Jessica Jesse, founder of BuDhaGirl, is taking her successful brand beyond jewellery, helping spas to think about sustainability, and launching retreats that play to the brand’s strong identity.
Many may know BuDhaGirl for its all-weather bangles, which retail in spas, and Jesse was also the creative force behind the fashion show at last year’s Global Wellness Summit in Italy. At this year’s summit, she’ll speak about sustainability and fashion, showcasing leaders who are upcycling and repurposing garments. “We need to look at how we can make fashion sustainable,” she says. “Your clients are thinking about it – it’s out there in the public conversation. If you don’t have that sustainable component now, it’s going to be tougher for you.”
Jesse’s foray into fashion began at age 14 as a runway model for Givenchy. She fell in love with the industry, and studied fashion merchandising, going on to hold directorial positions at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
In 2013, she launched BuDhaGirl. “I had started learning about the power of intention,” she explains. “I wanted to marry that with jewellery, which is usually the last thing you put on when you leave the house.”
The bangles come with a message to set an intention as you slide each bracelet over your wrist at the start of the day, as well as to pause and be thankful when you take them off in the evening. The brand and its rituals have resonated with consumers, creating a strong social media presence through online connection.
Now, Jesse hopes BuDhaGirl fans will have a chance to meet in real life, as she launches BuDhaGirl experiences, trips and destinations – curated travel with like-minded ‘BuDhaGirls’. She’s partnered with Sol Society – a Dallas-based boutique travel experience brand – for the logistics, but will also use her own knowledge of the spa industry for the wellness components of the trips. The inaugural BuDhaGirl Experience will take place in Italy in 2020, and Jesse plans to introduce four trips a year limited to around 12 people each.
Also planned for 2020 is a BuDhaGirl Beauty & the Brain Symposium – a two-day event to be held at the Brain Performance Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas in conjunction with neurologists and researchers that will highlight the importance of beauty using all five senses. Jesse hopes to bring representatives from the spa and wellness industry to the event.
“It’s important for people in the industry to understand this – it’s vital to what they do,” she says.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
Spa Business takes a look at innovative spa programmes for children and families
Eco spa: Going green
Joanna Roche and Bonnie Baker share their ambitions for the Green Spa Network
The MSpa Oslo series is a perennial bestseller in global markets. With innovative
engineering and premium performance, this completely portable spa line-up is expertly
designed to meet the needs of customers worldwide. [more...]
Jessica Jesse, founder of BuDhaGirl, is taking her successful brand beyond jewellery, helping spas to think about sustainability, and launching retreats that play to the brand’s strong identity.
Many may know BuDhaGirl for its all-weather bangles, which retail in spas, and Jesse was also the creative force behind the fashion show at last year’s Global Wellness Summit in Italy. At this year’s summit, she’ll speak about sustainability and fashion, showcasing leaders who are upcycling and repurposing garments. “We need to look at how we can make fashion sustainable,” she says. “Your clients are thinking about it – it’s out there in the public conversation. If you don’t have that sustainable component now, it’s going to be tougher for you.”
Jesse’s foray into fashion began at age 14 as a runway model for Givenchy. She fell in love with the industry, and studied fashion merchandising, going on to hold directorial positions at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
In 2013, she launched BuDhaGirl. “I had started learning about the power of intention,” she explains. “I wanted to marry that with jewellery, which is usually the last thing you put on when you leave the house.”
The bangles come with a message to set an intention as you slide each bracelet over your wrist at the start of the day, as well as to pause and be thankful when you take them off in the evening. The brand and its rituals have resonated with consumers, creating a strong social media presence through online connection.
Now, Jesse hopes BuDhaGirl fans will have a chance to meet in real life, as she launches BuDhaGirl experiences, trips and destinations – curated travel with like-minded ‘BuDhaGirls’. She’s partnered with Sol Society – a Dallas-based boutique travel experience brand – for the logistics, but will also use her own knowledge of the spa industry for the wellness components of the trips. The inaugural BuDhaGirl Experience will take place in Italy in 2020, and Jesse plans to introduce four trips a year limited to around 12 people each.
Also planned for 2020 is a BuDhaGirl Beauty & the Brain Symposium – a two-day event to be held at the Brain Performance Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas in conjunction with neurologists and researchers that will highlight the importance of beauty using all five senses. Jesse hopes to bring representatives from the spa and wellness industry to the event.
“It’s important for people in the industry to understand this – it’s vital to what they do,” she says.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
Spa Business takes a look at innovative spa programmes for children and families
Eco spa: Going green
Joanna Roche and Bonnie Baker share their ambitions for the Green Spa Network
TLee Spas and Wellness has revealed the design concept for a high-tech spa with body
mapping scanners to improve public health, for AI company Midjourney.
Ameyalli, the 78-acre wellbeing resort and residential community in Midway in Utah, US, has
broken ground on phase two of the hot spring development – the Ameyalli Resort and Spa –
which is due to open in 2028.
Gran Hotel Taoro in northern Tenerife, Spain, has completed the final phase of its three-year
renovation with the debut of its Sandára Wellness Centre.
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the spa business with more than 650 locations across
the US and Canada, has appointed franchise expert Carrie Walsh as CEO as the company plans
to expand.
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has published a non-regulatory global industry
framework designed to ensure the retreat market offers responsible experiences.
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and
wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
The MSpa Oslo series is a perennial bestseller in global markets. With innovative
engineering and premium performance, this completely portable spa line-up is expertly
designed to meet the needs of customers worldwide. [more...]
