Hotel Theresa – a truly authentic service culture
In 2013 I was mystery guesting all of the (at the time) 30+ Best Wellness Hotels in Austria and South Tyrol in Northern Italy. The time frame back then was short. I had to do [...]
In 2013 I was mystery guesting all of the (at the time) 30+ Best Wellness Hotels in Austria and South Tyrol in Northern Italy. The time frame back then was short. I had to do [...]
Naturhotel Rainer - Nature with a Roof Ah, South Tyrolia, this area in Northern Italy close to the Austrian border is my personal red-hot wellness travel destination. There is everything you could wish for for [...]
TalkWellness Impressions: attending ISPA Conference &Expo for the first time I applied with ISPA conference in January 2018 with a session proposal. After some personal phone conversations and a couple of email exchanges with a [...]
Detoxifying Lymph Candy Deodorant - going beyond stopping odour and wetness During a recent visit to FAD Market on a rainy early summer Sunday morning, I picked up a couple of interesting and small batch [...]
SpaTree - bringing the Spa back to Nature Modern Lifestyles seem to be about downsizing, going back to the roots, simplifying lives, becoming more in tune with nature. So the question today is: How can [...]
Soaking in a Japanese style Wooden Bathtub: Waking up the deepest part of your Spirit The Global Wellness Trend Report 2017 ranks Wellness Architecture second (and no, just because the identification of wellness trends has been [...]
Here comes another great guest article about the future of spa marketing by former student Tabitha Leibetseder, who has just successfully completed her master's degree in tourism and leisure management. The topic for her master [...]
W³ - World Wellness Weekend, inspiring millions across the globe to a healthier lifestyle Have you heard of W³ - World Wellness Weekend? W³ - World Wellness Weekend is in its second edition in September [...]
Sex sells. Yoga auch. Faszientraining: warum nicht alles yogisch ist, wo Yoga drauf steht. Meine Kundenrezession zu fayo Ich habe mich in letzter Zeit vermehrt mit dem Thema ‘Faszien’ beschäftigt. Faszientraining finde ich ziemlich spannend [...]
Private Spa Suite at Hotel Quisisana Palace in Carlsbad Everyone who is somehow interesting in Spa & Wellness has heard of Carlsbad, the famous spa town located in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, about 80 miles [...]
how a normal girl came to guide on life & consciousness I know, it has been a while since I last published an interview. Yet I feel the wait was well worth it, here is [...]
Kempinski Hotel Falkenstein - city life, nature and sport What a positive surprise! I knew that the Kempinski Hotel Falkenstein near Frankfurt city in Germany is not a Wellness Hotel but rather offers MICE facilities. [...]
Bollants in the Park - a very two-faced spa resort experience The Bollants in the Park is said to be one of the best Wellness Hotels in South West of Germany. I had heard so [...]
Kulm Spa St Moritz - a retreat within a retreat The invite for a spa review from the Kulm Spa comes as a huge treat to me! I have just had some rough weeks with [...]
What is your spa booking pace? Do you remember my article The Different Steps in the Spa Sales Process? It is a case study on how to apply best practise to the spa selling process. [...]
Merlot and Mud – Wine & Wellness in Napa Valley I admit, the scale for my recent Wine & Wellness in Napa Valley trip got tipped heavily towards one side…the wine side… Wellness is not [...]
Waltz 7 – Redesigning the Spa@Home Experience During this year’s Tyrollean Wellness Congress in June in Innsbruck/Austria, I had a chance to meet and get to know Waltz 7 better. Waltz 7 is a company [...]
What is a “Healing Safari”? Talk Wellness spoke with Tanya Pergola – the creator of the Healing Safari – to find out more about what happens on a healing safari in Africa. You may just [...]
The Spa at Kempinski Grand Hotel Des Bains St. Moritz Swiss hoteliers are know for innovative services that secure customer satisfaction and return on investment. To a point, were Swiss Hospitality Management has become a [...]
The different Steps in the Spa Sales Process. A Case Study I have recently stayed in St Moritz. In a 5* Hotel within a superior hotel chain, in one of the prime tourist destinations in [...]
Spa Trend 2018? Beauty from Within: Nutricosmetics and Beauty Supplements ‘True beauty is the beauty from within…’ sounds like a cliche? Well, you might argue, why then do we use thousands of external beauty products [...]
Better Alternatives to Tooth Paste When I was much younger (at a pre-internet age), I did not know much about natural organic skin care or foods. It was not common to talk about it, nor [...]
Financial Wellness – invest in your future An article titled “Will Financial Wellness become hot topic in the future” from economist Thierry Malleret on Global Wellness Summit in Kitzbühel monthly barometer has made me thinking. [...]
Silver Swimmer Paradise: Wellness 60plus I am driving West, almost 700 km one way on a hot summer Friday, in desperate need of a break, and eventually end up in silver swimmer paradise. To be [...]
Talise Ottoman Spa Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai Palm – the ultimate spa sensory journey How to instantly feel like a princess out of 1001 nights? Sign up for the royal hammam experience at award winning [...]
Bathing History: Hamam, the Turkish Bath Bathing traditions in Tirol developed centuries ago from people seeking refreshment with cold, fresh, clean mountain water during hot summer months. What could be more different than another bathing [...]
The Spa at the Intercontinental Dubai Marina - a city hotel spa at its best I recently stayed at the Intercontinental Dubai Marina Hotel, as the name suggests located on the Dubai Marina, only a [...]
Can doing business and doing good go side-by-side? Great take aways from the Healing Summit 2017 What a super treat to having been invited to the Healing Summit 2017! After I just had the [...]
[Comfort Zone] – science based beauty Skin Care from Italy! Finally and surely a first on TalkWellness. Not sure why I haven’t written about [comfort zone] and their science based beauty approach before. I have always [...]
Alpienne Skin Care – Power of the Alps Alpienne is a mid-size company based out of the Tyrollean Alps in Austria. Their outstanding philosophy is based on what they call the ‘purest alpine natural concept’, [...]
7 Tips for kissable Lips in Winter Ice-cold wind, dry heat in overheated rooms, cold dampness, winter sun… our skin around the lips suffers most in winter, and is in dear need of good lip [...]
Magical Days at Private Chalets Holzleb’n I wish I could turn back time. And be a child again. I am currently further exploring the concept of private spa, and have been invited for a research [...]
Four Great Take Aways from the GWS 2016 Four days of non-stop program: Attentively listening to industry leaders Discussing topics Making new friends Catching up with old friends Activities, dinners, receptions, speeches… I was knackered [...]
Sage Tonic – a ‘sensory platform’ approach to our five senses Sage Tonic. Sounds like a new facial spray. But is by far bigger than that! Sage Tonic is a holistic program to stimulate and [...]
Luxuslodge - Time for Private Spa Anticipation is the most wonderful sort of joy. Followed by more joy about this incredible private spa experience at the Luxuslodge in Annaberg. (c) luxuslodge Ok, at [...]
User friendly Spa Website. “Don’t make me think!” A recent -and poor- web experience is the reason for today’s post about the user friendly spa website: I looked up flights between Salzburg and Cologne, two [...]
Experience Authentic Kneipp in Tirol “Everything we need to stay healthy is already given to us by nature” said Sebastian Kneipp. Who was Sebastian Kneipp? German clergymen Sebastian Kneipp (1821 - 1897) came up with [...]
Tooth Oil by Ringana - So Fresh! I am sooo happy I can present yet another great skin care brand from my chosen home country Austria. The small country wedged between Germany, Hungry and [...]
Luxury Mountain Spa at Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol My series ‘The Stunning Spas in Kitz’ is not ending just yet. Not before I have taken you to the Kempinski Hotel in Jochberg with their luxury mountain [...]
Bathing History II: Spa History at Barbara Baths In order to understand our contemporary spa culture, I find it important to dig deep into spa history. Part I of this mini series Bathing History: The [...]
An Alpine Spa Indulgence at Jesacherhof It is one of those days… I hardly slept the night before. I am in a pretty foul mood. I don’t feel like driving the two hours to my [...]
The Surprising Beauty Uses of CoconutI could go nuts for coconuts. And particularly for the beauty uses of coconut.Since I have lived in East Africa for a couple of years, I have made great friends [...]
Buddha Exhibition with 232 masterpieces The Buddha Exhibition in Voelklingen/Germany was an impressing and humbling experience for me. Never before have 232 masterpieces from India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia, China, Japan, Nepal, and Tibet been shown [...]
SPA Manufactur® - waterless skincareI know, I am really behind with product reviews, which is owed to the fact that I have had some lovely and exiting addition to the family which totally occupied all [...]
Derma ID – unique skin care conceptI don’t like it.I love it, love it, love it!The Phyto Recovery Oil by Derma ID, from the ‘my cosmetic pharmacy’ line. […]
Saarland Therme - successful German-French Wellness Cooperation I am always thrilled when I can report about wellness from my home country Saarland, the small and charming region in the south-western part of Germany. And if [...]
Kindred – 100% organic oil based skincareDuring my last trip to the US I got in touch with Frances from Kindred Skincare Co. by mail. After communicating back and forth for a while, Frances recognised [...]
Cryo Therapy - Ice Age 2.0 What was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced? For me until now it was -37 C, which was not so unusual in Finland back in 1985 in January [...]
Jamela Skincare – where fun and beauty go togetherUsually skin care and beauty routines aren’t exactly great fun, fun an beauty are no common match. My grandmother even used to say “who wants to be [...]
My 10 skin care commandmentsYes, good skin care is important. very important. This is why I obey to my own 10 skin care commandments.Our skin is the largest organ in the body and covers about 1.7 [...]
Bathing History: the Romans Body cleansing and healing rituals have played major roles in various cultures and within religions for hundreds and thousands of years all over the world. Many of these are still [...]
Yoga in the ParkDo you know of a better wellness way of starting a Sunday morning than with a beautiful 60 minutes of yoga in the park?Between early May and early September, free yoga sessions [...]
Europe’s first forestSPA, experience nature at waldSPA About one month ago, the family owned and run 5* Hotel Forsthofgut in Leogang (in the Salzburger County) has opened the doors to their newly expanded waldSPA® (wald [...]
LaIsla Luxury Spa – take care of your soulI am off to the Eastern Shore for a little beach break, and am happy to take along some new products that I want to test and that [...]
Love is in the air at Kitz Spa & Wellness! I think I fell in love… For my series ‘The Stunning Spas in Kitz’ I visited Kitz Spa Wellness in the 4* Hotel Kitzhof Mountain [...]
June 11, 2016 is Global Wellness Day. I say Yes! Why? The 7 Step Manifesto In order to make Wellness a lifestyle, Global Wellness day -represented in 70+ countries and first celebrated in 2012 - [...]
This is a guest article by 3 of my promising students of IUBH on an interesting topic in consumer behaviour, and their thoughts on applying guerrilla marketing techniques to spa marketing. Guerrilla Marketing for Spas – [...]
HURRAW! Lip Balm from premium organic, vegan & raw ingredientsDo you remember when you bought your first lip balm? I don’t, I assume I must have been a young teen, maybe twelve years old? maybe [...]
The Stunning Spas in Kitz II: Hotel Elisabeth It is a horrible day outside, the clouds are hanging tight over the roofs of the houses, it is pouring down with rain accompanied by a cold [...]
Interview with AnjaI have recently been interviewed by the crazy mind with some thought-provoking questions. […]
Places of Power in Tyrol Yes, Tyrol is Wellness Country par excellence and what better place to chose as venue for the next Global Wellness Summit! Majestic Mountains. Crystal clear lakes and rivers. The [...]
Sodashi – luxurious natural skin care from Australia with a wow-effectI was contacted by Marianne Schnaitmann from Schnaitmann Beauty GmbH, who has always had a keen interest in natural skin care and organic products. Marianne, trained [...]
The Stunning Spas in Kitz I: Spa-Rosa at A-Rosa Resort Happy news: during the Global Wellness Summit in Mexico in 2015, my adopted home Kitzbühel has been chosen as venue for this years GWS event. All year [...]
Floating – tank, dome, or pool? A recent discussion in a Wellness Facebook Group has triggered my deeper interest in floating. I have done some floating session in the past, including in facilities such as a kind [...]
Rebecca Sabine facilitates health and well being through her live violin music in spas When I heard about Rebecca from Las Vegas, I was stunned. Live music in spas… what a heavenly combination: Violin [...]
3-Steps to a Successfully Designed Spa Ad Ads are a quick and effective way to showcase your event or business. However, if done improperly they can be a quick way to lose a potential client’s [...]
Spa Check: Watzmann Therme BerchtesgadenIt is a gloomy day. The clouds have been distributing snow and rain alternating over the past few days, the tops of the mountains can only be guessed from way below in [...]
Asquith London active yoga & pilates wear – making a positive impact on the worldI am no fashion girl or beauty blogger. When it comes to my private wardrobe, attributes like comfortable, sporty, simple, and homely [...]
Spa Online Booking: Is the print spa menu outdated? When was the last time you went to a restaurant/bar/cafe and you were given a hardcopy food/drinks menu? Maybe not so long ago. For me to [...]
Spa Review: Heavenly Spa at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort At the beginning of this winter I managed to get away from Austria for a few days to a warmer spot on the map: [...]
Exceeding spa guest’s expectations in 2016 – the layer cake model Spa guest become increasingly educated and demanding, expecting more complex services than ever and it will become more and more challenging for spa businesses [...]
A truly oriental spa experience – Hamam Baden Review Whenever I think “I have seen it all” a little gem pops up seemingly out of nowhere. The little gem I am talking about today is [...]
Is Health Care the new Spa Trend? This article stems from a thought I recently had, when I was asked the question “what is health to you”? Sounds like a pretty straight forward question, doesn’t it? [...]
The Body Wrap Vienna – my mummy experimentOnce you have made your way through the shabby lobby and lift to the 19th and top floor of Vienna’s first residential high tower located in Vienna’s 5th district, [...]
5 solutions to counter biggest cost driver in spa businesses Kohl & Partner have recently published their Benchmark Report 2014 for Austria in Europe. Their findings include an overview of labour costs (52% of total [...]
Review: Vinoble CosmeticsAfter experiencing two wine & wellness themed beautiful short trips to Weinrefugium Brolli and LOISIUM Wine & Spa Resort, I think it is time to talk more about vino therapy and grape based skin [...]
Spa Retail Facts: Everything you need to know to boost retail sales in your spa Retail sales can make up to 50 % of treatment revenue without needing additional resources. This revenue stream should not [...]
Why mystery guesting a spa? A well rounded, experienced, passionate Spa Manager knows her business and best practises, leads and trusts her staff, can identify her guests needs. A well managed spa offers clean and [...]
Review: LOISIUM Wine Spa Resort Langenlois Since I had travelled to Southern Styria in May for the first time, I was intrigued by the “ Wine & Wellness ” theme. This is so Austria. This [...]
‘The jaguar comes out in me when I am in Kahuna world’ tells Victoria Moss I had my first Kahuna massage ever with Victoria Moss, visiting massage therapist at Ulpotha. I had arrived in Sri [...]
Spa Review: Felsentherme – The Thermal Waters of Bad Gastein Bad Gastein – also called the Monte Carlo in the Alps – is one of 3 towns in the Gasteiner Valley in the midst of [...]
Ayurveda in Sri LankaDuring my Yoga retreat in Ulpotha in Sri Lanka in June 2015 I opted for the 10 day Ayurveda cure called Namaskaraya (Salutation) on site.Sri Lanka with its ideal climate and Ulpotha [...]
Dress for success – how important is appearance of spa staff? In a previous article “What does tangible evidence do in your spa” I spoke in detail about ‘physical facilities’, also called ‘tangible evidence’. Tangible [...]
The Mill to chill – Wellness pure in PortugalNowadays it feels like everything is labelled ‘Wellness’, almost no Hotel package without Wellness. Of course there are some excellent Wellness Hotels and Retreats out there in [...]
I met lovely Padma Nair, a native Keralan, at Ulpotha, where I spent a 2 week Yoga & Ayurveda retreat in June 2015, in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle.Padma, visiting teacher and host [...]
Spa Review: Timeless Spa Dubai AirportDo you remember Mandy’s article “Does travel need to be disruptive to our wellbeing”? Mandy rightly says: “Traveling is disruptive. Be it to our sleep, our diet, our work, our fitness [...]
wine and wellness – refuge in a Styrian vineyard The latin word ‘refugium’ means something like refuge or hideaway; in some cases also wellness area for relaxation and recovering. Thus I was quiet curious when following [...]
joins 55 Countries Celebrating Global Wellness Day on June 13, 2015Talk Wellness “Says Yes” to Global Wellness Day, a one-day event celebrating health and wellbeing, taking place this June 13th. By offering complimentary articles, reviews, [...]
‘Because of the nature of our job, people let their guard down and share things with you, you wouldn’t believe.’I first met Maria when hiring her as beautician/therapist for a spa pre opening in the [...]
Therme Linsberg Asia Having tested Therme Wien the other day, I am intrigued about getting to know further thermal spas in the Vienna area. I have to say, I find the about 40 min car ride [...]
Imagine you had a tool that helped you structure your spa marketing strategy! Is it not highly confusing hearing all those different advises: “you have to have social media activities for your Spa” “your Spa [...]
Sabai-Sabai Thai Massage in Bad ReichenhallA piece of Thailand in BavariaSince I had visited THE Thai massage school at the Wat Po temple in Bangkok in 2008 – where, by the way, the only remains [...]
4 crucial steps to customer retention in the spa Of course, usually a spa’s core service are spa treatments, respectively facilities, and good spas put a lot of effort into optimising treatment protocols. This is [...]
4 ways of adding value to the spa journey Continuously developing our spa services keeps us ahead of the game. Yet not only developing treatments or spa menus is needed, also additional services that add [...]
What is tangible evidence and why is it needed in a spa? When talking about the 7P’s in Spa Marketing, we agreed upon ‘Physical Facilities’ being one of the important additional P’s within the Marketing Mix. [...]
The Park Hyatt Dubai Creek is not a brand new development and maybe exactly this very aspect is one of the reasons, why I was so impressed after my visit for this spa review at [...]
Are you in the fortunate position of using a sophisticated spa software that does turn away tracking and wait list tracking for you? If not, bad news, as you may have to do this task manually [...]
When visting Amara Spa for a spa review, I had the pleasure of meeting the Spa Manager personally. Ghassan was so nice as to take time for sharing his spa career story in an interview: How [...]
7 ideas how to avoid no-shows in your spa No-shows. Happen unfortunately all the time and everywhere to all spas more or less frequently. Isn’t it highly annoying when your spa day is fully booked, you [...]
Mandy and Anja from TalkWellness discuss Spa Trends for 2015: We want to see more time in Spas! Anja: Sure, every now and again new so called trends pop up in the Spa & Wellness [...]
ich bin total aus dem Häuschen! Und irgendwie verzweifelt weil ich keinen anderen Ausdruck finde als ‘secret escape’, mit dem ich besser beschreiben kann wie wunderschön dieser Ort ist und warum man unbedingt ins La Clairiere [...]
Tauern Spa Kaprun …is a wellness highlight to me over and over again, despite the fact that I usually spend a lot of time in thermal spas, wellness hotels and such in general. For once [...]
Why women need to take “Spa time”… at eforea Spa at Hilton Hotel QueenstownThe list of daily commitments can often seem endless: work, children, family and friends, cooking and cleaning and, if you’re really well-organised, daily [...]
Therme Wien Oberlaa Was hab ich mich gefreut, als ich in Wien ankam und der Himmel war grau und winterlich trist… doppelte Vorfreude auf den nachmittaglichen Besuch in der Therme Wien Oberlaa. Ich bin [...]
We have had a Wellness Talk with Stavros Mavridis, who works as Spa Manager in Greece and faces thrilling challenges:Stavros, can you elaborate on your mission statement “Passion and Evolution is key to success” a little further? or [...]
The Dream job – a Hotel testerWhenever I am asked about my profession and I answer that amongst other things I test Wellness Hotels, I receive envious comments such as “Wow, that must be great” [...]
What triggers people to leave their home countries and comfort zone by moving abroad for life and work in the Spa industry?TalkWellness has had a chat with Sasakomol Chamchoy, who currently works as Spa Manageress [...]
Living and Working Abroad – Alexander Ivanov is Spa Manager in BhutanDreaming of not only work in the exiting spa industry but additionally in an exotic country? Read this story to learn how to!Industries such as tourism, [...]
The GAP-Model – How to avoid gaps in Services There are plenty of opportunities in service processes to make mistakes, which will be evaluated in a negative way by the customer. Those opportunities are called “Gaps”. [...]
Does travel need to be disruptive to our Well-Being?Traveling is disruptive. Be it to our sleep, our diet, our work, our fitness routine, and if that travel involves crossing numerous time zones, our whole circadian [...]
New Age Ayurveda: Ancient and historically authentic…it’s the new spa-modernAyurveda, the “science of life,” or longevity, is the holistic alternative science from India, and is more than 5,000 years old. It is believed to be the [...]
What is Wellness to you?The concept of wellness, a sense of purpose, and a life that allows you to thrive is different for every individual. Obtaining clear insight into your purpose in life, that feeling [...]
Top Trend in the Spa Industry? The Spa industry, like any other industry, needs to keep abreast of trends that are short-lived (a ‘fad’, or ‘craze’) and those that are continually evolving. Mistaking a short-lived [...]
Wellness Österreich – Wellness in Austria according to an international report (Health and Wellness Industry Report 2014 by Horwath HTL), so called ‘destination spas’ (hotels, that have made their spa and wellness offers main focus [...]