Retail emphasis for Atlantis

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Atlantis, The Palm director of spa services Louise Bunting.

Spectacular new spa devotes large space to enable guests to sample products.

The soon to open Spa & Fitness Centre at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai has set new standards for spa retail with an expansive space dedicated to product display and testing adjacent to the main reception.

As well as displaying a variety of products from Daniele de Winter, Naturopathica, Essie, The Art of Shaving and John Masters Organics, the area features washbasins and mirrors to encourage guests to actually try before they buy.

Director of spa services Louise Bunting said the retail area was one of the biggest she had seen.

"I'm very happy about that because it's so important from a spa perspective but we haven't done it to push sales and I don't want it to come across like that.

"Part of the spa treatment is recommending to the client what you've come across in the treatment and what you personally feel will benefit them. If the client takes that advice, they take it. It's part of a service," explained Bunting.

"When I go for a treatment, I expect the therapist to recommend something and I think that's what people are expecting now - they want to interact with the therapist more.

"They know what to expect from a good treatment as there are so many people that go to spas now, but the guest also wants to hear back from that person. They're interested because there's so much more emphasis now on being healthy," she continued.

However, other spa managers across the UAE have highlighted that therapists in the emirates tend to be reluctant to focus on retail.

Spa director for Mandara Spa at The Monarch Dubai Sharon Barcock said: "A lot of the time therapists are scared of selling, they don't want to step over the fact the client is coming to relax and they don't know when the appropriate time to talk about products is".

Bunting said that the key issue is ensuring that therapists are trained to recommend spa products rather than to sell them.

"That will be a huge part of training. You're not selling, you're recommending. It's part of your service - a therapist has not really given 100% if they've not given their recommendations," she explained.

"That's what it's all about when the therapists recommend to the clients that come to The Spa at Atlantis. The client is left to have a look at the products and have a play around with them, and not feel pressurised that they've got to say yes or no when they are in the treatment room," added Bunting.

In addition, she said it would help entice hotel guests to come into the spa and book a treatment.

"We're going to have a receptionist assigned to that retail area. We'll rotate the receptionists around, so we'll always have someone on hand in case guests want advice or need assistance," said Bunting.

The innovative retail strategy would be important to the spa's overall revenue, she added.

"Percentage-wise we would like to see at least 10% of total revenue from retail initially. It's just a benchmark at this stage. Obviously further down the line we'd like that to increase," she revealed.

Bunting previously worked with Spa Botanica on the Sentosa Resort and Spa in Singapore and with Chuan Spa at Langham International Hotels in Hong Kong.

She first entered the spa industry 16 years ago as a therapist and has held a vast variety of roles at Grayshott Hall health retreat in the UK, on Steiner Transocean cruise ships and at the Elemis day spa in Hong Kong.

She is also an expert in medical lymphatic drainage and craniosacral therapy, which she practised in Hong Kong where she was successful in setting up a referral system with medical doctors.

The 1900m² Spa & Fitness Centre at Atlantis is scheduled to soft open on September 24.

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