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.
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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
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
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.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
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COMPANY PROFILES
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