WE WORK TOGETHER & A
sk singer and actress Olivia Newton-John how breast cancer has affected her life and she’ll tell you it didn’t just change it, it helped her become
the person she is today. “Cancer helped me get my priorities straight,” she says. “I’m grateful for every new, healthy day I have.” In many ways, since discovering her breast
cancer in 1996 and surviving it (she’s been clear for 15 years now), the disease has defined Newton-John’s life. She’s become dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of early detection and in 2008 she launched a breast self-examination kit called Liv Aid, with a goal of distributing one million of them worldwide. Others triumphs include the Olivia New-
ton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, which is due to open in Melbourne in 2012, and the Gaia Retreat & Spa she co-owns in Byron Bay, both in Australia.
DREAM VISION Newton-John never planned to set up a spa retreat. Back in 2004, one of her best friends, Gregg Cave, came to stay on her farm in New South Wales while he looked for a property to buy. Te two stumbled on a rundown property set on 30 acres (12 hec- tares), which had once been a health retreat, then a wedding venue and a meditation centre. Newton-John says that even though the building was derelict, they were struck by its beauty: “Te place took our breath away. The incredible spiritual feel and sacredness of the land hit us immediately and the energy was incredible.”
Tat night, both Newton-John and Cave
dreamt they’d bought the property. “We imagined turning it into a holiday
home for our friends, full of things we found most pleasurable, such as great food, a healthy lifestyle and free from stress and pressure,” Newton-John laughs. And so it was that Newton-John and Cave
bought the property. Soon aſter, two other friends came in on the deal, with the four partners each having a 25 per cent share in the property. Between them, they decided to create Gaia Retreat & Spa, the only premise being that it had to be “somewhere they, themselves, would like to stay”.
NEWTON-JOHN WALKS THE TALK. SHE TAKES HER DOGS OUT DAILY, PLAYS TENNIS AND LOVES EATING VEGETABLES. REIKI IS ONE OF HER FAVOURITE TREATMENTS, BUT SHE NEVER MISSES THE CHANCE TO MEDITATE
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Te retreat is set on 30 acres and is designed as somewhere that’s stress-free, where people can eat great food and live healthily
MIXES OF BEAUTY Te four directors appointed Cave as the designer and project manager of the retreat
– he had spent the previous 14 years as an art dealer and designer in Sydney. “Olivia calls my design ‘barefoot meets Armani,’ but I would describe it as ‘mixes of beauty eve- rywhere’,” says Cave. In line with Cave’s eclectic taste, Gaia
Retreat & Spa is a mix of Asian, contem- porary and Rococo influences “with little pockets of stuff thrown in here and there” – such as Philippe Starck-influenced curtains on day beds or an old British lantern which hangs in the main house. Cave – who is now general manager –
says that 40 per cent of the property was new-build, including a gym and the 747sq
SPA BUSINESS 3 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN GREGG CAVE
Following her fight against breast cancer, health and wellness is at the core of Olivia Newton-John’s life. She tells us about setting up Australia’s Gaia Retreat & Spa with her best friend JENNIFER HARBOTTLE » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS
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