Spa Origins Co., Ltd.

On 12th November, the fifth AsiaSpa Awards, were presented by AsiaSpa magazine at Armani Bar, Hong Kong.  Celebrating the best in innovation and quality in spas around the region, the 27 categories voted on by 28 independent judges were won by spas, spa personalities, associations and resorts that have set the benchmarks for quality and service in the region.

The big winners of the night included Thailand which won for “Destination Spa of the Year” for Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket as well as “Asian Spa Capital of the Year”. Green T. House in Beijing also won for “Day Spa of the Year” as well as “Spa Design of the Year”. “Spa Event of the Year” went to the Global Spa Summit held at Interlaken, Switzerland. In the first year for the category “Best Children’s Spa Menu of the Year”, the Ice Cream Spa at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island emerged as the category’s debut winner.

Winners of the AsiaSpa Awards 2009 are:

• Destination Spa of the Year: Six Senses Destination Spa, Phuket, Thailand
• Urban Spa of the Year: Bliss Spa, W Hotel, Hong Kong
• Day Spa of the Year: Green T. House, Beijing
• New Spa of the Year: The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Sanya
• Spa for Men of the Year: Chuan Spa, Langham Place Mongkok, Hong Kong
• Spa Retreat of the Year: COMO Shambhala Retreat, Uma Ubud, Bali
• Eco-Spa of the Year: Spa by Mandara, Alila Villas Hadahaa, Maldives
• Socially Responsible Spa of the Year: The Shinta Mani Spa, Cambodia
• Medi-Spa of the Year: S Medical Spa, Bangkok
• Asian Spa Capital of the Year: Thailand
• Spa Association of the Year: APSWC - Asia-Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition
• Spa Event of the Year: Global Spa Summit
• Spa Personality of the Year: Karina Stewart, Co-founder, Brand & Concept Director, Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary
• In-Spa Training of the Year: CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La
• Spa Academy of the Year: Banyan Tree Spa Academy
• Spa Design of the Year: Green T. House, Beijing
• Best Children’s Spa Menu of the Year: Ice Cream Spa, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
• Spa Treatment of the Year: “Hilot Trilogy”, Mandala Spa & Villas, Boracay
• Holistic Treatment of the Year: “Sound and Stone”, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, Australia
• Men’s Spa Treatment of the Year: “Man Space Healing Balance Massage”, i.sawan Residential Spa & Club, Grand Hyatt, Erawan BangkokSpa’s
• Therapist Team of the Year: Mandarin Oriental
• Spa Product of the Year: Algotherm
• Anti-Ageing Product of the Year: Aromatherapy Associates, ’Fine Line Face Oil’
• Natural Product of the Year: ilã, ‘ilã Face Oil for Glowing Radiance’
• Men’s Product of the Year: Pevonia, ’Easy-Glide Shaving Emulsion’
• Spa Cuisine of the Year: The Farm, Philippines
• Spa Marketing of the Year: CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La

For more information queries@bluincmedia.com or www.asiaspaawards.com

As a growing number of luxury brands and celebrities draw public attention to India’s beauty, spa and wellness offerings, global attention is being drawn to the industry.

“Expect to see the biggest spa growth in Northern India because of steadier economic growth, followed by Mumbai, Gujarat and Bangalore,” Mia Kyrios (Director of Global Spa Brands and Programming for Starwood Hotels and Resorts) predicts. “Kerala remains the destination for Ayurveda.”

Maggie Gunning (Spa Synergy Singapore) believes that the same future waits the Indian spa market as the industry globally.” India will develop its spa medical tourism and continue to build spas at many hotels. We will see more and more day spa chains, Ayurveda will continue to improve the way it presents itself, for example, with improved hygiene and delivery of high quality service.”

Anjona Mitra Mustafi (Ananda Spa Institute), agrees, “The spa industry has a bright future in India and has a potential to grow at a faster rate than it did in Thailand 10 years back.”

As the benefits of traditional Indian techniques and the credibility of Indian therapists increase, bookings from foreign tourists are also increasing. “Where international guests are concerned, European tourists comprise the majority of Indian spa guests with 38 percent; the Pan-Asian contingent consists of 34 percent; and the Americans make up the final 28 percent,” reports Melissa Lucas (ILC World).

“At present there are very few Indian people taking up work in the spa industry because as with the rest of Asia massage and massage therapists are often wrongly perceived,” says Gunning. “However, more schools will open up offering international training and Qualifications such as the Ananda Spa Institute in Hyderabad, so over time people will take up jobs in the spa industry because it will be perceived as being a ‘respectable profession.”

“We still face many cultural barriers with massage being looked down on as a profession. Sometimes parents voice concern about massage not being the right profession for educated children. We need to reach out and create awareness in schools and collages about Spa being a part of the wellness industry which is as good as any other profession such as a doctor or an engineer.”

As the world economic climate improves it is anticipated that international travelers will increasingly consider India as a prime spa destination for rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and spiritual renewal, with the added benefits of our Ayuveda therapies and yoga.

AsiaSpa September/October 2009 page 62