After 16 years' industry experience, the UAE’s largest spa group, Sensasia, launched a consultancy branch in 2020 called The Spa People, which has just unveiled its first concept spa in the Middle East.

The new 4,000sq ft destination – called Sensasia Stories – is a flagship destination spa committed to total body wellness and located at the five-star Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, in Dubai.

Following an extensive refurbishment, The Spa People curated a spa sanctuary with six treatment rooms, to take clients on an Asian-inspired wellness journey.

Combining authentic Asian architecture; exclusively natural materials; a muted colour palette and textured tone-on-tone, Sensasia Stories was born from a brief created by Sensasia founder, Salina Handa, then custom-designed by creative director Pallavi Dean and her Dubai-born interiors brand, Roar.

Developed around a central courtyard, punctuated by contemporary interpretations of traditional Asian arch structures, Sensasia Stories provides experience showers, an ice fountain, herb saunas, steamrooms, therapeutic relaxation areas complete with heated beds, a Jacuzzi and separate male and female changing rooms.

Guests also have access to virtual reality headsets which can be incorporated into treatments to offer customised escapism and guided meditations.

Clients are offered a menu of Sensasia’s signature massage, facials and body treatments, plus a brand new opportunity to carve out their own spa experience, with the option to book time as opposed to treatments.

“I want clients to arrive knowing simply how they feel, and how they want to feel,” explains

Handa, who founded Sensasia in Dubai in 2004.

“At Sensasia Stories, we’re giving clients the option to select every element of their treatment – from stroke, to scent, to intensity – as well as offering a whole host of enhancements.”

BackgroundHanda launched The Spa People in 2020, although the concept was born from more than a decade of enquiries presented to her and her Sensasia team from fellow businesses in the beauty, wellness and wellbeing sectors, seeking advice in all areas of operation – including team structure, curating a unique client journey, and marketing it with impact.

In response, Sensasia launched a consultancy to lead its own portfolio of properties, while offering everything from short-term guidance and troubleshooting to existing operators, through to a full turnkey spa solution to businesses looking to enter the spa market.

This year, Handa was a member of the group which successfully lobbied the Dubai government to reopen spas in June 2020, following a letter submitted group of key spa influencers in late June, including Daniella Russell of DR Global.