A Uniquely Qualified Team

Powerful combination of Western training and professionalism and extensive Asian experience.
Directors are based in the Asia Pacific region, allowing immediate response to client requests.
Sound industry knowledge and far-reaching contacts which produce considerable savings for clients in the development and executive phases.
Association and affiliation with international organizations bringing integrity to the market place and maintaining the Company's cosmopolitan outlook.
Sharp understanding of local cultures, customs and practices from Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East, combined with a demonstrated enthusiasm to learn and adapt in a constantly evolving industry.
Proven track record of performance and delivery. Our management experience encompasses every spa category from destination and resort spas to up market day and cruise ship spas.
An established network of media and travel industry contacts to deliver focused marketing and promotional programs.

Naphalai Areesorn: Managing Director
When Naphalai set up Chiva-Som International Health Resorts Co., Ltd. in 1991, there was no spa industry in Asia to speak of. It took over three years before Asia's only destination spa was ready to open its doors, and another several years to convince the market that Chiva-Som was a spa resort ahead of its time. By this time, the spa industry in Asia was starting to take off, and Chiva-Som had established a reputation for itself as the market leader, winning international acclaim including the Best Spa Resort in Conde Nast Traveller's readers' awards for 2000.

As a pioneer in the spa industry, Naphalai has been a key player in its growth. Through Chiva-Som, she has contributed to upgrading and setting standards in the business, creating a better understanding of the spa concept, establishing a market for the product and assisting in building a name for Thailand as the spa capital of Asia. Being in the forefront of the region's spa industry, she was invited to participate in the setting up of the International Spa Association (ISPA)'s Asia Pacific Chapter based in Singapore. She spearheaded the formation of the Thai Spa Association and is serving as its first President.

Educated overseas from a young age, Naphalai combines the professionalism of the West with the flexibility of the East. She holds a Master's degree in Management from the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Thailand's leading Chulalongkorn University. She started her career as a journalist before moving into public relations and marketing. Her experience in the hospitality industry was accumulated during 10 years spent working with Inter-Continental Hotels.

While most spa consultants understand concepts and are familiar with the theoretical aspects of the spa business, Naphalai's main advantage is her experience in developing and running the leading and most complete destination spa in Asia.

Andrew Jacka: Director
Andrew has been involved in Spa Operations for the last 9 years, commencing with Cuisine and then moving into total spa operations.

His broad background in cooking has seen his skills be exposed to various cuisines around the world. From his early days of a scholarship to attend Regency College of Technical and Further Education, where he achieved his Chef’s Certificate attaining Dux of the Class [Top of the Class], through to his work across Australia, before venturing into English country manor houses and subsequent return to Adelaide, South Australia where he was introduced to food as a means of physical and emotional healing through the holistic health programmes run periodically at the Relais & Chateau property of Mount Lofty House.

Career advancement saw a move to the prestigious private clubs in Hong Kong and then on to Thailand for the opportunity to develop his interest in the healthy food, culminating in his more than six years at Chiva-Som International Health Resort, where Andrew was acknowledges for his culinary prowess with the food voted as the best spa cuisine in the world for three consecutive years (1998-2000) as voted by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller UK. Andrew’s culinary influence at Chiva-Som has been well documented in numerous magazine articles, which have been published around the world. His book The Art of Healthy Eating and Living, which contains many of his creations, has seen distribution throughout the world and has consulted on numerous television productions.

His reputation in the culinary world has earned Andrew invitations to appear as Guest Chef at Hilton Beach Club, Dubai in May 1997, and at Le Royal Meridien, Bahrain in May 1998 and at the wedding of the daughters of Her Highness Sheikha Sheika bint Khalifa al Khalifa in Bahrain in October 2000.

His continued success in his role at Chiva-Som has seen his career expand even further with promotion to Executive Assistant Manager, before moving to a new challenge and leading the pre-opening team of Kamalaya for one year. Kamalaya is a new destination spa soon to be built on the tranquil island of Koh Samui, Thailand. Due to construction delays, it was decided that the position was not conducive with his desire for operations so he has joined with the Horwath Spa Consulting to be more active and put into practice the many and varied Spa and Spa related skills that he has achieved over his working career.

His role in the Thai Spa Association (TSPA) & the Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Council (APSWC), his journalist works, and his invitations to be a guest speaker at the ISPA Asia Pacific Summits 2000 – 2003, and HICAP 2004, BeautyArabia 2007, Beauty World Japan 2007 & Spa Eurasia 2007 are all testaments to his desire to continue to build the professional levels of the Spa Industry.

Rina Segal: Director
Rina, truly an international person was raised in Japan, worked in Taiwan, Thailand, China, Russia, America and Vietnam. She speaks various languages bringing forth contacts as far away as Israel, Russia, Ukraine, China and the United States. Having a double major in English and Far Eastern Studies from Hebrew University, Jerusalem, she feels at home in Asia.

She has been involved in the Spa business for over 15 years. As President of Slimmers International for 8 years she expanded the network to 8 Slimmer branches in Thailand and 25 in the Philippines.

She then went on to build and set up a ‘one of its kind’ Spa in Chengdu, China (Newage Spa). For the subsequent five years she completed spa consultancy and turnkey projects in Singapore (Spa Botanica), and a Japanese ladies spa in Vietnam (Saigon Spa, Ho Chi Min, Vietnam). Rina is also certified in Cosmetology, Skin Care and Spa Therapy.

Having completed her contract as Director of St. Carlos Medical Spa, Bangkok where successfully established operational standards and marketing programmes of St. Carlos Medical Spa to an International level. She was also involved in product development for the alternative therapies of the medical spa.

Rina brings a wealth of operational experience to the Horwath Spa Consultancy team and her valuable skills are seen as an integral part in the growth and development of the company.