McCann is a key figure in the global spa industry and used to run Chiva-Som
An opportunity to delve deeper into the health and wellbeing arena, working alongside medical practitioners,” is what drew Sheila McCann to her new role of general manager for Lanserhof UK – as well as the chance to “apply the learnings from my now global experience to a new business model”.
In a notable move, she left her position as general manager of Thailand’s Chiva-Som early this year to head up two sites which form part of the ever-expanding portfolio of Austria-based health and medical resort specialists the Lanserhof Group.
One location, revealed in February, is a ‘medical gym’ opening this year. Lanserhof has partnered with the Dover Street Arts Club, a private club in Mayfair, London for the new wellness model.
The other is Grayshott Health Spa, an historic destination health spa in south England, which is to undergo a major refurb following Lanserhof’s acquisition last August.
With 59 rooms and 36 treatment rooms, Grayshott is known for its health-based programmes – ranging from those targeting the digestive system to regeneration following injuries or illness. And now Lanserhof plans to focus on its medical wellness offering.
“Both projects are very exciting,” says McCann, who’s most looking forward to being involved in their creative development. Yet, both are also very different. “Dovetailing the requirements and synergies between them will be a challenge – that and learning a bit of German!”
McCann is a key figure in the global spa industry and was at Chiva-Som for five years. The new appointment sees her career come almost full circle. “It’s an exciting challenge with a cutting-edge, high integrity health and wellbeing brand and a return to Grayshott where I spent seven years of my career in the 1990s.”
McCann started out as a therapist in Canada and over her 35-plus years in spas has worked for leading brands worldwide. Prior to Chiva-Som, she was corporate director of spa brand quality at Asia-based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, responsible for 35 sites.
In an interview with Spa Business last year, Lanserhof’s CMO Nils Behrens revealed that the UK was next on the group’s expansion “hit list”, adding to its existing portfolio of clinics in Lans, Austria; Tegernsee and Medicum in Germany, and the forthcoming location in Sylt, Germany.
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Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
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McCann is a key figure in the global spa industry and used to run Chiva-Som
An opportunity to delve deeper into the health and wellbeing arena, working alongside medical practitioners,” is what drew Sheila McCann to her new role of general manager for Lanserhof UK – as well as the chance to “apply the learnings from my now global experience to a new business model”.
In a notable move, she left her position as general manager of Thailand’s Chiva-Som early this year to head up two sites which form part of the ever-expanding portfolio of Austria-based health and medical resort specialists the Lanserhof Group.
One location, revealed in February, is a ‘medical gym’ opening this year. Lanserhof has partnered with the Dover Street Arts Club, a private club in Mayfair, London for the new wellness model.
The other is Grayshott Health Spa, an historic destination health spa in south England, which is to undergo a major refurb following Lanserhof’s acquisition last August.
With 59 rooms and 36 treatment rooms, Grayshott is known for its health-based programmes – ranging from those targeting the digestive system to regeneration following injuries or illness. And now Lanserhof plans to focus on its medical wellness offering.
“Both projects are very exciting,” says McCann, who’s most looking forward to being involved in their creative development. Yet, both are also very different. “Dovetailing the requirements and synergies between them will be a challenge – that and learning a bit of German!”
McCann is a key figure in the global spa industry and was at Chiva-Som for five years. The new appointment sees her career come almost full circle. “It’s an exciting challenge with a cutting-edge, high integrity health and wellbeing brand and a return to Grayshott where I spent seven years of my career in the 1990s.”
McCann started out as a therapist in Canada and over her 35-plus years in spas has worked for leading brands worldwide. Prior to Chiva-Som, she was corporate director of spa brand quality at Asia-based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, responsible for 35 sites.
In an interview with Spa Business last year, Lanserhof’s CMO Nils Behrens revealed that the UK was next on the group’s expansion “hit list”, adding to its existing portfolio of clinics in Lans, Austria; Tegernsee and Medicum in Germany, and the forthcoming location in Sylt, Germany.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
People profile: Garrett Mersberger
Garrett Mersberger on the overhaul of Kohler Waters’ flagship spa in Europe, plus his vision for ISPA following his appointment as chair of the association
Spa programmes: On the menu
Underwater yoga, healing breathwork and genetics all feature in Spa Business’ brand new series revealing the latest treatments, programmes and retreats in spas
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSysteme
Cold therapy is suddenly all the rage, but Zimmer MedizinSysteme’s icelab takes it a step further, creating a cold sauna for the whole body. Rainer Bolsinger explains more about this cutting-edge therapy
Promotional feature: The Tides: pure Dutch nature inside
Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
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.
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Fenix Group srl Fenix Group, founded by Gianluca Cavalletti in Italy, launched Endospheres to revolutionise aestheti [more...]
