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FAMILY MATTERS: THE BREPOHLS


Hydrotherapy, including watsu (pictured) is one of the seven pillars of natural medicine that forms the Lapinha concept


she began a series of summer internships, her adult career has been in marketing and development for fi rms like Citibank and Toyota. But her father persuaded her to return to Lapinha in a full-time mar- keting role. “I wasn’t too keen on the idea initially but decided to give it two years,” admits Marianne. “When I arrived in 2010, I wanted to introduce what I’d learnt about implementing processes and quality controls. T at must’ve been a challenge for my parents because I started to encourage a company culture of questioning why we did things.” She’s also contributed to Lapinha’s busi-


ness plan, including the realisation of a four-year, €5m (us$6.5m, £4m) investment phase that has bolstered the business’ line up. In addition to the refurbishment of 20 out of 38 guest rooms, other improvements have been a new 1,000sq m (10,764sq ſt ) techno- logically advanced spa building, an outdoor pool and standalone fi tness centre, designed by architect Joerg Gertsch. Previously, spa facilities were located in


the main house alongside guest accom- modation, but thanks to the new building everything is now conveniently altogether under one roof. Features include a caldar- ium, indoor and outdoor Kneipp stations, a thalassotherapy pool, 10 treatment rooms – three for aesthetic services, plus one with a Vichy shower and another with a Dermalife capsule – a beauty salon and three medical consultation rooms as well as medical mon- itoring facilities.


There are 38 rooms in total which can accommodate up to 60 guests at any one time Another facet of the business – one that


has evolved since 1972 – is the production of organic Lapinha food such as jam, bread, cheese and honey, which are sold onsite as well as being distributed to markets in São Paulo, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro. Investment money has also been poured


into marketing initiatives as Marianne explains: “In Brazil, spas are still generally associated with losing weight. T ey have a hard image and are perceived as depressing places, with myths circulating about regi- mental rules. So we’ve worked on soſt ening and renewing our brand through new visu-


76 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital


als, more inviting language and fresh online elements. We bring journalists over to show them fi rst-hand that Lapinha is an upliſt ing location in which to take care of your body and soul. We work with bloggers who talk about fashionable trends, we are present at lifestyle events catering to our target custom- ers and we have become known as a medical spa, rather than a clinic.” Relationships with Brazilian medical


associations, homeopaths and acupunctur- ists have been fostered in a bid to increase awareness of natural medicine. “Holistic approaches still aren’t very popular in Bra-


SPA BUSINESS 4 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012


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