Roche is a trained naturopath, ayurvedic specialist and spa therapist
With a background as a naturopath, ayurvedic specialist, and spa therapist, Nichola Roche, Aman’s new group director of spa, has big plans for the luxury hotel’s wellness offering. She plans to make it more comprehensive, by adopting a 360-degree approach to health, and to develop a lifestyle brand – incorporating herbal teas, spa products and cookbooks – to “enable our guests to take a piece of Aman home with them,” she says.
“I want to create a more integrative approach at all Aman spas, which means ensuring all our health services and spa therapies are holistic, allowing a more in-depth and longer-lasting healing,” says Roche.
Roche was previously regional spa director for Akasha, and before that was spa director for flagship spa ESPA Life at The Corinthia Hotel in London.
Having experienced a variety of cultures throughout her career, Roche says she’s able to extract elements from her background and draw on healing methods from around the world, in order to position Aman as a true wellness brand. “Traditionally, Aman has been known for its incredible destinations, where guests can relax and rejuvenate. I want to create a more serious wellness offering, by building on and strengthening what’s gone before,” she says.
Retreats and wellness immersions – such as the new spa houses and immersions at coastal retreat Amanoi in Vietnam – will be a focus, as well as a new take on Aman’s spa offerings. “I want to make our treatments more results-focused, so they deeply nourish, ground and purify our guests. We’ll focus on providing health benefits rather than simply relaxation,” Roche explains.
One of Aman’s core concepts is that each location is different, and Roche plans to focus on that in developing spa programming, incorporating the local culture into offerings and focusing on indigenous healing. “We never repeat a concept; every property is individual, and we start with a blank canvas for each,” she says.
Later this year, Roche will also concentrate on key destinations that are renowned for healing, such as Bhutan, drawing inspiration from the country’s renowned measure of prosperity through happiness to create a ten-day Pursuit of Happiness retreat that will include oracle reading, meditation and yoga.
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Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
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Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
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Roche is a trained naturopath, ayurvedic specialist and spa therapist
With a background as a naturopath, ayurvedic specialist, and spa therapist, Nichola Roche, Aman’s new group director of spa, has big plans for the luxury hotel’s wellness offering. She plans to make it more comprehensive, by adopting a 360-degree approach to health, and to develop a lifestyle brand – incorporating herbal teas, spa products and cookbooks – to “enable our guests to take a piece of Aman home with them,” she says.
“I want to create a more integrative approach at all Aman spas, which means ensuring all our health services and spa therapies are holistic, allowing a more in-depth and longer-lasting healing,” says Roche.
Roche was previously regional spa director for Akasha, and before that was spa director for flagship spa ESPA Life at The Corinthia Hotel in London.
Having experienced a variety of cultures throughout her career, Roche says she’s able to extract elements from her background and draw on healing methods from around the world, in order to position Aman as a true wellness brand. “Traditionally, Aman has been known for its incredible destinations, where guests can relax and rejuvenate. I want to create a more serious wellness offering, by building on and strengthening what’s gone before,” she says.
Retreats and wellness immersions – such as the new spa houses and immersions at coastal retreat Amanoi in Vietnam – will be a focus, as well as a new take on Aman’s spa offerings. “I want to make our treatments more results-focused, so they deeply nourish, ground and purify our guests. We’ll focus on providing health benefits rather than simply relaxation,” Roche explains.
One of Aman’s core concepts is that each location is different, and Roche plans to focus on that in developing spa programming, incorporating the local culture into offerings and focusing on indigenous healing. “We never repeat a concept; every property is individual, and we start with a blank canvas for each,” she says.
Later this year, Roche will also concentrate on key destinations that are renowned for healing, such as Bhutan, drawing inspiration from the country’s renowned measure of prosperity through happiness to create a ten-day Pursuit of Happiness retreat that will include oracle reading, meditation and yoga.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
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 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...]
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