Gyms and spas join forces

A recurring theme from the health and fitness and spa experts featured within this month's issue is the need to fuse activity and relaxation in order to achieve overall wellness for guests.

With gym and spa facilities increasingly being situated side by side, the link between the two leisure activities is undeniably getting closer.

For example, Dragonfly@Burjuman is an Asian day spa retreat located within the Fitness First gym at BurJuman Mall in Dubai, while the health club at Banyan Tree Desert Resort & Spa, Al Areen, in Bahrain, is located within the resort's spa building.

These companies that are traditionally renowned for offering either fitness or spa services are now offering both, reflecting the value - which was highlighted in Spa Finder's 2008 trend watch - of combining the two in order to place the emphasis on wellness.

In addition, some leisure professionals have crossed from one discipline to the other, reflecting the shared philosophies of fitness and spa.

The majority have come from fitness backgrounds originally, most likely because it was the earlier industry to develop.

Director of spa at Banyan Tree Desert Resort & Spa, Al Areen, Hylton Lipkin, was previously an international fitness presenter who moved into the spa industry when it was highlighted to him at Asia Fit in Hong Kong eight years ago;

Lotfi Hamrouni, director of spa & recreation at The Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, Residence & Spa in Bahrain, is a trained fitness instructor, nutritionist and spa therapist; and spa manager at the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa, Fanny Cataldo, was previously an international fitness model who also owns a health club/spa in Italy.

These experts benefit from the fact that the facilities in which they currently work offer both fitness and spa services, and they have all have kept their fitness passion and wellness ambitions running through their spa establishments.

"It's all one and the same; it's all about looking after yourself. Whether cleaning out the pores of your face through a facial or sweating it out in an exercise class, feeling good and making yourself health is the same thing," says Lipkin in the interview with him.

The challenge is defining what the industry means by wellness and understanding how to translate this message into something meaningful for clients.

The basic premise understood by most is that exercise should not be seen as a quick-fix weight loss solution and that spas should not be used purely for pampering or to look good.

Each should instead be used to improve overall health and create a feeling of wellbeing, reducing stress and increasing energy levels.

To raise awareness of the wellness concept, the first step businesses can take is to ensure their own employees keep themselves healthy, The benefits may not just be reflected in the health of your staff but also in boosting the health of your bottom line.

According to Epoc Messe Frankfurt, for every AED 5 (US $1.4) spent on wellness programmes, employers can expect a return of up to AED 50 ($13.7) through lower medical insurance claims and reduced days off due to sickness.

The second step is then to make other businesses aware of this and to take these wellness programmes out into the community.

This is something Hamrouni is keen to promote in Bahrain with the launch of The Diplomat Spa's Corporate Wellness Programme.

If you are also involved in corporate wellness, whether in offering time for workouts or use of spa relaxation areas for your staff or in delivering programmes for external companies, Leisure Manager would like to hear about it.

Have you seen increased productivity among your workforce as a result of offering time for them to workout?

How receptive are companies to investing in corporate wellness? How else can we encourage people to make exercise and spa more frequent in their everyday lives?

This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it is the editor of Leisure Manager.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Fanny Cataldo
Posted by Jameel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday 22 July 2008 at 21:42 UAE time

I own a spa in Syria and I met Fanny Cataldo, the spa manager at the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa. And I was amazed by her strong knowledge all about spas and fitness and physical therapy, for I've visited loads and loads of spas in UAE, but only few of them were worthy. But, I never knew that Mrs. Cataldo was an international fitness model.

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