reason, it is popular with elite sports people. three minutes in a chamber cooled to a Only three minutes can be spent in the bracing -135˚C, is actually an exhilarating chamber and modest exercise has to be endorphin pumping experience, according undertaken. In addition, wooden clogs, to Champneys Tring, in the UK, which is now socks, gloves, a mouth mask, a top and offering cryotherapy (or kriotherapy). shorts must be worn. Pioneered in Japan in 1978, and popular While Champneys charges £50 (US$79, in Eastern Europe, the health beneﬁ ts of 57) for its basic cryotherapy package (25 chilling the body to this extent are numerous: minutes cryotherapy, 25 minutes exercise), relieving symptoms of fatigue, depression this is still an expensive treatment to run and sleep deprivation; aiding menstrual pain, because of the need for nitrogen and improving cellulite appearance, as well as specialist staff. Nitrogen pressure tanks helping the symptoms of long-term illnesses and oxygen levels, need to be regularly such as MS. Workouts are enhanced after monitored. For a ﬁ rst-person account of Champneys, UK, charges £50 a session time spent in a cryochamber, so Champneys cryotherapy (see SB09/2 p71).

THE CHILL®: Getting cold closes the pores, a larger, two-person model is on the The Chill uses cool misting sprays and it is also a mild stressor, which kick starts drawing board. Prices start at £29,995 works with air conditioning to bring the the immune system and boosts blood (US$47,100, E34,150). In comparison, temperature down to 16˚C. A fog-like mist circulation. Design for Leisure has come snow rooms cost around £175,000 is created in the cubicle and users inhale up with The Chill® – a cooling experience, (US$274,800, E199,150). the air, which cools the body faster. which is much cheaper to install and run “You only get the health beneﬁ t from be- As it can be operated by customers, it than an snow room or cryochamber. The ing hot, if you then get cold and the more doesn’t have to be in constant use, making Chill, expected to launch in early 2011, quickly you swap, the greater the health it economical to run. has a footprint of only 1.5m, although beneﬁ t,” says MD, Don Genders. spa-kit.net keywords design for leisure

GeoSpa boasts a unique experience in developing Conceptualise unsurpassed spa wellness facilities worldwide.

Plan We provide developers, hoteliers, private investors and spa owners with stunning and innovative spa experience zones. Design

Design by Desire

Install

We pride ourselves in partnering world-renowned architects, designers & spa consultants in the ﬂ ourishing market of spa. Train

Together we create new concepts, trends and business Support Services opportunities for investors.

Thermal Lounger Laconium Ice Fountain Salty Steam Bath Snail Shower Tepidarium Relax Lounger Finnish Sauna Ice Cabin Salt Peeling Round Shower Caldarium Water Lounger Soft Sauna Snow Cabin Hamam Experience Shower Inhalation Bath Kneipp Therapies Kelo Sauna Crystal Grotto Hamam Massage Table Hydro Pool Aroma Bath Spa Accessories Aged Wood Sauna Frigidarium Hamam Bench Floatation Crystal Bath Spa Furniture Light Sauna Serial Bath Hamam Scrub Swiss Hydro Compact Cultural Bath

Ofﬁ ces: Europe Middle East South East Asia South Asia www.geospa.de PRODUCT FOCUS HEAT EXPERIENCES

Temascals are being updated and included in modern spa offerings Temascal

St Lucia’s new Rainforest Spa, at The Jalousie Plantation, has included an authentic temascal, made from earth, as part of its offering. Director of PR, Molly McDaniel, says the decision was Savvy operators such as Swissôtel the Bosphorus are recreating hammams with a modern feel taken to include a temascal to ﬁrmly reconnect the resort to the island’s Hammans rich soapy lather cleansing and culminat- original Amerindian and Carib-Indian ing with an intense sports-like mas- settlers, and Jalousie’s owner, Roger “Hammams can be traced back to 641AD sage. Besides cleansing, the experience Myers, travelled to the mountain and the Arabian conquest of Alexandria, improves circulation and includes intense border of Guatemala and Honduras to Egypt. They then spread across Europe with massage and joint manipulation to relieve research the concept. the Ottoman Empire,” says Richard Bishop, pains. The experience is very appealing to A temascal – a sweat lodge used in UK director of NOLA 7. Even the British men and would be ideal for operators who the Meso-American cultures – is a place Empire once had 600 hammam buildings. want to entice them into their spa facility. for ceremonial and therapeutic rituals. Authentic hammams are housed in Some leading operators, such as Swis- Red hot volcanic rocks are placed in large ornately-decorated buildings with sôtel (above), are recreating hammams a central pit, over which an infusion of three main areas, the sicaklik, a hot room with a modern interpretation to give them medicinal herbs are poured to produce with a ‘gobek tasi’ or sweat stone as the a selling point. With space considerations a steam, which cleanses the respiratory source of heat, and with humidity provided prime in modern spas, NOLA 7 repli- and digestive tracts, tones the skins, by water ﬂowing over the heated surfaces. cates traditional hammams with L-shape reduces stress, improves blood circula- The tepidarium: a warm room to raise the steamrooms which incorporate massage tion, helps weight control, calms pre- body temperature and the sogukluk, the tables. Cooler heated relax loungers are menstrual cramps and post-partum pain cooler relax room. Traditional hammam then located in relaxation retreats outside and can ease muscular and osteopathic massages include vigorous exfoliation of the steamroom. problems. The ritual also generates a the body with a coarse mitt, followed by spa-kit.net keywords nola 7 meditative state.

RUSSIAN BANYAS: Stemming from ence – up to 100 different types the latin word, balneum, which of steam can be made according means to get rid of disease, pain to the amount of water and scents and sadness, Russian banyas are added and wafting techniques – and part of an ancient Russian tradition, providing the massage. mentioned in chronicles dating back The Amber Spa Hotel in Latvia to 100AD, and still central to Slavic (see SB10/3 p56), has recently life. Beneﬁts include improving blood modernised the concept with circulation and kidney function, contemporary equipment and highly detoxing and balancing energy. trained staff, while maintaining tra- The experience takes about three ditional rituals. Hotel guests and spa hours and involves a number of Up to 100 different types of steam can be made members use the banya for free, steamrooms; a massage with either while walk-in customers pay £15 birch, oak or eucalyptus twigs and a or kvass, made from black rye bread. (US$24, E17). General manager, Alla Russian soap massage. In between, us- A host known as a poparshita (female) Sokolova, says the banya accounts for ers relax with seasonal drinks, smoothies or poparshik (male), leads the experi- around 40 per cent of the spa’s revenue.

80 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 spa business directory showcasing products and services for the spa buyer

To book, please contact the sales team Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385 Email: [email protected]

STONE HEATERS EXERCISE EQUIPMENT LOCKING SOLUTIONS

"#$" "# %"! % "#$"$

STOTT PILATES® is the world’s leading full- service pilates company providing premium quality equipment and instructor training across the globe. 0800 434 6110 www.pilatessolutions.co.uk www.caldera-products.com ® Registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. STOTT PILATES photography © Merrithew Corporation.

SAUNA LOCKERS / CHANGING ROOMS SPA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

DALESAUNA ARE SUPPLIERS OF A WIDE RANGE OF HEAT EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING SAUNA, STEAM ROOMS, RASUL, SALT INHALATION ROOMS AND HAMMAM’S TEL +44 (0)1423 798630 WWW.DALESAUNA.CO.UK

For a unique changing room experience Tel: 01480 405396 www.abaudiovisual.co.uk www.cqlockers.co.uk

AUDIO VISUAL SOLUTIONS FITNESS EQUIPMENT SPA EQUIPMENT

PRECOR INNOVATIVE & PROFITABLE: Precor, the world’s leading ﬁ tness equipment supplier, offers a unique entertainment system, ClubCom. Tailor-made to your venue, ClubCom offers a superior guest experience and a secondary revenue stream. www.precor.co.uk www.clubcom.co.uk www.oakworks.com +1 800 616 4613 RESEARCH KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS

High street spas, such as Dove Spa are Best of British the most popular with UK consumers

We give an overview of UK consumer attitudes Call and email focus

towards wellness, health and ﬁ tness For the fi rst time in 2010, Leisure- net also conducted a call-Focus™ and eisure-net Solutions, a UK leisure cent had therapies such as manicures, ped- email-Focus™ survey on the UK spa market intelligence company, has icures and facials; 45 per cent had gone for sector to fi nd out – via mystery shops questioned people in the UK about complementary therapies including massage – how well operators responded to their thoughts and perceptions of and acupuncture; and only 11 per cent had customer phone and email enquir- Lspas and wellness facilities and treatments. tried a medical therapy of some kind. ies. Around 10 per cent of the UK’s Every year Leisure-net produces the Overall, 45 per cent had their treatment spa operators were tested. HAFOS – Health and Fitness Omnibus Sur- on the high street, 25 per cent visited a hotel Overall, with calls, spas scored vey – report, which is regarded as a fi tness or health club/leisure centre spa, 11 per cent highly in showing their contact industry barometer of UK consumer atti- chose a day spa, and 9 per cent had their details clearly on the web (78 per tudes and towards health, activity and the treatment in a true destination spa (an over- cent), picking up the call within active leisure sector. In 2010, a focus on well- night destination where spa was the main fi ve rings (82 per cent) and answer- ness was included in the street survey which focus). For complementary therapies, 12 per ing the enquiry in full and were also targeted 1,600 members of the public. cent used a high street salon and 18 per cent rated extremely well for friendliness visited a health club/leisure centre or hotel. (87 per cent) and professionalism (79 KEY FINDINGS Sixteen per cent of respondents said they per cent). However, customers were Out of the people questioned, 61 per cent were likely to have another treatment in the only prompted to make an appoint- said that spa treatments are a special treat next six months aft er the survey . ment in 8 per cent of calls. that everyone should enjoy now and then, For those who said they were unlikely to Interestingly, emails elicited a however, only 20 per cent believed that spas have a treatment in the following six months, much poorer quality of response. are a lifestyle choice that everyone should the main barrier was cost/perceived lack Th irty-six per cent of emails were use on a regular basis to help manage stress of value for money (58 per cent). Other not even replied to and out of the and enhance relaxation. responses included 26 per cent who said messages that were received only 32 When specifi cally asked whether a spa was there was no need/no benefi t, 17 per cent per cent met overall levels of best somewhere with lots of water features, 85 per who didn’t feel they would fi t in or enjoy the practice such giving an individual cent strongly agreed or agreed. experience, 7 per cent who felt intimidated response. A meagre 12 per cent of Of those who had treatments within the and 4 per cent who didn’t feel they knew operators informed customers about six months previous to the survey, 61 per enough or knew where to go. ● special off ers in emails.

82 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 Put STOTT PILATES® at the core of your working life and bring stability to your career and home life

Financial Stability – earn the equivalent hourly rates as physical therapists For more information about how STOTT PILATES can Retention Stability – your clients will see results and keep coming back for more build stability in to your Career Stability – STOTT PILATES instructors are highly sought after in the industry career, contact Active Training, the UK’s only Stability without ‘Burn Out’ – unlike most group exercise classes you can teach multiple licensed STOTT PILATES STOTT PILATES sessions day after day without tiring education provider. Professional Stability – develop a career that changes other people’s lives for the better Specialist Stability – set yourself apart by becoming a STOTT PILATES Specialist in the ﬁ eld 0800 434 6110 of your choice www.activetraining.info

®/™ Trademark or registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. STOTT PILATES® photography © Merrithew Corporation. www.oakworks.com