Magnificence - Miraval Arizona

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Magnificence - Miraval Arizona
SEPTEMBER 2018

           magnificence
                       MOORISH

THE SPA AT THE SANDS
(INDIAN WELLS, CA)               www.americanspa.com
Magnificence - Miraval Arizona
FROM THE EDITORS

FUTURE FOCUS
DALE CARNEGIE ONCE SAID, “PEOPLE WORK FOR MONEY BUT GO THE
extra mile for recognition, praise, and rewards.” Considering the spa indus-
try is currently seeing a dearth of employees across all levels—a more than
30,000-person deficit in the U.S. alone, according to ISPA’s 2017 Industry
Study—this is something we should all remember. Not only do we need
more qualified staff to help facilitate the future of our multi-billion-dollar
industry but we also need to create successful employees who are inspired
to work hard, go the extra mile, and grow and develop into leadership roles.
     I believe one of the best ways to do so is to make spas more enticing
places to work. Turns out, I’m not the only one who believes this. According
to ISPA’s recent Spa Workforce Study, which we highlight this month on
page 70, so do the rest of you. In fact, 59 percent of management employees
and 40 percent of service providers cite culture and work environment as
the reasons they stay put in their jobs.
     Want to get some tips for attracting qualified staff, increasing retention
rates and productivity, and decreasing absenteeism and turnover? Don’t
miss “Working Wellness,” on page 48. It’s one of my favorite articles of the
year, because it highlights some spectacular spas and wellness companies          fun FACTS
that are prioritizing the health and wellbeing of their employees and discov-
ering excellent results. These are the types of approaches that I think are         Finally, some fab news for those of us
                                                                                    carrying a few extra pounds. In a study
imperative to ensure the future success of our industry. Plus, they also have
                                                                                    of identical twins, facial aging, and body
the very tangible results of inspiring guests and further boosting business,        weight, the plumper twin appears to look
as Miraval Arizona’s general manager Mark Stebbings points out: “We give            younger. Is plumping the new anti-aging
our employees the tools to enhance their wellbeing so they can embody the           fountain of youth? PAGE 40
healthy lifestyle we promote to our guests.” Seems to me like nurturing our
nurturers is a winning solution for ensuring the future of our industry. I
hope you are as inspired as I am by the possibilities.

                                                                                                                                  PHOTOGRAPHY: LUIS ERNESTO SANTANA (JULIE KELLER CALLAGHAN)
Yours in Wellness,

Julie Keller Callaghan
Editor-in-Chief & Publisher                                                         WHETHER YOU ARE FOR OR AGAINST
jkeller@questex.com                                                                 Amazon as a spa product retailer, there is
                                                                                    no denying its impact and its growth. It is
                                                                                    now the fifth most popular destination for
                                                                                    cosmetics purchases, and online beauty
                                                                                    and personal-care purchases as a whole
                                                                                    have jumped nearly 6 percent since 2011.
                                                                                    PAGE 74

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ON TOPIC | SPA WATCH                                             At Rancho La Puerta,
                                                              employees can take part
                                                               in daily fitness classes.

                                                                                             creating
                                                                                             A HEALTHY
                                                                                             CULTURE
                                                                                             Civana, which features a
                                                                                             “wellness through oneness”
                                                                                             culture, is based on four pillars:
                                                                                             nutrition, movement, discovery,
                                                                                             and healing arts. One way in
                                                                                             which it distinguishes itself is
                                                                                             with its focus on making sure
                                                                                             its employees are as well cared
                                                                                             for as its guests. “The first thing
                                                                                             we did when we purchased
                                                                                             this property was to offer our
                                                                                             employees free food at the
                                                                                             cafeteria and upgraded the

WORKING WELLNESS
                                                                                             offering to a more nutritious
                                                                                             menu,” says Civana’s Rianna
                                                                                             Riego. Employees are also
Discover how some spas are prioritizing the health and                                       encouraged to participate
wellbeing of their employees and reaping the rewards as                                      in any of the resort’s eight
they thrive. BY HEATHER MIKESELL                                                             to 12 complimentary daily
                                                                                             movement and enrichment
IN THE BUSINESS OF NURTURING OTHERS, SPAS HAVE LONG TOUTED THE                               classes, although guests have
importance of wellness and self-care. However, that message is sometimes lost on             priority. “On a daily basis, we
therapists and other employees who give their all to promote the wellbeing of their          recruit employees to attend
clients. Recently, there has been a shift in the industry, as more spa profession-           various classes based on their
als have begun to recognize the fact that nurturers need nurturing, too. “In order           availability, especially line
for our wellness industry to thrive, we need to support the healing professionals            staff,” says Riego. “And aside
who give to others every day,” says Kevin Kelly, chairman and CEO of Civana, a               from a heavily discounted rate
wellness-hospitality and real estate brand. “They deserve an affordable respite to           at the spa, we offer treatments
recharge and be inspired.” As a result, Civana recently introduced its Healers Vital-        to our staff on a regular basis as
ity Program, which reduces daily room rates at Civana Carefree Resort (AZ) by an             part of training.”   •
average of $100 per night for professionals in the health and wellness fields, such
as estheticians, fitness and program instructors, massage therapists, nutritionists,       Staff can also
caregivers, nurses, and employees from wellness-related product companies. “The            participate in
                                                                                           outdoor fitness
best healers are those who give of themselves with intention and an open heart,”           at Civana.
says Rianna Riego, chief brand and wellness officer at Civana. “We all know that
cannot be faked and can only be given unconditionally when someone is in a safe
and joyful place themselves. We need to keep our healers feeling emotionally safe
and physically healthy.” As a result, spas around the country are now providing
staff members with a range of wellness offerings to ensure they’re able to provide
for clients without diminishing their own reserves or compromising their own well-
being. And the benefits are two-fold, as happy and healthy employees are the key to
creating a positive environment, which is always good for business.     •

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                                                              programming for success
                                                              One spa at the forefront of caring for             employees have lost a total of 1,268 pounds
                                                              its staff is Rancho La Puerta (Tecate,             of body fat and approximately 500 inches
                                                              Mexico). Launched in 2014, the destina-            from around their waists. “The program
                                                              tion spa’s Employee Wellness program has           has shown a drop in obesity and overweight
                                                              since grown to include 440 employees,              levels, an increase in productivity, and a
                                                              two doctors, a nutritionist, a psycholo-           decrease in absenteeism,” says Arjona. It
                                                              gist, and an exercise psychologist. Accord-        has also helped decrease chronic diseases,
                                                              ing to CEO Roberto Arjona, the program             such as diabetes and hypertension.
                                                              is intended to inspire staff members and                Going beyond just physical well-
                                                              their families to live a healthy lifestyle by      being, the spa also addresses employees’
                                                              following the founding practices of Rancho         financial wellness with company loans
                                                              La Puerta. Employees can take advantage            for the purchase of land, construction,
                                                              of classes and workshops that tackle topics,       and housing and a debt consolidation and
                              An onsite garden
                           at Rancho La Puerta                such as cancer prevention, drinking risks,         management program to help employees
                              promotes healthy                and healthy eating practices. They can also        pay off debts and manage the repayment
                            eating, and fitness
                             classes encourage                take part in daily fitness classes that take       of loans and finances with zero interest.
                             overall wellbeing.
                                                              place Monday through Friday on property            “The repayment of loans is based on the
                                                              specifically for staff and members of their        employee’s ability to make payments with-
                                                              families. What’s more, the program also            out compromising his or her daily or basic
                                                              gives participants access to complimen-            needs,” says Arjona. According to him,
                                                              tary lab work and physical exams every six         the financial help is much appreciated by
                                                              months, which provides a snapshot of their         employees as are nutritional consultations
                                                              progress in the program. Since its launch,         for the entire family. •

     FINDING balance
     While Miraval Arizona has long been a leader in promoting                        of wellness activities, including yoga, meditation, hiking,
     mindfulness, it is also mindful when it comes to the welfare                     and nutrition classes to help them find balance in their
     of its staff. “We give our employees the tools to enhance                        lives. When we launch new spa treatments, we always
     their wellbeing so they can embody the healthy lifestyle                         give our staff a sneak peek, so they can take some much-
     we promote to our guests,” says general manager Mark                             needed time to unwind.” According to Stebbings, the spa
     Stebbings. Invited to take part in the spa’s many wellness                       is always looking for ways to inspire staff members on their
     classes and workshops, employees are also given the                              own path to wellness. “At Miraval Arizona, our staff is the
     chance to experience a variety                                                                                 foundation of the resort,” says
     of spa treatments. “At Miraval                                                                                 Stebbings. “It is their hard work,
     Arizona, we provide opportunities                                                                              creativity, and passion for health
     for our staff to take care of                                                                                  and wellness that truly makes the
     themselves, so they can live                                                                                   guest experience so profound. It
     their best lives while being an                                                                                is important to us that we show
     inspiration to our guests,” says                                                                               them our appreciation the best
     Stebbings. “On their days off,                                                                                 way we know how—by giving
     our staff is encouraged to try out                                                    Yoga is just one of      them the tools to live a life in
     the property’s diverse collection
                                                                                       the offerings available
                                                                                            to staff members.
                                                                                                                    balance.”   •

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                                                                                                 prioritizing
                                                                                                 WELLBEING
                                                                                                 At The Breakers (Palm Beach,
                                                                                                 FL), the fulfillment and wellbeing
                                                                                                 of team members is at the heart
                                                                                                 of the resort’s business strategy.
                                                                                                 More than 15 years ago, the resort
                                                                                                 made employee wellness a priority.
                                                                                                 The company’s wellness platform
                                                                                                 includes a recruiting strategy that
                                                                                                 prioritizes hiring good people
                                                                                                 and then finds roles that suit
                                                                                                 their talents as opposed to hiring
                                                                                                 people to fill specific positions.
                                                                                                 The company has also fostered

practicing
                                                                                                 a culture of caring in which
                                                                                                 team members are encouraged

self-care                                                     Therapists can make
                                                              their own essential oil
                                                                                                 to incorporate healthy living
                                                                                                 practices, achieve ideal work-
At Atrio Spa at Las Alcobas (St.                              blends to aid in relaxation.       life integration, and enhance the
Helena, CA), the staff’s wellbeing                                                               quality of life of their families for
is considered on par with that of                                                                the long term. When enrolling in
guests. Spa brand curator Marjorie Charlton credits the owners with being extremely              the company’s medical insurance
supportive of incorporating in-depth wellness programs for the staff and an ongoing              plan, new employees can earn the
therapist training program. Even before the spa opened, the team benefited from a                preferred wellness premium by
daily yoga practice, meditation, and aromatherapy training. “Therapists are truly a              completing four steps: a health risk
conduit,” says Charlton. “As spa operators, it is essential to realize the depth of what         assessment, a health screening,
they perform daily and to ensure they have the proper tools to care for themselves,              taking advantage of health
and in turn, our guests. It is essential that they are taking care of themselves physi-          coaching, and participating in a
cally, mentally, and emotionally. We provide the tools, and the rest is learned by               wellness activity. This earns them
continual refinement of their skill.”                                                            a $600 savings on annual medical
     To help promote wellbeing, employees are encouraged to participate in five                  premiums. Covered spouses
minutes of daily meditation before their shift. “This gives everyone five minutes of             can also earn $600 savings by

                                                                                                                                         PHOTOGRAPHY: BRIANA MARIE (ATRIO SPA); GETTY IMAGES (PRACTICING SELF-CARE)
peace before they begin their day, to change mindsets, slow down, and center—to                  completing the first three steps.
be aware of where they are at that moment,” says Charlton. “From our preopening                  The team also has access to a full-
to our opening, meditation has brought a sense of sacredness to our days.” Beyond                time onsite health and wellness
meditation, the team also receives spa treatments on a regular basis. While this ben-            advisor for confidential coaching
efits the therapists in training with subjects upon whom to practice, it also allows             and more. The wellness benefits
staff members to experience the therapeutic benefits of the treatment. “Therapists               don’t stop there though, as the
have a very intimate and intense job: they are caregivers,” says Charlton. “A good               resort also offers a variety of
therapist goes beyond the physical mechanics of a massage; they impart their ten-                wellness incentive programs. For
derness and care. They truly give of themselves to each guest and treatment.” As                 example, the Mt. Everest Tower
a result, it’s important to ensure that their energy reserves are being replenished.             Trek involves team members taking
To help do that, the spa provides employees with a a host of wellness tools to help              fitness breaks during the workday
them practice daily wellness, such as the opportunity to make their own essential oil            to walk from the hotel’s basement
blends and teaching them a set of easy asanas to be used throughout the day. “Here               to the seventh floor, tracking
at Las Alcobas, we like to say that wellness is a practice, not a test,” says Charlton.          their climb on a sign-in sheet
“If one puts the energy into themselves, the results will appear, even small shifts and                           continued on page 54
sometimes powerful changes. The goal is the practice, not perfection.”                       •

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      continued from page 52
     located at the top. Participants are
     recognized and given incentive
     prizes as they complete various
     trek milestones. Team members
     can also take advantage of onsite
     health services, such as a tobacco
     cessation program, free biometric
     health screenings and blood
     pressure checks, InBody520 body
                                                                 In training, members of Spas
     composition analysis, flu vaccine
                                                                 Pushing Limits will be donating
     clinics, diabetes screenings,                               funds to Wellness for Cancer.
     and stress management and
     mindfulness classes. There
     is even a Corporate Athlete                               giving back
     Executive Training Program as well                        It’s not only spas that are giving their employees’
     as health education resources,                            health and wellbeing the attention they deserve
     including e-courses on financial                          but also many members of the industry. When
     health, weight management, and                            Julie Bach founded Wellness for Cancer, the idea
     nutrition. Employees also benefit                         was to create a patient-advocate nonprofit to help
     from practices designed to reduce                         those suffering from cancer experience a spa
     stress and create a more seamless                         treatment. “We started out as a gift card company on a mobile app to gift the experi-
     work-life integration, such as                            ence of spas,” says Bach. “Unfortunately, many of my grantees were turned away at
     flexible time-off; the opportunity                        spas, so we created an awareness campaign within the industry and launched global
     to work remotely; access to Bright                        training alongside top medical doctors and leading wellness brands.” Once the word
     Horizons Back-up Care Advantage                           was out and Wellness for Cancer was firmly established, Bach created a two-fold
     Program, a source of affordable                           message that stressed the importance of spas and that the industry cares for its own.
     backup care for children and the                          It was that mindset that prompted her to create the Giving Back to Our Own Pro-
     elderly; and more. As a result of                         gram. “Our industry is fragmented, and many do not have access to good healthcare,”
     such programming, The Breakers                            says Bach. “Cancer is a financially devastating disease, and even if one has a lot of
     has achieved an 82 percent                                access to financial resources, they tend to spend much of it on emerging treatment
     retention rate, which equates to                          options, which can be costly. I wanted individuals and their families to feel that the
     only 18 percent turnover. That                            industry is holding space for them by providing them with an opportunity to show we
     is well below the U.S. average                            care. In essence, I wanted to show that they can count on the very industry in which
     turnover of 31 percent, as reported                       they are giving, to have the beautiful gift to actually receive and be recognized and
     by the Deloitte Hospitality report.                       valued with compassion.”
     The company has also reduced its                               Contributing to the cause, Spas Pushing Limits, a group of motivated spa pro-
     health plan costs, as a result.            •              fessionals who challenge themselves by participating in fitness events while raising
                                                               funds for various nonprofit organizations and charities, is planning a fundraising hike
                                                               up Camelback Mountain to benefit Wellness for Cancer’s Giving Back to Our Own
                                                               program. The hike coincides with this year’s ISPA Conference in Phoenix. “The spa
                                                               community is a big family, and we want to help and support each other,” says Spas
                                                               Pushing Limits founder Monica Helmstetter. “This time we have a real opportunity
                                                               to extend our support to our industry colleagues who are always helping others to
     Employees are incentivized                                heal, all while going through cancer themselves. It’s a chance for all of us to give back
     to take part in wellness
     activities at The Breakers.
                                                               to our spa community, whether it’s in the form of racing to raise money, giving a few
                                                               dollars to our cause, or spas showing their support by donating a weekend stay.”    •

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