StarrCast StarrCast

Natural thermal springs and "taking the waters" have been hallmarks of communal wellness for hundreds of years, and the recent pandemic has renewed interest in this health practice. In advance of World Bathing Day on June 22, we hear from Charles Davidson, visionary entrepreneur and CEO of Peninsula Hot Springs in Victoria, Australia, on the latest developments in hot springs resorts, and how they can become a launching pad for regional tourism. https://www.femteconline.org/    https://www.hotsprings.org/
 
 

Long-time professionals in the spa world know the U.S. roots came from the salon industry, but the product and education supplier networks that existed 25 years ago have been completely up-ended by consolidation and the worldwide web. The process of delivering products and training is both easier, and harder, than ever! Distribution expert Brian McGee, General Manager of the nail supplier Dazzle Dry, shares his insights on what it takes to grow a beauty product business today.

Jim Chenevey left the world of top-five consulting and international business to take ownership of Living Earth Crafts/Earthlite 20 years ago, and has never looked back. In our conversation, Chenevey reflects on owning and managing this global leader of massage & wellness equipment and product manufacturing, with annual sales of over 37k products across 193 countries. Chenevey's passion for wellness, people and the planet is evident throughout all aspects of company operations, and despite the challenges of operating across international borders and in the internet era, he believes the positive momentum for wellness will continue to grow.

In the U.S., not only are massage therapists and estheticians licensed by different boards, these boards have different requirements for licensure in each of our 50 states, making it very difficult for therapists to work beyond their initial licensed area. However, change is looming; Deirdre Strunk, VP of Spa, Beauty, Fitness & Retail for Canyon Ranch, and a member on the Compact for Licensure task force, reports on the movement underway to update these generations-old regulations. 

In spring of 2022, much of the world is receding from an active pandemic, although the results still linger. We check in with two spa leaders, Aldina Duarte-Ramos of Accor and Four Seasons' Christelle Besnier on how the spa and wellness industry is recovering in Europe and the Middle East. Recorded live at We Work Well EMEA 2022.

Wellness is in big demand, attracting developers who want to create projects with wellness elements; but the first question always is, where is the data? While we have excellent broad numbers on many wellness-related silos courtesy of the Global Wellness Institute, at the intersection of wellness and hospitality there is a dearth of detailed data on how spa and wellness components affect ADR or occupancy, or which particular services or experiences are in most demand. National Director of Hospitality Analytics for CoStar Jan Freitag, and Laszlo Puczko, Wellness Tourism expert and Co-founder of HTWW, share their insights on why this is such a difficult challenge, and how we might move forward.