Sothys’ beauty treatment designer, Séverine Monjanel, and training director, Isabelle Villey, talk to Spa Business about the company’s new authentic ancestral Indonesian treatment
What inspired the new treatment? Séverine: Our one-hour Indonésie Ancestral treatment was a product of Sothys’ president, Christian Mas, meeting a master of ancient Javanese beauty care traditions on a trip abroad. I then visited Borneo to truly understand the cultural dimension of Indonesian body massage and immerse myself in the region’s techniques, in order to create an authentic treatment.
What’s special and different about it? Séverine: The treatment includes a 50-minute global body massage, using a mixture of Indonesian techniques, and is enriched with an energetic Mayonggo breathing ritual to help release tension and encourage deep relaxation and an energy rebalance.
How are treatments developed? Séverine: Treatments are created within the Biometrology unit of the Sothys research and development department, where protocol and effectiveness are validated. Following this, we develop the necessary tools for education and plan a training day including theory, practice and retail.
How many therapists do you train annually? Isabelle: We typically train 3,000 beauty therapists a year, with courses offered in 120 countries carried out through a combination of face-to-face and distance learning. Our training team comprises a lead training manager – in charge of the conception of the training tools, four international trainers, one head trainer specifically for the Americas as well as one for the Asia-Pacific countries. There are also local trainers in every country where Sothys is distributed.
What training and support does Sothys offer? Isabelle: Initial starter Spa Training, which teaches therapists about the main treatment protocols and retail offerings.
Following this, we offer a one-day sales training course using workshops to help therapists gain a thorough understanding of our products and develop sales skills to market our them and contribute to spa profitability.
All training material is available on our professional website, with lots of tools to help support and facilitate the organisation of the spa.
At Sothys, we believe it’s not only crucial to train spa staff, but all employees who are in contact with spa clients, be that reception, guest relations, sales or restaurant staff. We offer a specific training session to teach them how to speak about the spa and our brand and explain what can be found in the spa.
What’s most important about training for Sothys? Isabelle: Making sure our training supports spas to design their own personal customer journey and helping train therapists to be confident and comfortable with the treatments and products they work with, all while educating them on how to contribute to the profitability of the spa.
Our 50 minutes global body massage is a mixture of Indonesian techniques, and is enriched with an energetic Mayongo breathing ritual – Séverine Monjanel
We believe it’s not only crucial to train spa staff, but all employees who are in contact with spa clients, be that reception, guest relations, sales or restaurant staff – Isabelle Villey
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2020 issue 3
Editor's letter: The fight ahead
There’s a huge job of work to do to build our reputation and win support in the corridors of power, says Katie Barnes
Spa people: Patrick Huey
The vice-president of spa and retail at Montage talks about his new role as ISPA chair, Black Lives Matter and how his spas are fighting back against COVID-19
Spa people: Rianna Riego
Wellness consultant Rianna Riego speaks out about racial discrimination in the global spa industry
Spa people: Anna Teal
The CEO of Aromatherapy Associates outlines the online innovations it's using to connect with customers in exciting new ways
Spa programmes: On the menu
How are spas changing their treatments and services now they’re staring to reopen again?
Interview: Lee Woon Hoe
Banyan Tree’s executive director of wellbeing tells Spa Business magazine why now is the right time for the group to launch its new wellness concept
Ask an expert: Spa design 2030
Spa Business magazine asks leading designers and architects to give their predictions about pandemic-proof spa models
Promotion: Trendsetting
Design specialists, The Wellness, worked with in-house engineers for Jumeirah to create a state-of-the-art gym for Talise Fitness at the Jumeirah Al Naseem in Dubai
Research: Manner of speaking
ISPA’s latest study reveals consumer attitudes in the aftermath of COVID-19. Josh Corman picks out the key details
Research: New perspectives
Two surveys in the UK highlight both spa operator and spa-goer insights as facilities across the country begin to welcome guests back
Promotion: The power of touchless
Spa and wellness innovator, Sammy Gharieni, reveals how his on-trend products are perfect for delivering high-value touchless treatments
Country focus: Best of British
We take a look at the standout concepts offered in the world-class spas that have opened in the UK over the last three years
Promotion: Sustain and regenerate
Sustainable skincare brand, Comfort Zone, has radically reinvented its entire Sacred Nature line, driven by the ambition to create some of the world’s first carbon-negative products
Interview: Emma Darby
Despite closing during in lockdown, some Resense spas still hit revenue targets. Its COO tells Spa Business magazine how
Promotion: Redefining the snowroom
Italian snowroom expert, TechnoAlpin, has collaborated with groundbreaking architectural practice, Snøhetta, to create a snowroom like no other
Medi-wellness: On good termes
Italy’s Long Life clinic, which offers anti-ageing science alongside water cures, is gaining greater attention post-lockdown. Sophie Benge pays a visit
Supplier showcase: Premium Fitness
Dormy House has partnered with Matrix Fitness to create two fully-connected fitness suites to take its offering to a new and more sophisticated level @DormyHouse @MatrixFitnessUK
Promotion: Sothys
Sothys’ beauty treatment designer, Séverine Monjanel, and training director, Isabelle Villey, talk to Spa Business about the company’s new authentic ancestral Indonesian treatment
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...]
Sothys’ beauty treatment designer, Séverine Monjanel, and training director, Isabelle Villey, talk to Spa Business about the company’s new authentic ancestral Indonesian treatment
What inspired the new treatment? Séverine: Our one-hour Indonésie Ancestral treatment was a product of Sothys’ president, Christian Mas, meeting a master of ancient Javanese beauty care traditions on a trip abroad. I then visited Borneo to truly understand the cultural dimension of Indonesian body massage and immerse myself in the region’s techniques, in order to create an authentic treatment.
What’s special and different about it? Séverine: The treatment includes a 50-minute global body massage, using a mixture of Indonesian techniques, and is enriched with an energetic Mayonggo breathing ritual to help release tension and encourage deep relaxation and an energy rebalance.
How are treatments developed? Séverine: Treatments are created within the Biometrology unit of the Sothys research and development department, where protocol and effectiveness are validated. Following this, we develop the necessary tools for education and plan a training day including theory, practice and retail.
How many therapists do you train annually? Isabelle: We typically train 3,000 beauty therapists a year, with courses offered in 120 countries carried out through a combination of face-to-face and distance learning. Our training team comprises a lead training manager – in charge of the conception of the training tools, four international trainers, one head trainer specifically for the Americas as well as one for the Asia-Pacific countries. There are also local trainers in every country where Sothys is distributed.
What training and support does Sothys offer? Isabelle: Initial starter Spa Training, which teaches therapists about the main treatment protocols and retail offerings.
Following this, we offer a one-day sales training course using workshops to help therapists gain a thorough understanding of our products and develop sales skills to market our them and contribute to spa profitability.
All training material is available on our professional website, with lots of tools to help support and facilitate the organisation of the spa.
At Sothys, we believe it’s not only crucial to train spa staff, but all employees who are in contact with spa clients, be that reception, guest relations, sales or restaurant staff. We offer a specific training session to teach them how to speak about the spa and our brand and explain what can be found in the spa.
What’s most important about training for Sothys? Isabelle: Making sure our training supports spas to design their own personal customer journey and helping train therapists to be confident and comfortable with the treatments and products they work with, all while educating them on how to contribute to the profitability of the spa.
Our 50 minutes global body massage is a mixture of Indonesian techniques, and is enriched with an energetic Mayongo breathing ritual – Séverine Monjanel
We believe it’s not only crucial to train spa staff, but all employees who are in contact with spa clients, be that reception, guest relations, sales or restaurant staff – Isabelle Villey
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2020 issue 3
Editor's letter: The fight ahead
There’s a huge job of work to do to build our reputation and win support in the corridors of power, says Katie Barnes
Spa people: Patrick Huey
The vice-president of spa and retail at Montage talks about his new role as ISPA chair, Black Lives Matter and how his spas are fighting back against COVID-19
Spa people: Rianna Riego
Wellness consultant Rianna Riego speaks out about racial discrimination in the global spa industry
Spa people: Anna Teal
The CEO of Aromatherapy Associates outlines the online innovations it's using to connect with customers in exciting new ways
Spa programmes: On the menu
How are spas changing their treatments and services now they’re staring to reopen again?
Interview: Lee Woon Hoe
Banyan Tree’s executive director of wellbeing tells Spa Business magazine why now is the right time for the group to launch its new wellness concept
Ask an expert: Spa design 2030
Spa Business magazine asks leading designers and architects to give their predictions about pandemic-proof spa models
Promotion: Trendsetting
Design specialists, The Wellness, worked with in-house engineers for Jumeirah to create a state-of-the-art gym for Talise Fitness at the Jumeirah Al Naseem in Dubai
Research: Manner of speaking
ISPA’s latest study reveals consumer attitudes in the aftermath of COVID-19. Josh Corman picks out the key details
Research: New perspectives
Two surveys in the UK highlight both spa operator and spa-goer insights as facilities across the country begin to welcome guests back
Promotion: The power of touchless
Spa and wellness innovator, Sammy Gharieni, reveals how his on-trend products are perfect for delivering high-value touchless treatments
Country focus: Best of British
We take a look at the standout concepts offered in the world-class spas that have opened in the UK over the last three years
Promotion: Sustain and regenerate
Sustainable skincare brand, Comfort Zone, has radically reinvented its entire Sacred Nature line, driven by the ambition to create some of the world’s first carbon-negative products
Interview: Emma Darby
Despite closing during in lockdown, some Resense spas still hit revenue targets. Its COO tells Spa Business magazine how
Promotion: Redefining the snowroom
Italian snowroom expert, TechnoAlpin, has collaborated with groundbreaking architectural practice, Snøhetta, to create a snowroom like no other
Medi-wellness: On good termes
Italy’s Long Life clinic, which offers anti-ageing science alongside water cures, is gaining greater attention post-lockdown. Sophie Benge pays a visit
Supplier showcase: Premium Fitness
Dormy House has partnered with Matrix Fitness to create two fully-connected fitness suites to take its offering to a new and more sophisticated level @DormyHouse @MatrixFitnessUK
Promotion: Sothys
Sothys’ beauty treatment designer, Séverine Monjanel, and training director, Isabelle Villey, talk to Spa Business about the company’s new authentic ancestral Indonesian treatment
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...]
