What’s been your biggest life lesson?
Definitely the pandemic. On the one hand, it gave me the time for introspection and I felt good about myself, which is not trivial for me, on the other hand, it radically changed the perception and importance of wellness for our clients, investors, hotel and spa managers, along with that of their clients, the end users of our projects.

How has the industry changed?
At last, many entrepreneurs/investors have realised that the wellness industry and especially spas are absolutely profitable as well as strategic investments for any hospitality business.

What business models are exciting?
Neighbourhood destination spas. Large 10,000sq m spas located near major urban centres, which are easily accessible because they’re already located in commercial hubs that have the infrastructure to accommodate vast numbers of customers.

I’m not talking about wellness-themed playgrounds, but actual spas, which are designed to be multifaceted. Investment won’t be cheap, but they’ll have two fundamental characteristics now lacking in many projects that will justify the cost. Firstly, you’ll have speed of implementation which is attractive to large institutional investors. Secondly, these facilities will be designed to be able to quickly adapt to new market trends, with plug-and-play modules to keep offers fresh and exciting.

What trends are impacting spas?
The number of potential wellness clients has greatly widened, enabling us to move out of the niche we were once confined to. We’re no longer obliged to design in the standard features – sauna, steamroom, hydropools and emotional showers plus a few treatment rooms. We can create projects to satisfy every segment of clientele across all age groups and income brackets.

This does not mean ‘all spas for everyone’ but instead ‘a spa for each of us’. Hyper-personalised facilities, tailored to specific locations, which will be sure to meet the audience where they’re at and lead to success.