member profile
Apart from
learning
standard spa
protocols, staff train to become
a full Wai Ora practitioner
(performs energy work and
Maori blessings) which may
take up to two years. Hughes
invites a panel (composed of
osteopathic, allopathic,
naturopathic physicians and a
Maori tribal elder) to conduct
training assessments. Staff
who successfully finish their
training are presented with a
handcrafted Manaia, a Maori
symbol denoting their
achievement. So far, only
eight of Hughes’ staff are Wai
Ora practitioners.
FAST
FACTS
Wai Ora Spa is the only Maori-owned and operated geothermal reserve in New Zealand.
“have mud, can mud, sell mud” process.
The sales strategy, at least at this point,
is local-focused and marketing is mostly
through word-of-mouth. Named Alite,
the skin care brand comes in two lines
with different base ingredients: Black
mud (relieves muscular disorders such as
arthritis and skin rejuvenation), and grey
mud (soothes and silkens skin). Certain
products from the line also include local
and natural ingredients like Te Matae
rose, Manuka essential oil (New
Zealand’s equivalent to tea tree oil) and
Manuka honey.
Exclusively sold at Wai Ora’s spa
locations, Hell’s Gate and the Lakeside
Resort, the line’s retail sales, according
to Hughes, have been relatively modest.
However, that is set to change in 2013
once national and international distribution channels are in place, and with the
introduction of a third line, derived from
the reserve’s white mud.
“[Luxury beauty company] Helena
Rubenstein [has] once offered us a lot of
money to patent and commercialize our
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March/April 2012
white mud,” Hughes recalls, “so that
alone tells you that it has some very
special qualities.”
Made with white obsidian (glass-like
volcanic rock), this chalky, dry mud was
once used by Maori warriors to heal
wounds, regenerate the skin and diminish scars. Because of its ability to liquefy
through gentle shaking, the mud is
easily applied as a salve before it rehardens as a sealant, during which the
skin absorbs the plethora of healthgiving minerals.
Land coral is another “liquid gold”
found on the reserve which, if proven
viable, will add another dimension to
Wai Ora’s health and wellness experience. With its bio-remedial features,
land coral produces a toxin that stops
cell growth—a quality Otago and
Auckland universities are investigating in
cancer research.
Financial Hurdles
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of
operating a spa, much more opening
one, is surviving a weak economy.
Hughes knew this too well after opening
the Wai Ora Lakeside Resort & Spa in
2008 at the peak of the global recession.
While financing and other variables
were strongly impacted, the major hurdle
was changes to building bylaws. In
response to earthquakes that devastated
Christchurch and parts of New Zealand,
building bylaws related to earthquake
insurance were changed, requiring an
upfront payment of premiums instead of
amortizing the cost. In turn, this also
meant redoing the drainage system in
the spa’s parking lot and other structural
items. This eventually led to a budget
increase of NZ$7.5 million (roughly
US$6.2 million) to NZ$10.5 million
(around US$8.7 million).
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)