Star Spas-Slice of the Spa Action

Kourawhero Lodge, Warkworth

From Wanaka to Warkworth, every upmarket hotel or boutique lodge seems to now include a spa. Which is not surprising when you consider that total spa industry revenue in New Zealand has grown 72 percent over the last five years. Everyone, it seems, wants a slice of the action.
New spas are opening almost every week.
One of the newest is Chuan Spa which opens at the Langham Hotel in Auckland in October.
There are different types of spas. Some are owned and run by the hotel or lodge. Others are in an adjacent building but connected, and run by a separate company. Yet others are part of the hotel but staff are contracted on an as-needs basis. There may also be other methods devised by accommodation providers to provide their guests with the best possible spa experience.
However they are organised, there are more of them than ever before. And that trend shows no signs of declining any time soon. Further evidence of this can be found at any airport magazine shop where, depending on what city you’re in, there can be hundreds of different magazines catering for spa travellers.
The New Zealand Spa Benchmark Report 2002-2010 published recently by Intelligent Spas, shows that spa numbers have grown 88 percent over the last five years. Of the 141 spas operating in New Zealand, 77 percent are day spas and 23 percent are destination spas co-located with accommodation.
The report says the spa industry employed 911 people during 2007, a growth rate of 37 percent in just five years. Spas collectively generated revenue of $65 million in 2007, up 72 percent since 2002.
While the eyes may glaze over while trying to make sense of the statistics, Felicity Turner, director of New Zealand for the Australasian Spa Association says it is increasingly important for our spa industry to have regular updated information available. “The new report serves as an essential benchmarking tool for current and potential spa operators within the country,” she says.
Two examples of this surge in spas in New Zealand are Kourawhero Lodge near Warkworth and Mollies, a boutique hotel in St Mary’s Bay, Auckland.
Kourawhero has been open less than a year. Tucked away at the head of a valley with expansive vistas over the Hauraki Gulf, Kourawhero is nothing short of idyllic. It is just minutes by helicopter from Auckland and if you must take the slow route, less than an hour by car. It is close enough to be accessible, yet far enough out of town for the stress of the city to have melted away by the time you arrive.
From the personal greeting by co-owner Michael Shah (who’s there with a smile before you’re out of your car) to the personalised menu for your five-course dinner, your every whim is indulged – often even before you’ve thought of it.
Michael, his wife Jenni and her parents Gordon and Lorraine Mann, built the lodge and 18 suites as an executive hideaway. When planning the lodge, they elected to incorporate a dedicated spa facility. It is separate from the main lodge – accessible by golf buggy, car or two legs – and has the best views on the 120-acre property. Emerging from a relaxing spa treatment into the early evening air, with the sun going down behind the outdoor heated pool and the Warkworth satellite station visible in the distance, the city seems very far away.
Michael Shah says, “Our philosophy when developing Kourawhero was to provide a haven of peace and luxury with a sense of indulgence. We believe that people are time-poor and need to spend time with their partner, and time on themselves to re-energise, but have little time to do this.
“We have always enjoyed spa treatments at lodges we have stayed at around New Zealand and the Pacific, as time in the spa is divorced from the outside world. We just knew we had to offer our guests that same sense of peace and self- indulgence.”
The spa at Kourawhero is run by therapist Amanda Brewer, who comes up to the lodge as needed from her own clinic, Sheer Bliss, in Warkworth. This arrangement works well for both parties. Kourawhero’s guests book their treatment in advance and Amanda is able to run her business around her commitments at the lodge.
The spa building contains a small gym, a good sized treatment room and the first Klaufs sanarium in New Zealand. This unique combination of wet and dry heat sauna makes it possible to combine the outdoor pool with the indoor heat as a relaxation treatment.
The treatment room in which Amanda is based is also unique. It contains the only whale bath in the country, which is named for its shape. The tail protrudes over one end from which water falls into the bath. An ever-changing light display beneath the water makes soaking in the bath a great prelude to Amanda’s hot stone massage treatment.
As an aside, the bathing facilities at Kourwhero have been paid particular attention to. Even the bathrooms in the accommodation suites are resplendent. There is a two-person shower with a wide range of nozzle settings, and a Jacuzzi bath complete with bubble oil. The sign at the end of the bath suggesting that overflow bubbles be thrown out the window is not just for fun. Fortunately, the windows are at bath level and look out over gardens, lawns and trees. Soaking while watching nature – it’s hard to imagine anything more serene.
Serene is also – somewhat surprisingly – a word that comes to mind when thinking about Mollies boutique hotel in the centre of Auckland. While it is tucked away in a quiet street it isn’t far from the madding crowds of Jervois Rd and all the attendant noise. But an oasis it certainly is.
An exquisite mix of fine dining, sumptuous accommodation and meeting facilities, Mollies is in a class of its own. So much so that at the recent 2008 Auckland Metro Restaurant of the Year awards, the judges gave Mollies a newly-created award, the “Best Night Out” award.
Dinners at Mollies are accompanied by musical soirees, mostly in the form of opera.
However, the food and wine are only two reasons to visit Mollies. A third is its new spa, recently opened by none other than Rachel Hunter (who, just quietly, stays at Mollies when she’s home).
The spa was formerly one of the suites, and guests having manicures or pedicures can look out into the delightful cottage garden while being pampered. One large room is used as a reception area and for manicures and there are two treatment rooms, one of them suitable for couples.
Unlike Amanda Brewer at Kourawhero, Mollies’ spa is run by East Day Spa, which has a similar, although larger, establishment at the Skycity Grand Hotel in the central city. East Day therapist Cher Lynn Tan, a recent Elite International graduate, is based permanently at Mollies and more therapists are brought in when needed.
As the spa’s reputation has grown, it has begun to cater for non-guests who perhaps live locally or don’t wish to travel into the city, but still want the same range of services.
There are a number of specialities at Mollies. The Beach has been created by a Balinese therapist at the Skycity spa specifically for East Day Spa clients. It incorporates hot stones and sand pouches. The heat and pressure of the pouches and stones on pressure points draws in calmness and gives deep relaxation.
Another point of difference is the incorporation of food and beverage as part of the experience. There’s high tea or a glass of bubbles for those of a less sober disposition.
Mollies’ manager Joanna Bourke says the hotel originally used Beauty On Demand to cater for guests requesting beauty or relaxation treatments. But such requests became so numerous it began to make sense to provide such services in-house. Joanna pushed hard to get the spa established. “I had to convince the owners that you can’t run a hotel or lodge without a spa attached to it,” she says. She has clearly been proven right as the spa is busy with individual clients, couples, mothers and daughters, and groups of friends.
While the information collated by Intelligent Spas, the only fully independent research company specialising in the spa industry, shows that New Zealand is forging ahead in this area, we are still well behind many other countries.
A new book from Taschen, simply entitled Spa, takes readers on an opulent tour through some of the world’s best known and most spectacular spas. Arranged geographically, of the 71 spas listed, only two are in Australia, one is in Fiji and one is in Tahiti. None is in New Zealand. This makes reading Spa rather more worthwhile, than less, however, because its photos clearly show what New Zealand – and indeed Australia – can and should do it if it is to make its name on the international spa circuit.
Spas are now destinations, and to be successful must have their own unique character. Like Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa in Queensland, which boasts secluded treehouse villas set within a lush tropical 30-acre rainforest canopy. New Zealand, with its distinct native bush and mountainous backdrops, also makes the perfect eco spa destination.

More information
The Intelligent Spas report can be downloaded at
www.IntelligentSpas.com
Kourawhero Lodge’s website is www.kourawhero.co.nz
Mollies website is www.mollies.co.nz
Spa is distributed by New Holland Publishers and retails for $35.
Spa products

Beauty Care offers two spa products from the Guinot range of aromatic body treatments.
The 60-minute Aromatic Spa Detox Body “Contouring” treatment is a holistic detoxifying, anti-cellulite body treatment using essential oils, plant extracts and algae (seaweed), together with manual massage and a detoxifying refining thermal peel-off mask. This relaxing body treatment stimulates circulation, encourages elimination of fatty deposits, firms the skin and improves body contours.
The 45-minute Aromatic Body “Smoothing” Treatment includes a sugar-kiwi body exfoliation, and an energising and de-stressing massage with essential oils. It is relaxing and rehydrating for the skin, giving the client a feeling of well-being.
The Arbre No Mess range distributed by Emphasis uses natural products in its range of full body spa treatments. These include kelp for deep cleansing, honey for traditional healing and moisturising and Nutra Oil for lubrication and soothing.
The all-natural herbal extracts and essential oils of wattle, eucalyptus, rose, lavender and sandalwood combine to increase circulation in skin cells, providing a deep detoxification plus a tightening and toning effect. Used as a whole body masque, it is perfect for the removal of dead skin cells and cell purification.
The Prospa Orient Sensations hot stone therapy is a new body treatment recently launched by Sothys Paris. The treatment can be performed either as a dry or a wet treatment by including an exfoliation stage, which makes it well suited for a variety of spa operations. Music has been created for the treatment and is choreographed for every stage. The heady and exotic scents of the ginger and nutmeg cocktail and the warmth of the marula oil and stone bags offer a sublime journey like no other.
Beauty, Spa and Wellbeing is the distributor of the new Lendan SPA Green Tea Treatment range which uses Chinese balls and bamboo for two distinctly different massage treatments. The curative properties of Chinese balls with their various tonal vibrations and up to 48 different sounds, release tensions to foster the harmony of mind and body. Combined with the spa green tea sculpting and firming cream, it activates the metabolic processes and improves circulation. The smooth, round and consistent texture of natural bamboo canes enables the masseuse to sculpt the figure and define shape through an intense, sensation-filled massage. Combined with the anti-oxidant, relaxing and revitalising benefits of spa green tea oil it ensures a unique, integral experience.
Tropical Spa Indulgence from Pro Beauty are nurturing, indulging body treatments for spiritual well-being and overall harmony. Based on traditional beauty regimes and treatments with natural ingredients renowned for their uplifting properties, the delicious aroma and textures create a heavenly experience to soothe and nurture.
GERnétic International Laboratories have developed a whole new SPA approach that combines rest, relaxation and de-stressing with health and beauty care, treating not only external skin conditions but also the internal problems that cause them.
GERnétic have combined marine products (rich in essential nutritional elements) with the active ingredients of essential oils. When applied to the skin, these products penetrate the cutaneous layer and stimulate a process of osmosis and positive synergy.