May-June ’1640

By Sharmila Chand

SpaHOTEL Business Review

An ideal retreat from the chaotic traffic, dust and grime and noisy crowd of the India’s capital is the

Woo Wellness & Spa, located within Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. It is created with the idea of providing an oasis for city dwellers and travellers alike; an experience at Woo Wellness & Spa can leave you rejuvenated.

The spa offers an experience that is all about you — your needs and your wants, translated into an environment that is specifically designed to enhance your emotional, mental and physical well-being.

For example, the restorative Morning Ritual — for the face, the body, the mind, separately — is intuitively designed to hydrate, purify and energise these three symbiotic centres. A break at mid-day in the spa is reflected in Mid-Day Care, where a choice of deep tissue or aromatherapy massages allow you to reset and rewire.

Rounding off the time-centric nature

of this wellness manifesto is the Night Restore, where anti-ageing treatments like the Ayurvedic Shirodhara coupled with other rejuvenating treatments ensure your mind, body and face can unwind with ease; ready to face another day.

Wooing Through WellnessA haven for the body and the soul, the

spa offers guests not only moments of tranquility and means of relaxation but a menu of spa and fitness amenities and treatments to improve personal well-being.

41May-June ’16

HOTEL Business ReviewHOTEL Business ReviewSpaSpa

What are the kind of changes you have witnessed in the Indian spa industry during the past 5-6 years?

Over the recent years, the major changes that I have noticed in the Indian spa industry is that our guests have become fully aware of their wellness needs and are having decent knowledge about spa services, which

is very good news for spa professionals like us. This has led to awareness and greater understanding of our profession among our guests.

Moreover, during the recent years many spa schools have also opened up across the country, resulting in better basic knowledge and profile of therapists. Another major change in

the industry is that the variety of spa products has almost doubled.

Long gone are the days when spa meant just massage treatments. There are now a host of wellness and fitness activities which have started complimenting spa therapies, which include outdoor activities such as outdoor gym, sports like squash, tennis,

Endeavouring Towards Holistic Well-beingRam Chatterjee is the Director of Spa at Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity. His job involves developing the business strategy and taking care of the smooth day-to-day functioning of the Woo Wellness & Spa. He is also responsible for hiring and training of the staff at the spa.

He has developed and conceptualised the spa menu of Woo Wellness & Spa. Furthermore, he takes care of the incoming and outgoing inventory at the spa, ensuring only the best products are used for various spa rituals and therapies.

He aims to make Woo Wellness & Spa, Delhi and NCR’s leading lifestyle wellness center; inspired by the indigenous healing culture.

Ram Chatterjee brings along 20 years of experience and has worked previously with Grand Hyatt Mumbai as the Spa Manager and Spa Director. He has also worked with Hyatt Regency Kolkata as the Spa Manager and with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, where he was instrumental in

opening the first Jiva Spa. He also has the experience of working with Shahnaz Husain Herbal for Man, and with VLCC, Calcutta. In his previous tenure, he was also the Director of Spa and Recreation at Grand Hyatt Goa. The excerpts of the interview with the wellness expert follow:

Whether it is through the Thai Meridian Massage, Jet Lag Recovery, the Phytomer Facial, or through the special Kama Ayurveda treatments — the illuminating Pearl Facial and tightening Fruit & Nut Facial — Woo Wellness & Spa is geared to ensure that you receive a warm welcome and utmost care and attention throughout your wellness experience here.

Here you can rejuvenate and revitalise with unique signature treatments and Bespoke Express Services. Should you want to delve into the wonderful wellness world of Ayurveda, a slew of trained, experienced staff are ready and waiting to usher you into the world of Ayurvedic well-being therapies like Abhyangaand Kati Basti.

May-June ’1642

SpaHOTEL Business Review

wellness disciplines like yoga and taichi, and physical fitness system like Pilates, etc.

Wellness food, spa cuisine are other trends as is the wellness vacation along with kids & family involving many activities such as yoga, meditation, trekking, cycling, swimming, rafting and some adventurous sports. Spa & wellness for kids have also gained currency.

What are the key challenges towards opening and running a spa?

The key challenges towards opening a spa include finding the proper location. Location plays a major role in opening a spa. The place has to be well-connected to all major transport systems. If a particular place has some history or is located near mountain or sea that would be an added advantage.

The quality of service and treatments also needs to be taken care of while opening a spa. As the consistency in service delivery is always a big challenge, one has to be dedicated to check the standards time to time.

Quality of manpower is an important operational issue. Sadly most of the spa professionals in India are by chance and not by choice. This makes managing a good spa business in India a little challenging. The spa personnel have to be passionate and committed to their role.

If the spa has a concept or a specialty or specialties, it/they should be very well defined.

How do you decide on the spa menu? What factors have to be kept in mind to chalk out a decent spa menu?

I decide on the spa menu based on my spa concept. The few factors we need to keep in mind before deciding on the spa menu of a spa housed in a hotel are spa’s location, the hotel’s profile, its local clientele’s profiles and their spending capabilities, and the spa’s vision & concept.

What do you enjoy the most about being a Spa Director?

As a spa professional, I feel lucky to be able to correct people’s lifestyle and motivating them into wellness. I meet many people every day, and in my interaction with them I realise that most of them have lifestyle problems. By interacting with them, I get an opportunity to make them choose a blissful life rather than a stressful life. That is a great satisfaction.

Could you tell us some of the characteristics of your spa? What distinguishes it from others?

Woo Wellness & Spa is a one of its kind of spa. We lay emphasis on detox and de-stress program along with

lifestyle counseling. Moreover, we

have a dedicated area for express spa services, which is quite popular with our jet lagged guests.

Spa for Kids, which entails selected wellness services under parents’ supervision, a special wellness menu are our other specialties.

We have spa, salon, gym and recreational services under one roof, with 24hrs gym facility. We have oriental and western spa therapies available, including couple therapy suites.

Do you have some customised treatments?

At Woo Wellness & Spa we have customised treatments that are for half a day spa journey. They include Santulan, and Woo Detox Journey.

The Santulan comprises yoga & meditation, steam bath,

sea salt scrub, Ubtan wrap, Thai Meridian massage, wellness food at the poolside or at the designated restaurant.

You can begin your Woo Detox Journey with cardio and functional exercise with your personal trainer, which is followed by a steam bath. This treatment detoxifies your body while calming your mind with an anti-aging ritual of three powerful cleansing treatments. Here we use marine gel wrap that removes toxins from the body and softens the skin. Overall, the wellness journey includes cardio and functional training with personal trainer, hand pounded organic fruit scrub, marine gel wrap, lymph massage, and wellness food at the poolside or at the designated restaurant.

What is your favourite treatment to receive and why it is so?

My favourite massage treatment is the Aromatherapy at Woo Wellness & Spa at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity because it helps me to calm down and gives me clarity of thoughts. I feel very balanced and pampered by the scent of lavender oil used throughout the treatment.

Any other point you wish to make? I feel spa and wellness is necessary

for everyone. It is not a luxury. It can bring many positive changes within oneself. Spa not only plays a major role physically but it helps mentally and emotionally as well.