What’s your background? I’ve been in consulting for 16 years including senior manager roles at global business consultancy firms Andersen and BearingPoint. I’ve been involved with the modernisation of major multinational companies in varying sectors – from aeronautics to consumer goods. For three years, I focused on healthcare organisations, including the healthcare ministry in France and several French hospitals.
My work and travels eventually led me to the wellness industry, where I thought my experiences of project management in complex environments would help. I spent three years as managing director of the Swiss spa and skincare brand After the Rain with a view to developing it internationally.
How did you hear about evianSpa? I crossed paths with Laurent Houel in early 2012 when he was finalising the first evianSpa concept in Tokyo (see p30). I was immediately taken by the concept and intrigued by his ambitions to roll it out worldwide. He had the marketing and business development expertise in the luxury sector and a deep knowledge of evian’s core values; while I had the spa experience and business development/project management expertise.
I set up the Global Project & Spa Advisory consultancy and evian is my first client.
What will your work involve? I’ll be focusing on the international development of evianSpa. Initially, I helped to put the finishing touches to the concept and business plan and to set up the development strategy. As part of the development process, I’m now setting up prospective meetings with hotel partners that will hopefully lead to projects and implementing the evianSpa brand. As part of the licence we’ll provide all the necessary support from understanding the concept to treatment menu and therapist training and operating protocols. Management support is also available via my consultancy if it’s required.
It all depends on the hotel’s needs. Our common goal is to secure consistency and quality of the evianSpa brand. We can work with a hotel to implement an evianSpa that fits with its specific positioning – whether its introducing more locally-inspired treatments, therapies for couples or children, or working on something that can increase a guest’s length of stay.
Will evianSpa be your sole client? Not exactly. Launching a worldwide spa concept is a huge project, which requires deep involvement and working in lots of different areas. So, evian is the main focus for Global Project & Spa Advisory, but there are some other possibilities in the pipeline.
Wellness is a young and exciting industry. There are lots of challenges, especially the growing need for delivering high-quality experiences consistently and developing financially sustainable businesses. But there are also lots of opportunities.
What’s exciting about evianSpa? The arrival of evian in the wellness industry, with a new and fresh approach is clearly exciting and it generates a real business opportunity. The idea of making the concept relevant to different markets and cultures is what really inspires me.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Laurent Houel
Evian's global brand development
director tells Katie Barnes about the
group's new evianSpa licence concept
that's set for a strategic global rollout
Promotional feature: Value Proposition
If you're thinking of investing in a spa development bigger than 300sq m,
a feasibility study – at a cost of only US$10k-US$18k – can reveal the
business model most likely to succeed.
Research: Work it out
Katherine Johnston reveals key
recommendations following a
much-needed study on global spa
management training
Top team: Miraval
The team that created the new spa at
Miraval shared a bold vision as Liz
Terry discovered on her visit
Family matters: The Brepohls
Natural medicine is the focus at
Lapinha: one of Brazil's original
medical spas. Neena Dhillon talks to
the founding family
The making of...: A massage table
Up to 18 million parts are needed for
a year's production of massage tables.
Lisa Starr takes an ‘undercover' look
at just what goes into making this
industry staple
Research: The cold war
Meditation and exercise can
significantly reduce sick days taken
due to colds and flu
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...]
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Elemis
Elemis was founded in London in 1989 by Linda Steiner whose vision was to create a skincare range as [more...]
What’s your background? I’ve been in consulting for 16 years including senior manager roles at global business consultancy firms Andersen and BearingPoint. I’ve been involved with the modernisation of major multinational companies in varying sectors – from aeronautics to consumer goods. For three years, I focused on healthcare organisations, including the healthcare ministry in France and several French hospitals.
My work and travels eventually led me to the wellness industry, where I thought my experiences of project management in complex environments would help. I spent three years as managing director of the Swiss spa and skincare brand After the Rain with a view to developing it internationally.
How did you hear about evianSpa? I crossed paths with Laurent Houel in early 2012 when he was finalising the first evianSpa concept in Tokyo (see p30). I was immediately taken by the concept and intrigued by his ambitions to roll it out worldwide. He had the marketing and business development expertise in the luxury sector and a deep knowledge of evian’s core values; while I had the spa experience and business development/project management expertise.
I set up the Global Project & Spa Advisory consultancy and evian is my first client.
What will your work involve? I’ll be focusing on the international development of evianSpa. Initially, I helped to put the finishing touches to the concept and business plan and to set up the development strategy. As part of the development process, I’m now setting up prospective meetings with hotel partners that will hopefully lead to projects and implementing the evianSpa brand. As part of the licence we’ll provide all the necessary support from understanding the concept to treatment menu and therapist training and operating protocols. Management support is also available via my consultancy if it’s required.
It all depends on the hotel’s needs. Our common goal is to secure consistency and quality of the evianSpa brand. We can work with a hotel to implement an evianSpa that fits with its specific positioning – whether its introducing more locally-inspired treatments, therapies for couples or children, or working on something that can increase a guest’s length of stay.
Will evianSpa be your sole client? Not exactly. Launching a worldwide spa concept is a huge project, which requires deep involvement and working in lots of different areas. So, evian is the main focus for Global Project & Spa Advisory, but there are some other possibilities in the pipeline.
Wellness is a young and exciting industry. There are lots of challenges, especially the growing need for delivering high-quality experiences consistently and developing financially sustainable businesses. But there are also lots of opportunities.
What’s exciting about evianSpa? The arrival of evian in the wellness industry, with a new and fresh approach is clearly exciting and it generates a real business opportunity. The idea of making the concept relevant to different markets and cultures is what really inspires me.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Laurent Houel
Evian's global brand development
director tells Katie Barnes about the
group's new evianSpa licence concept
that's set for a strategic global rollout
Promotional feature: Value Proposition
If you're thinking of investing in a spa development bigger than 300sq m,
a feasibility study – at a cost of only US$10k-US$18k – can reveal the
business model most likely to succeed.
Research: Work it out
Katherine Johnston reveals key
recommendations following a
much-needed study on global spa
management training
Top team: Miraval
The team that created the new spa at
Miraval shared a bold vision as Liz
Terry discovered on her visit
Family matters: The Brepohls
Natural medicine is the focus at
Lapinha: one of Brazil's original
medical spas. Neena Dhillon talks to
the founding family
The making of...: A massage table
Up to 18 million parts are needed for
a year's production of massage tables.
Lisa Starr takes an ‘undercover' look
at just what goes into making this
industry staple
Research: The cold war
Meditation and exercise can
significantly reduce sick days taken
due to colds and flu
Private hotel owner and developer HVL Hotels will open a new luxury resort and tourism
destination called Laval Hunter Valley in the second half of 2027 in Pokolbin, Australia.
The annual wellness festival dedicated to wellbeing, culture, longevity and human connection,
called Alma, will be hosted by Rocco Forte hotel, Verdura Resort in Sicily, Italy.
Capella Hotel Group has appointed Feisal Jaffer as chief development officer as the company
ramps up its global expansion of both its Capella and Patina brands.
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
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...]
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Elemis Elemis was founded in London in 1989 by Linda Steiner whose vision was to create a skincare range as [more...]
