Relaxation and pampering facilities within hotels are becoming more sought after as guests lead increasingly busy lives. Hotelier Middle East asks spa managers from around the region to reveal current guest demands
What originally attracted you to work as a spa manager?
Andrea Rollins: My ability to lead and to stay focused even when situations seem challenging. My team members always looked to me for guidance and were seeking my advice on services, treatments and how to speak to the guests about products and treatments.
Bobby Griffiths: I enjoy working with people and it was a natural progression from being a spa therapist.
Jittima Wongsiripaiboon: When I was a little girl I liked to give massages to my grandmother. She would pay me THB 50 (US $1.5) but really it just made me feel good to make her feel good, and I looked forward to giving her a massage every week.
After I graduated from university I was introduced to a book detailing the collection of spas in Thailand and I was interested.
Nicola Bush: I enjoyed working as a therapist, however, as I started to climb the career ladder, I realised there was a whole other side to spas.
I love being able to use creativity on a daily basis when coming up with new spa treatments, promotions and packages. I am one of the strange few who love to work with numbers, so I also love the business side of running a spa; the budgets, sales statistics and breakdowns etc.
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Davina Patel: I joined the beauty profession at a later stage in my career so I was very keen and ambitious to gain as much experience and knowledge as I could to further myself. That paid off — within two years of qualifying as a beauty therapist I had progressed to spa manager.
Carol Fajht: I was originally trained as an aromatherapist and found my passion, which spurred me on to pursue spa management.
Ratchaneekorn Mitplong: I did not become a spa manager overnight, as I started my career as a spa therapist. What continues to attract me to this fascinating industry promoting health, wellness and lifestyle balance, is the ability to travel and meet different people from all walks of life.
How did you get into the job?
Rollins: I used to work on cruise liners — Carnival Cruise line and Royal Caribbean — and wanted to return to solid ground. So I looked for the best hotel to work with and was blessed to get this great opportunity at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel here in Bahrain.
Griffiths: I studied for a beauty therapy diploma at college for two years and then worked (in what used to be called a ‘health farm’) in the UK for three years before taking my first job abroad in Jordan working for the Sanctuary.
Wongsiripaiboon: First I had to learn all the massage techniques because I was interested in the spa industry and then I applied for a position as assistant spa manager in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bush: I started as a spa therapist in 1996 with Springs Health Spa, part of the Champney’s Spa Group, then to Hoar Cross Hall; a destination spa in UK, working my way to up to deputy treatment manager.
In 2002, once I had learned as much as possible about the spa industry I moved to Dubai to focus more on five-star hotels as they provide excellent training for management levels. Once in Dubai I worked in a five-star hotel for two years then went on to be a spa trainer for the Middle East, however, I missed the hustle and bustle and higher standards of hotels so I moved back into the five-star hotel environment and continued as a spa manager.
Patel: I have always loved being a therapist and still do. Using this passion and applying it through my ambition of wanting to achieve and further my career has brought me into spa management. Spa Al Aqah has a diverse range of treatments, including ayurveda, so it gives me a lot of scope to work with the therapists and clients.
Mitplong: I had some friends who were working as spa therapists with Banyan Tree Bangkok. In Asia and particularly in Thailand, the Banyan Tree brand is very renowned for its spa operations. Hearing my friends talk about the company and its emphasis on staff welfare and training, I became interested in finding out more. Eventually, I joined the company as a spa therapist, after undergoing training at their spa academy.
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