A wellness club on Abu Dhabi’s Al Reem Island offers a
transformative sanctuary for female empowerment and healing.
Lisa Starr hears more from creative director Patrizia Bortolin
Bortolin is an expert in creating transformational spa concepts / photo: Letizia cigliutti
“Embracing imperfections allows for even more strength, beauty and resilience”. This thought-provoking statement is the mantra behind Kintsugi Space, a seven-floor building designed as a safe space for restoration and transformation for women in the Middle East.
The newly-opened members-only club on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi began life as a movement and magazine in 2022 to “seek out the very best wellness techniques from around the world”. It was inspired by the Japanese philosophy of kintsugi, a traditional method of mending broken pottery, which translates as ‘golden repair’.
Lisa Starr visits the facility that puts females first and speaks with Patrizia Bortolin, founder of Glowing Flow Consulting, who brought the concept to market and continues to lead its management team.
How did you become involved with Kintsugi Space? I started speaking with the owners, a holding company in Abu Dhabi, in 2022 and felt a great connection with the concept and the city of Abu Dhabi. The project was behind schedule and the building didn’t feel like a wellness centre. Over 18 months, I’ve realigned and expanded the vision and brought in Emanuela Benedetti, an amazing interior designer and architect from Orion Design, to create a space evocative of a luxurious home where women can feel free and inspired.
What’s the philosophy behind it? It’s focused on holistic healing for females and was originally created by a group of businesswomen and philanthropists here in Abu Dhabi because there’s nothing like this locally. It’s about repairing the body, making life even more beautiful than before and ultimately opening the heart – which resonates perfectly with my transformational wellness approach.
Can you elaborate on its scientific innovations? The core concept is based on quantum healing technology, blended with the unparalleled power of touch, beauty and love of authentic wellness. I’ve had a strong interest in quantum physics for a long time, but it’s been challenging to fine-tune it for wellness guests to make the offering meaningful and engaging. All guests receive a quantum assessment, which becomes the framework for therapies that all work to boost their frequency and energy needs – whether that’s our signature hands-on rituals or tech-based treatments such as the Biostar PBM helmet, Psio light and sound therapy or futuristic Keope chair for rebalancing to name a few.
Tell us more about the food The menu offers nutrient-dense, plant-based and detoxifying meals. Our restaurant is led by Emanuele Giorgione, who used to work at Chenot and is inspired by the Italian food culture.
Our nutritionist is trained in therapeutic mindful eating and offers consultations, encouraging people to take a ‘food as medicine’ approach to enhance their digestive and immune systems.
Kintsugi membership includes unlimited meals and many of our members come for breakfast before starting their day.
How did you put the team together? Many employees were already hired when I arrived and had moved here just to be a part of Kintsugi Space. I managed to meet and hire several exceptional people in management, as well as therapists and trainers. When fully staffed, we have up to 80 people as we’re open long hours, seven days a week and sometimes we have events as well.
Who are your clients? We have the capacity for 200 female members and the club is exclusive and niche. Our customers are a mix of expats and locals. There are many expats in Abu Dhabi, some of whom have been here for several decades. The Emirati women welcomed Kintsugi Space with enthusiasm and open hearts and are now asking us to create a holistic destination for the men!
What is the membership application process? You apply to join online or over the phone before meeting our membership curator in person. She’s a trained psychologist who guides potential members through a creative and sensorial interview to explore their goals and motivations, sharing the unique Kintsugi approach.
Memberships come in three- six- and 11-month options (we close in August due to the heat). They start at AED14,400 (US$3,921, €3,593, £3,078) and go up to AED34,800 (US$9,476, €8,684, £7,438). There is also a range of shorter visiting packages, such as a one-day pass for AED3,000 (US$817, €749, £641), which includes a treatment and access to all classes and meals.
What is the wellness climate like in Abu Dhabi? The environment here is very clean. People enjoy walking, cycling and the fresh air from the ocean. So these elements are already in place and now the Ministry of Culture is launching a campaign to raise awareness of wellness living. It’s organising festivals and events to shine a spotlight on what Abu Dhabi has to offer and creating visibility via its PR and media channels worldwide. All of which will support wellness businesses.
What’s the long-term vision for Kintsugi Space? This flagship is extremely important, but we want to create more than a luxury space – we want to create a movement.
The Kintsugi Space magazine will become an almanac, which will be a beautiful book. We are bringing out our own beauty and healing products, perfume, lifestyle tools and clothes.
Next year, we’ll launch an online membership option to connect a global audience with our workshops, classes and retreats. And at some point in the future, there will also be an academy to train therapists in a wide array of modalities and holistic therapies.
You specialise in creating transformational concepts, how do you deliver something different each time? My work takes a lot of energy, but I’m inspired by ‘love circles’ – very special people around me. For me, spirituality is the priority; having life mentors, a core purpose and human connections, investing in myself and finding togetherness.
Where is the wellness industry heading and what’s new for you? I feel so privileged to have been creating pioneering concepts over many years and now I think the world is finally ready for experiential, healing and holistic wellness. I also think we’ll see more developments for solo travellers.
Personally, I’ve just launched a movie, Wellness Leadership Insights, about how lovely it is to work in wellness (see www.spabusiness.com/pbmovie). It took months to make and cost a lot of money to produce – but I’m really happy I did it. I wanted to share how people in this industry help so many lives because, honestly speaking, the majority of people I know are not well. They’re burnt out and the work we do makes such a difference.
Kintsugi Space at a glance
• Seven floors dedicated to distinct wellness disciplines and healing methods, ranging from art and meditation to tea tasting, dance and sound baths
• Variety of educational talks and visiting practitioners
• Central leisure floor equipped with an infrared sauna, obsidian crystal sauna, a hammam and relaxation nooks
• There’s also an oxygen bar, hyperbaric oxygen chamber and LED light bed
• Outdoor retreat spaces include a zen garden, a gazebo for mindfulness, a stone path for meditation and a quiet bamboo-concealed balcony designed for creative endeavours
• Suppliers include Comfort Zone, Mauli Rituals, Globalia, Gharieni and Lemi
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 3
Editor's letter: At a crossroads
As the UK prepares to host this year's Global Wellness Summit, fresh research shows its wellness industry must address a number of issues if it's to maintain levels of unprecedented growth
Spa People: Charlotte Church
The Welsh singer talks about how growing up in the media spotlight has influenced The Dreaming, her healing retreat business
Spa People: Julia Bradbury
Leading a series of Walk Yourself Happy retreats based on her best-selling book and years of TV presenting
Spa People: Samantha Dunn
Shaking up the industry with her new, affordable DIY consultancy programme for entrepreneurs
News report: Big spenders
Finn Partners’ latest research shows how China’s high-net-worth women are redefining luxury travel
News report: Step back in time
Two new GWI reports analyse the growth of the global spa and hot springs markets over the past 10 to 15 years
Interview: Dillip Rajakarier
Following a 450 per cent increase in core revenues, Minor Hotels is planning 200 more properties. Megan Whitby sits down with its CEO
New opening: Kintsugi Space
Patrizia Bortolin talks to Lisa Starr about creating a transformative women-only sanctuary in Abu Dhabi
Research: To inform and inspire
The UK Spa Association has conducted its first survey of spa businesses in the country for 18 years. GM Bobby Griffiths unveils the numbers
Research: From wellness to wellbeing
A new study uncovers four wellness consumer market segments ripe for innovation. WELLSurvey co-author Kevin Kelly reveals the findings in a Spa Business exclusive
First person: To the source
Jane Kitchen takes to the sulphurous waters of Terme di Saturnia in Italy and shares details about its exciting upcoming sister site in Milan
Promotion: L'OCCITANE en Provence – the art of recovery
With an approach to wellbeing that’s both holistic and grounded in science, the latest massage from L’OCCITANE en Provence promises to have a powerfully-beneficial effect on customers, both in the spa and at home
New opening: Surrenne at The Emory
The £15k memberships at this wellness club in London sold out in just weeks. Creator Inge Theron tells us why
First person: Playful wellness
A Stella McCartney facial and Tracy Anderson studio are just two USPs Megan Whitby finds at Surrenne
Promotion: TechnoAlpin – naturally cool design
TechnoAlpin’s snow technology is not only an effective way to introduce gentle cold therapy into the spa environment, it’s also a powerful biophilic design element that can bring the wonder of nature indoors
Promotion: Biologique Recherche – potent partnership
A new anti-senescence serum from Biologique Recherche offers transformative results and raises the bar in anti-ageing skincare when combined with its iconic collagen formula
Promotion: Comfort Zone – A longer life for skin
Created to combat the visible signs of ageing, Comfort Zone’s latest range revamp is based on the company’s pioneering research into cutaneous cellular longevity
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN – Clinical excellence in skincare
With laboratories based in Montreal, G.M. Collin’s highly researched derma-corrective treatments have been helping skincare professionals deliver exceptional and exclusive results worldwide for many decades. We talk to VP Myriam Sayer
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
AKT Group
AKT Group is the Franco–Italian parent company of SKYY, C.O.D.E. and AKTMe, operating as an integrat [more...]
Hydrafacial
Founded in 1997, Hydrafacial has grown to become one of the world’s leading skin health brands. [more...]
A wellness club on Abu Dhabi’s Al Reem Island offers a
transformative sanctuary for female empowerment and healing.
Lisa Starr hears more from creative director Patrizia Bortolin
Bortolin is an expert in creating transformational spa concepts / photo: Letizia cigliutti
“Embracing imperfections allows for even more strength, beauty and resilience”. This thought-provoking statement is the mantra behind Kintsugi Space, a seven-floor building designed as a safe space for restoration and transformation for women in the Middle East.
The newly-opened members-only club on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi began life as a movement and magazine in 2022 to “seek out the very best wellness techniques from around the world”. It was inspired by the Japanese philosophy of kintsugi, a traditional method of mending broken pottery, which translates as ‘golden repair’.
Lisa Starr visits the facility that puts females first and speaks with Patrizia Bortolin, founder of Glowing Flow Consulting, who brought the concept to market and continues to lead its management team.
How did you become involved with Kintsugi Space? I started speaking with the owners, a holding company in Abu Dhabi, in 2022 and felt a great connection with the concept and the city of Abu Dhabi. The project was behind schedule and the building didn’t feel like a wellness centre. Over 18 months, I’ve realigned and expanded the vision and brought in Emanuela Benedetti, an amazing interior designer and architect from Orion Design, to create a space evocative of a luxurious home where women can feel free and inspired.
What’s the philosophy behind it? It’s focused on holistic healing for females and was originally created by a group of businesswomen and philanthropists here in Abu Dhabi because there’s nothing like this locally. It’s about repairing the body, making life even more beautiful than before and ultimately opening the heart – which resonates perfectly with my transformational wellness approach.
Can you elaborate on its scientific innovations? The core concept is based on quantum healing technology, blended with the unparalleled power of touch, beauty and love of authentic wellness. I’ve had a strong interest in quantum physics for a long time, but it’s been challenging to fine-tune it for wellness guests to make the offering meaningful and engaging. All guests receive a quantum assessment, which becomes the framework for therapies that all work to boost their frequency and energy needs – whether that’s our signature hands-on rituals or tech-based treatments such as the Biostar PBM helmet, Psio light and sound therapy or futuristic Keope chair for rebalancing to name a few.
Tell us more about the food The menu offers nutrient-dense, plant-based and detoxifying meals. Our restaurant is led by Emanuele Giorgione, who used to work at Chenot and is inspired by the Italian food culture.
Our nutritionist is trained in therapeutic mindful eating and offers consultations, encouraging people to take a ‘food as medicine’ approach to enhance their digestive and immune systems.
Kintsugi membership includes unlimited meals and many of our members come for breakfast before starting their day.
How did you put the team together? Many employees were already hired when I arrived and had moved here just to be a part of Kintsugi Space. I managed to meet and hire several exceptional people in management, as well as therapists and trainers. When fully staffed, we have up to 80 people as we’re open long hours, seven days a week and sometimes we have events as well.
Who are your clients? We have the capacity for 200 female members and the club is exclusive and niche. Our customers are a mix of expats and locals. There are many expats in Abu Dhabi, some of whom have been here for several decades. The Emirati women welcomed Kintsugi Space with enthusiasm and open hearts and are now asking us to create a holistic destination for the men!
What is the membership application process? You apply to join online or over the phone before meeting our membership curator in person. She’s a trained psychologist who guides potential members through a creative and sensorial interview to explore their goals and motivations, sharing the unique Kintsugi approach.
Memberships come in three- six- and 11-month options (we close in August due to the heat). They start at AED14,400 (US$3,921, €3,593, £3,078) and go up to AED34,800 (US$9,476, €8,684, £7,438). There is also a range of shorter visiting packages, such as a one-day pass for AED3,000 (US$817, €749, £641), which includes a treatment and access to all classes and meals.
What is the wellness climate like in Abu Dhabi? The environment here is very clean. People enjoy walking, cycling and the fresh air from the ocean. So these elements are already in place and now the Ministry of Culture is launching a campaign to raise awareness of wellness living. It’s organising festivals and events to shine a spotlight on what Abu Dhabi has to offer and creating visibility via its PR and media channels worldwide. All of which will support wellness businesses.
What’s the long-term vision for Kintsugi Space? This flagship is extremely important, but we want to create more than a luxury space – we want to create a movement.
The Kintsugi Space magazine will become an almanac, which will be a beautiful book. We are bringing out our own beauty and healing products, perfume, lifestyle tools and clothes.
Next year, we’ll launch an online membership option to connect a global audience with our workshops, classes and retreats. And at some point in the future, there will also be an academy to train therapists in a wide array of modalities and holistic therapies.
You specialise in creating transformational concepts, how do you deliver something different each time? My work takes a lot of energy, but I’m inspired by ‘love circles’ – very special people around me. For me, spirituality is the priority; having life mentors, a core purpose and human connections, investing in myself and finding togetherness.
Where is the wellness industry heading and what’s new for you? I feel so privileged to have been creating pioneering concepts over many years and now I think the world is finally ready for experiential, healing and holistic wellness. I also think we’ll see more developments for solo travellers.
Personally, I’ve just launched a movie, Wellness Leadership Insights, about how lovely it is to work in wellness (see www.spabusiness.com/pbmovie). It took months to make and cost a lot of money to produce – but I’m really happy I did it. I wanted to share how people in this industry help so many lives because, honestly speaking, the majority of people I know are not well. They’re burnt out and the work we do makes such a difference.
Kintsugi Space at a glance
• Seven floors dedicated to distinct wellness disciplines and healing methods, ranging from art and meditation to tea tasting, dance and sound baths
• Variety of educational talks and visiting practitioners
• Central leisure floor equipped with an infrared sauna, obsidian crystal sauna, a hammam and relaxation nooks
• There’s also an oxygen bar, hyperbaric oxygen chamber and LED light bed
• Outdoor retreat spaces include a zen garden, a gazebo for mindfulness, a stone path for meditation and a quiet bamboo-concealed balcony designed for creative endeavours
• Suppliers include Comfort Zone, Mauli Rituals, Globalia, Gharieni and Lemi
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 3
Editor's letter: At a crossroads
As the UK prepares to host this year's Global Wellness Summit, fresh research shows its wellness industry must address a number of issues if it's to maintain levels of unprecedented growth
Spa People: Charlotte Church
The Welsh singer talks about how growing up in the media spotlight has influenced The Dreaming, her healing retreat business
Spa People: Julia Bradbury
Leading a series of Walk Yourself Happy retreats based on her best-selling book and years of TV presenting
Spa People: Samantha Dunn
Shaking up the industry with her new, affordable DIY consultancy programme for entrepreneurs
News report: Big spenders
Finn Partners’ latest research shows how China’s high-net-worth women are redefining luxury travel
News report: Step back in time
Two new GWI reports analyse the growth of the global spa and hot springs markets over the past 10 to 15 years
Interview: Dillip Rajakarier
Following a 450 per cent increase in core revenues, Minor Hotels is planning 200 more properties. Megan Whitby sits down with its CEO
New opening: Kintsugi Space
Patrizia Bortolin talks to Lisa Starr about creating a transformative women-only sanctuary in Abu Dhabi
Research: To inform and inspire
The UK Spa Association has conducted its first survey of spa businesses in the country for 18 years. GM Bobby Griffiths unveils the numbers
Research: From wellness to wellbeing
A new study uncovers four wellness consumer market segments ripe for innovation. WELLSurvey co-author Kevin Kelly reveals the findings in a Spa Business exclusive
First person: To the source
Jane Kitchen takes to the sulphurous waters of Terme di Saturnia in Italy and shares details about its exciting upcoming sister site in Milan
Promotion: L'OCCITANE en Provence – the art of recovery
With an approach to wellbeing that’s both holistic and grounded in science, the latest massage from L’OCCITANE en Provence promises to have a powerfully-beneficial effect on customers, both in the spa and at home
New opening: Surrenne at The Emory
The £15k memberships at this wellness club in London sold out in just weeks. Creator Inge Theron tells us why
First person: Playful wellness
A Stella McCartney facial and Tracy Anderson studio are just two USPs Megan Whitby finds at Surrenne
Promotion: TechnoAlpin – naturally cool design
TechnoAlpin’s snow technology is not only an effective way to introduce gentle cold therapy into the spa environment, it’s also a powerful biophilic design element that can bring the wonder of nature indoors
Promotion: Biologique Recherche – potent partnership
A new anti-senescence serum from Biologique Recherche offers transformative results and raises the bar in anti-ageing skincare when combined with its iconic collagen formula
Promotion: Comfort Zone – A longer life for skin
Created to combat the visible signs of ageing, Comfort Zone’s latest range revamp is based on the company’s pioneering research into cutaneous cellular longevity
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN – Clinical excellence in skincare
With laboratories based in Montreal, G.M. Collin’s highly researched derma-corrective treatments have been helping skincare professionals deliver exceptional and exclusive results worldwide for many decades. We talk to VP Myriam Sayer
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.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
AKT Group AKT Group is the Franco–Italian parent company of SKYY, C.O.D.E. and AKTMe, operating as an integrat [more...]
