Spas are popular with Kuwaitis, who have short working hours and high disposable incomes. More of them are taking their wellness seriously


soni – with a very bold, colourful take on interior design – she was not involved with the design of the spa, which opened in June 2011 and which is very much in keeping with other Six Senses Spas around the world. “Missoni doesn’t have its own spa oper-


ation, and it approached us as it wanted a branded offering,” says Taffin d’Heursel.


“Tere are a few small details we’ve intro- duced to complement the hotel décor – the purple hue of our crystal lamp bases, lighter wood throughout including bamboo floor- ing – but essentially it looks and feels very much like a Six Senses Spa.” The spa and hotel are both owned by


local investment company Al-Tijari, but are operated as distinct businesses under separate management. Nevertheless, there is still a good level of integration between the two: Taffin d’Heursel, who worked for the Ritz-Carlton before he joined Six Senses, is part of the hotel’s executive team. And, although the spa and hotel have understand- ably focused on getting their own businesses up and running in their first year of opera- tion, there are already areas of co-operation


– the rooſtop pool on the spa floor is owned by the hotel, for example, but is also used by spa guests, with poolside catering man- aged by Six Senses.


SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012


SIX SENSES MISSONI: FACILITIES Separate male and female spa areas,


each with the following facilities: n Treatment rooms


(six male, seven female) n One dual treatment room


(for use by either side) n Hammam n Sauna, steamroom, infra-red sauna,


experience showers by Hydrotherm n Kneipp pool and relaxation area


GLOBAL BRAND


Six Senses Missoni spans 1,500sq m (16,146sq ſt) and encompasses male and female spas (see above) – by law, spas in Kuwait must be segregated, with only female therapists on the female side and vice versa. A total of 13 treatment rooms offer everything from Six Senses signature treatments – holistic, hot stone and Oriental massages – to local favourites such as hammams. Both male and female hammams can incorporate up to three friends or same-sex family mem- bers; strangers cannot share the facilities. While hammam treatments use olive


and Moroccan soap, the others use natural, organic Six Senses Spa and Amala (see p58)


n Consultation room n Changing facilities


Ladies’ only spa: n 12-station gym n Manicure/pedicure area


Mixed-sex gym: n 16-station gym n Group exercise studio


product ranges. Both ranges are also sold as retail products, with the spa’s retail to treat- ment ratio currently around 12 per cent. “We aim for a minimum of 15 per cent, with a tar- get of 20 per cent,” says Taffin d’Heursel. Tere’s a mixed gym on the same floor as


the spa – open to members only – which looks out over a rooſtop pool and the sea. The female spa area also incorporates a small women-only gym. Both are supplied by Technogym and Schwinn. At the time of my visit in December 2011,


there were 70 members paying either kwd175 (us$630, €475, £388) monthly (no joining fee) or kwd1,200 (us$4,300, €3,250, £2,650) annually with a kwd50 (us$180, €136, £111)


Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 87


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