recent study published in the Journal of
Positive Psychology showed that people
who invest in expensive products rather than
in experiences often devalue the item’s worth
directly after buying it. The researchers from
San Francisco State University found that
people derive greater long term happiness
from investing in memorable experiences. It
makes sense: unlike that 60inch TV you’ve
got your eye on, you’ll happily reflect on
amazing memories for many years to come.
As fitness professionals, the key to
retaining clients and generating that Holy
Grail of every business owner – unsolicited
word-of-mouth referrals – is to deliver
amazing experiences. While this should be
your goal in every session, imagine the wowfactor if you could do it against an incredible
backdrop of beaches and volcanos (while
getting paid for it). With its exclusive new
Health Hub, this is the experience that
Komune is now able to facilitate.
After breakfast I wander up through
the resort’s lush organic veggie garden,
which supplies ingredients for many of the
restaurant’s dishes, to discover the Hub.
Hidden away behind a wall of foliage, it
features a large open-sided yoga studio,
fully equipped gym with both traditional
equipment and functional training facilities
and a stunning, secluded eternity pool with
submerged stone recliners and day beds.
As I do a few laps in the pool, I consider
how I’d piece together a training retreat
here. It doesn’t take too much imagination.
By combining the on-site facilities with
local activities, from surfing and diving to
mountain biking and volcano hiking, a week’s
itinerary would soon take care of itself. And,
as I discovered, when you need a break from
all the luxury, a day trip to the shops, palace,
temples and famous monkey forest of Ubud
makes for an interesting diversion.
After sight-seeing up a healthy appetite,
I return to Komune in the evening and enjoy
a relaxing massage before reacquainting
myself with the Beach Club’s vast menu,
which features everything from the health
conscious to the decadent. The head
chef, Suangga, tells me that his kitchen
staff are used to catering to every dietary
requirement under the Indonesian sun;
‘Gluten-free, wheat-free, sugar-free – we
will still make you something delicious’ he
tells me. I have no such restrictions, so all I
need to do is decide whether it’s going to be
creamy yellow curry, melt in your mouth ribs,
crisp-based pizza or delicious nasi goreng.
Lounging near the beachside fire pit after
dinner, I watch the waves breaking on the shore
and feel too relaxed to move. There’s no floodlit
night surfing tonight, but there will be tomorrow.
If you’re looking to elevate the service you
offer by creating truly unique experiences for
your tribe of clients or students that marry their
passion for fitness with the magic of an island
escape, then Komune is worth investigating.
The word ‘commune’ might conjure
up images of hippies sharing their mung
bean salad or some political or religious
ideologues. Alter the spelling slightly and you
get something that, while retaining the spirit
of a community of likeminded individuals,
offers something else altogether.
Oliver Kitchingman is the editor of Network
magazine. He was the guest of Hotel Komune Bali.
MORE?
To make it easy for fitness professionals
to put together training and teaching
retreats, the team at Komune provides
one free room for every ten rooms
booked by your clients, meaning that
your accommodation is covered. For a
small daily per-person venue fee, your
group then gets to use the Health Hub’s
facilities for two hours each day, as
well as get free use of other programs
such as the early morning yoga classes.
komuneresorts.com/keramasbali
NETWORK SPRING 2015 | 29