Nelis has created a spa concept for the group and hints at a wider rollout / photo: Atlantis Dubai
In its first year of opening, Awaken spa at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai has had to add 16 people to its workforce to keep up with demand. Therapist utilisation is always above 60 per cent and up to 30 per cent of guests have at least two treatments during their stay. It’s no wonder that wellness director Lyndell Nelis says the team is “smashing it”.
On p82 Lindsay Madden-Nadeau gives her first-person impressions of the spa, which has a lot to live up to considering its sister destination is the iconic Atlantis The Palm. Here, Delis – a seasoned spa professional of more than 20 years who’s worked for leading names such as Shangri-La, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental and Resense – talks to Spa Business about creating an overarching spa concept for both properties as well as streamlining the two operations and standing out in the highly competitive Dubai market.
How is Awaken at Atlantis The Royal making its mark in Dubai? It’s an extremely competitive market, but we have a clear understanding of who we are. Atlantis The Royal is like a docked cruise ship and 90 per cent of spa visitors are hotel guests rather than locals. The spa at Atlantis The Palm on the other hand has been open 16 years and stands out because it has no off-season. My brief was to create a spa concept for the group that delivers a whole gauntlet of wellness opportunities and then figure out what that looks like at each property.
How similar are the two spas? The Awaken brand, which I’ve been working on for four years, is based on the elements and how they relate to us – Earth represents the physical body and its ability to heal, Water represents emotion and so on. The spas share about 50 per cent of their DNA. There are slightly shorter, more fun treatments at The Palm which people can fit in between other activities, but at The Royal we offer longer, elevated treatments. It’s not just a regular stone massage, it’s a 24-karat gold stone massage and there’s a focus on family where up to four people can come together in a suite and have the same experience. Lemi has even custom-made ¾ size treatment beds for our younger guests which are beautiful.
Nothing possibly ground-breaking there, but it’s how it’s being delivered…
Tell us more about your USPs A definer for us is that all 70 of our spa employees across the two properties, including our fitness providers and receptionists, are trained in Reiki I and II. We brought in Ewa Mahina, a reiki master from Sweden, to teach staff and she also elevated the knowledge of our in-house reiki master. It’s part of our onboarding process and the first week of orientation includes two days of reiki training.
What are the benefits of having all employees trained in reiki? From a business point of view, it means we can use the same service providers between properties. If the spa at The Royal is fully booked, guests can go to The Palm, or we can get therapists to come here. It also means employees don’t get bored and with such a big team it means we’re not just communicating via a WhatsApp group – we work together energetically and more cohesively. Staff turnover is negligible and that speaks volumes given that working at such a high-profile property makes you such a hot commodity.
Guests feel it too. We’ve created an energetic space that people feel safe in. We work closely with our butlers and incredible VIP Services team so about 70 per cent of bookings come through them and recent stats revealed that of those guests, 30 per cent have a minimum of two treatments during their stay – on consecutive days or soon after.
What’s your most popular treatment? We have our A-List signatures and another section called our Local List which has therapies such as the Dubai Desert Sand Scrub based on a date, which is revered here. Up to 85 per cent of the treatments we perform come from one of those two categories.
Up to 60 per cent of our business comes from just one treatment – our Awaken Massage which includes an initial crystal consultation, a choice of oils and four slightly different techniques (it’s actually like four massages in one) that hit the top 20 muscle groups. It’s very therapeutic.
Our second most popular service is a Chakra-Balancing Massage that incorporates tuning forks.
But, to be honest, there’s no real sluggish performer. Guests are curious to try different things and we add on lots of extras such as localised cryotherapy, the Theragun and Celluma LED.
How is business going? It’s performing above and beyond my expectations – and I’m a pretty optimistic person! Therapist utilisation is always above 60 per cent and some days up to 70, 80 or 90. We have 15 treatment rooms and the hammam with six rooms and utilisation for those is very high too. Since opening, I’ve added 16 people to our headcount including five therapists and reservationists just to handle the sheer volume of calls and information requests. It’s really on a growth trajectory.
But, we’re very conscious that we’re the ‘in thing’ and need to deliver what we’re promising to keep up the expectations of our strong brand image and loyal guests.
Is the plan to take the Awaken brand to Atlantis Sanya in China too? I think that’s a possibility, yes and there are a couple of other projects in the pipeline. But I respect that Atlantis knows who they are – these are huge propositions which aren’t just going to pop up anywhere for the sake of being in a cool place. Location is paramount… but watch this space!
• See p82 for our review of how, or if, Awaken spa at Atlantis The Royal is delivering on its brand promise
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Profile: King of Bhutan
Plans for a 'mindfulness city' nearly as big as Hong Kong have been unveiled by the King of Bhutan. Katie Barnes takes a closer look
Destination focus: London
Major hotel brands from Mandarin Oriental and Raffles to Six Senses are all investing in the UK capital, but how will they differentiate themselves asks Katie Barnes
Sponsored: Beltrami – made in Italy
Beltrami has more than 50 years’ experience creating bespoke textile products for spas around the world, with a focus on quality
Jeremy McCarthy: Details matter
Attention to detail is a superpower and necessity in the luxury spa arena, says our contributing editor
Interview: Esin Güral Argat
The owner of Joali Being tells Neena Dhillon what inspired her to create an island dedicated to transformative wellbeing in the Maldives
Family matters: The Wilhelmis
The father and son duo behind the Buchinger Wilhelmi fasting method share their exciting plans for research and innovation with Megan Whitby
First person: By royal appointment
Lindsay Madden-Nadeau has a hypo-healing experience at Atlantis The Royal, Kerzner's sister property to the iconic Atlantis The Palm
Interview: Lyndell Nelis
The wellness director for Atlantis Resorts explains how its two Dubai properties are 'smashing it' when it comes to spa performance
New opening: Kilolani Spa
Grand Wailea's famous Hawaiian spa has been transformed into a moon-inspired, open-air haven
Event report: Hotting it up
Jane Kitchen reveals the thermal spa issues and trends delegates were talking about at this industry gathering in California
Sponsored: High end
Hoar Cross Hall has a new gym to match its award-winning hotel and spa. We find out more about the transformation
Software: Building relationships
Using personal data to create tailored experiences is paramount for spas, but operators have been fined millions for breaching GDPR. How can software systems help navigate this?
Sponsored: Add life
Increasing life expectancy is one of the great achievements of our
times and Starpool is working to bring real meaning to longevity
Nelis has created a spa concept for the group and hints at a wider rollout / photo: Atlantis Dubai
In its first year of opening, Awaken spa at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai has had to add 16 people to its workforce to keep up with demand. Therapist utilisation is always above 60 per cent and up to 30 per cent of guests have at least two treatments during their stay. It’s no wonder that wellness director Lyndell Nelis says the team is “smashing it”.
On p82 Lindsay Madden-Nadeau gives her first-person impressions of the spa, which has a lot to live up to considering its sister destination is the iconic Atlantis The Palm. Here, Delis – a seasoned spa professional of more than 20 years who’s worked for leading names such as Shangri-La, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental and Resense – talks to Spa Business about creating an overarching spa concept for both properties as well as streamlining the two operations and standing out in the highly competitive Dubai market.
How is Awaken at Atlantis The Royal making its mark in Dubai? It’s an extremely competitive market, but we have a clear understanding of who we are. Atlantis The Royal is like a docked cruise ship and 90 per cent of spa visitors are hotel guests rather than locals. The spa at Atlantis The Palm on the other hand has been open 16 years and stands out because it has no off-season. My brief was to create a spa concept for the group that delivers a whole gauntlet of wellness opportunities and then figure out what that looks like at each property.
How similar are the two spas? The Awaken brand, which I’ve been working on for four years, is based on the elements and how they relate to us – Earth represents the physical body and its ability to heal, Water represents emotion and so on. The spas share about 50 per cent of their DNA. There are slightly shorter, more fun treatments at The Palm which people can fit in between other activities, but at The Royal we offer longer, elevated treatments. It’s not just a regular stone massage, it’s a 24-karat gold stone massage and there’s a focus on family where up to four people can come together in a suite and have the same experience. Lemi has even custom-made ¾ size treatment beds for our younger guests which are beautiful.
Nothing possibly ground-breaking there, but it’s how it’s being delivered…
Tell us more about your USPs A definer for us is that all 70 of our spa employees across the two properties, including our fitness providers and receptionists, are trained in Reiki I and II. We brought in Ewa Mahina, a reiki master from Sweden, to teach staff and she also elevated the knowledge of our in-house reiki master. It’s part of our onboarding process and the first week of orientation includes two days of reiki training.
What are the benefits of having all employees trained in reiki? From a business point of view, it means we can use the same service providers between properties. If the spa at The Royal is fully booked, guests can go to The Palm, or we can get therapists to come here. It also means employees don’t get bored and with such a big team it means we’re not just communicating via a WhatsApp group – we work together energetically and more cohesively. Staff turnover is negligible and that speaks volumes given that working at such a high-profile property makes you such a hot commodity.
Guests feel it too. We’ve created an energetic space that people feel safe in. We work closely with our butlers and incredible VIP Services team so about 70 per cent of bookings come through them and recent stats revealed that of those guests, 30 per cent have a minimum of two treatments during their stay – on consecutive days or soon after.
What’s your most popular treatment? We have our A-List signatures and another section called our Local List which has therapies such as the Dubai Desert Sand Scrub based on a date, which is revered here. Up to 85 per cent of the treatments we perform come from one of those two categories.
Up to 60 per cent of our business comes from just one treatment – our Awaken Massage which includes an initial crystal consultation, a choice of oils and four slightly different techniques (it’s actually like four massages in one) that hit the top 20 muscle groups. It’s very therapeutic.
Our second most popular service is a Chakra-Balancing Massage that incorporates tuning forks.
But, to be honest, there’s no real sluggish performer. Guests are curious to try different things and we add on lots of extras such as localised cryotherapy, the Theragun and Celluma LED.
How is business going? It’s performing above and beyond my expectations – and I’m a pretty optimistic person! Therapist utilisation is always above 60 per cent and some days up to 70, 80 or 90. We have 15 treatment rooms and the hammam with six rooms and utilisation for those is very high too. Since opening, I’ve added 16 people to our headcount including five therapists and reservationists just to handle the sheer volume of calls and information requests. It’s really on a growth trajectory.
But, we’re very conscious that we’re the ‘in thing’ and need to deliver what we’re promising to keep up the expectations of our strong brand image and loyal guests.
Is the plan to take the Awaken brand to Atlantis Sanya in China too? I think that’s a possibility, yes and there are a couple of other projects in the pipeline. But I respect that Atlantis knows who they are – these are huge propositions which aren’t just going to pop up anywhere for the sake of being in a cool place. Location is paramount… but watch this space!
• See p82 for our review of how, or if, Awaken spa at Atlantis The Royal is delivering on its brand promise
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Profile: King of Bhutan
Plans for a 'mindfulness city' nearly as big as Hong Kong have been unveiled by the King of Bhutan. Katie Barnes takes a closer look
Destination focus: London
Major hotel brands from Mandarin Oriental and Raffles to Six Senses are all investing in the UK capital, but how will they differentiate themselves asks Katie Barnes
Sponsored: Beltrami – made in Italy
Beltrami has more than 50 years’ experience creating bespoke textile products for spas around the world, with a focus on quality
Jeremy McCarthy: Details matter
Attention to detail is a superpower and necessity in the luxury spa arena, says our contributing editor
Interview: Esin Güral Argat
The owner of Joali Being tells Neena Dhillon what inspired her to create an island dedicated to transformative wellbeing in the Maldives
Family matters: The Wilhelmis
The father and son duo behind the Buchinger Wilhelmi fasting method share their exciting plans for research and innovation with Megan Whitby
First person: By royal appointment
Lindsay Madden-Nadeau has a hypo-healing experience at Atlantis The Royal, Kerzner's sister property to the iconic Atlantis The Palm
Interview: Lyndell Nelis
The wellness director for Atlantis Resorts explains how its two Dubai properties are 'smashing it' when it comes to spa performance
New opening: Kilolani Spa
Grand Wailea's famous Hawaiian spa has been transformed into a moon-inspired, open-air haven
Event report: Hotting it up
Jane Kitchen reveals the thermal spa issues and trends delegates were talking about at this industry gathering in California
Sponsored: High end
Hoar Cross Hall has a new gym to match its award-winning hotel and spa. We find out more about the transformation
Software: Building relationships
Using personal data to create tailored experiences is paramount for spas, but operators have been fined millions for breaching GDPR. How can software systems help navigate this?
Sponsored: Add life
Increasing life expectancy is one of the great achievements of our
times and Starpool is working to bring real meaning to longevity
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
