What’s been your biggest life lesson? At 26 I was a GM in the Seychelles living through a coup d’etat with African mercenaries complaining about the breakfast buffet. I quickly learned to think on my feet.
I had 14 years with Four Seasons in Asia and saw how the extreme power of corporate culture can make magic every day over many years.
Eleven years ago, I had the opportunity to be part of the transformation and growth of Six Senses, working and hanging out with passionate believers and creators in wellness, sustainability and extraordinary experiences.
When diagnosed with bladder cancer (all clear now), my colleague and dear friend Anna Bjurstam sent me to Vaidyagrama, an ayurvedic clinic in Tamil Nadu for five weeks. The wise people I met there reinforced my belief in the ancient healing arts and the power of the universe.
What do you still hope to accomplish? There’s still plenty to do at Six Senses with various brand stretches. We want to become experts in the retreat and festival business, allowing us to spread the word more deeply and fill rooms in less busy periods.
Can the industry as a whole broaden the reach of its programming to a wider audience, who are less able to experience ultra-luxury? Personally, I believe we have an obligation to.
What industry changes have you observed? Finding the right employees is always difficult, but our value set is compelling to many young people joining the industry. What we do is no longer considered ‘woo woo’ and it’s attracting great talent to us.
Secondly, the customer is so much more informed and wellness washing doesn’t work. Providers have made great strides – the modalities they offer are light years ahead of what they were two decades ago. And this is obviously good for the industry as a whole.
What key innovations can you identify? We launch two new initiatives a year and these are overseen by a Wellness Innovation Team. We like to think it keeps us ahead of the curve. At the very least it keeps us honest and focused.
We’ve made countless advances in sleep health and in understanding circadian rhythms, nutrition, longevity, genetics, functional medicine, brain health, mind/body practices and ancient healing arts from China, India and South America which are now all in the West.
The list is endless and it makes the next 20 years look so exciting. And are we talking about AI? Of course we are.
What do you wish had been invented? A cure for cancer and cognitive degradation. Optimal obesity solutions. I’d love to see general lifestyle education become an essential part of the curriculum in schools.
What business models are exciting? We’re finally talking about wellness communities, which have the potential to take our industry into another dimension. Yet this will require professional and innovative real estate developers to work closely alongside a brand. It presents a huge opportunity and is a win-win.
How do you hope the industry will be in 2050? That there’s the same passion, drive and innovation as there is today. And that we continue to do real good for our guests and customers.
What’s holding the industry back? People are sometimes their own worst enemies. Be brave, be curious. Listen to the wise.
"Spa Business is the title I look forward to receiving. Newsy, on top of the trends, well-written and good-looking"
More from spa industry leaders...
In celebration of Spa Business’ 20th anniversary, industry leaders take a look at how far the sector has come since the magazine’s inception in 2003, share personal career highlights and reveal their plans and ideas for the future.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
Klafs and Studio F. A. Porsche have combined their design and wellness expertise to create an oasis for total-body relaxation
News report: Eastern promise
Japan’s spa industry is valued at US$4.2 billion and is part of the world's third highest-performing wellness economy
Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
Promotion: Lemi: Built to last
Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
What’s been your biggest life lesson? At 26 I was a GM in the Seychelles living through a coup d’etat with African mercenaries complaining about the breakfast buffet. I quickly learned to think on my feet.
I had 14 years with Four Seasons in Asia and saw how the extreme power of corporate culture can make magic every day over many years.
Eleven years ago, I had the opportunity to be part of the transformation and growth of Six Senses, working and hanging out with passionate believers and creators in wellness, sustainability and extraordinary experiences.
When diagnosed with bladder cancer (all clear now), my colleague and dear friend Anna Bjurstam sent me to Vaidyagrama, an ayurvedic clinic in Tamil Nadu for five weeks. The wise people I met there reinforced my belief in the ancient healing arts and the power of the universe.
What do you still hope to accomplish? There’s still plenty to do at Six Senses with various brand stretches. We want to become experts in the retreat and festival business, allowing us to spread the word more deeply and fill rooms in less busy periods.
Can the industry as a whole broaden the reach of its programming to a wider audience, who are less able to experience ultra-luxury? Personally, I believe we have an obligation to.
What industry changes have you observed? Finding the right employees is always difficult, but our value set is compelling to many young people joining the industry. What we do is no longer considered ‘woo woo’ and it’s attracting great talent to us.
Secondly, the customer is so much more informed and wellness washing doesn’t work. Providers have made great strides – the modalities they offer are light years ahead of what they were two decades ago. And this is obviously good for the industry as a whole.
What key innovations can you identify? We launch two new initiatives a year and these are overseen by a Wellness Innovation Team. We like to think it keeps us ahead of the curve. At the very least it keeps us honest and focused.
We’ve made countless advances in sleep health and in understanding circadian rhythms, nutrition, longevity, genetics, functional medicine, brain health, mind/body practices and ancient healing arts from China, India and South America which are now all in the West.
The list is endless and it makes the next 20 years look so exciting. And are we talking about AI? Of course we are.
What do you wish had been invented? A cure for cancer and cognitive degradation. Optimal obesity solutions. I’d love to see general lifestyle education become an essential part of the curriculum in schools.
What business models are exciting? We’re finally talking about wellness communities, which have the potential to take our industry into another dimension. Yet this will require professional and innovative real estate developers to work closely alongside a brand. It presents a huge opportunity and is a win-win.
How do you hope the industry will be in 2050? That there’s the same passion, drive and innovation as there is today. And that we continue to do real good for our guests and customers.
What’s holding the industry back? People are sometimes their own worst enemies. Be brave, be curious. Listen to the wise.
"Spa Business is the title I look forward to receiving. Newsy, on top of the trends, well-written and good-looking"
More from spa industry leaders...
In celebration of Spa Business’ 20th anniversary, industry leaders take a look at how far the sector has come since the magazine’s inception in 2003, share personal career highlights and reveal their plans and ideas for the future.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
Klafs and Studio F. A. Porsche have combined their design and wellness expertise to create an oasis for total-body relaxation
News report: Eastern promise
Japan’s spa industry is valued at US$4.2 billion and is part of the world's third highest-performing wellness economy
Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
Promotion: Lemi: Built to last
Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
+ More news
COMPANY PROFILES
Holovis Holovis is a privately owned company
established in 2004 by CEO Stuart
Hetherington. [more...]
TechnoAlpin Indoor TechnoAlpin is the world leader for snowmaking systems. With the Indoor snow division, TechnoAlpin c [more...]
IDEATTACK IDEATTACK is a full-service planning and
design company with headquarters in
Los Angeles. [more...]
Alterface Alterface’s Creative Division team is
seasoned in concept and ride development,
as well as storyte [more...]
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
