member profile
WAI ORA SPA
Merging Culture with Spa Experience
T
Wai Ora Spa capitalizes on its rich Maori heritage
by highlighting treatments—like mud and
geothermal spring baths—inspired by New
Zealand's indigenous community.
he business of operating a spa, at least for Wai Ora Spa’s CEO and
General Manager Bryan Hughes, is far more than just offering massages, facials and body scrubs. It’s also an opportunity to merge the
spa experience with New Zealand’s rich and dynamic culture, especially since this land of geothermal springs is fast becoming a destination both for
local and international tourists seeking unique spa experiences.
Wai Ora Spa, located in Rotorua and in the only remaining Maori-owned and
operated geothermal reserve in New Zealand, operates three
B Y C H R I S M c B E AT H
properties: Hell’s Gate Wai Ora Health & Wellness Centre,
Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort and Makaia Island Reserve & Sanctuary.
“Rotorua attracts over half of New Zealand’s 2.4 million international visitors, but
Hell’s Gate Wai Ora Health & Wellness alone draws nearly 70,000 of them a year—
the majority of whom are international frequent independent travelers (FITs), so
there’s a lot of growing room to be had,” Hughes says.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Wai Ora Spa was once host to the ISPA Asia-Pacific Conference.
14 PULSE
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March/April 2012