Kenya: Wild Earth Spa Brings Back Vitality of Nature

Tag : spa water treatment

This recovery, one may say, begins right at the spa's receptionthat is painted in calming colours and furnished with comfortablechairs. Two water fountains flow at the corners giving audiosupport to the relaxation that piped music adds to the environment.
This is the work of Elisabeth Armitage, a former fashion designer,and Colette Qureshi, a former paramedic.
The duo (plus a third partner, Jill Scott) guarantee a therapy thatruns on natural and latest products in the market. More recently,the spa has acquired a slimming machine and flies in an expert fromSouth Africa every four months to remain on the cutting edge of thebusiness. The list of services is long- ranging from specialisedfacial treatments to full body massages. Ms Armitage says treatmentis for every part of the body from the head to the toe and that thename Wild Earth derives from use of natural products.
Long before they went into the business of therapy, Ms Armitage andQureshi worked as interior designers and jointly run a fabric shopcalled Beyond Interiors at the Sarit Centre.
Running the shop involved frequent travel out of the country to buystocks. It was during these travels that the duo frequented spas invarious cities to relax after long hours of air travel.
And from it was born the idea of running a spa. The dream wasrealised in February last year with the renovation of an old housealong Peponi Road and its conversion into a spa with six treatmentrooms, one wet area and a salon.
Ms Qureshi says it took much longer to get the business on its feetbecause they decided not to borrow any money to finance it. Thepartners had to set aside a specified amount of money every monthfor the project no matter what personal commitments they had.
The spa opened in December 2007 with a staff of 16, some of who hadbeen trained in South Africa and Dubai.
Mercy Wambui gives clients a massage
"Though it is a business like any other, this spa representsthe calmer side of us," says Ms Armitage referring to interiordesign as tough and demanding. The target customer for Wild EarthDay Spa is the woman "who is too busy looking after everybodyelse but not herself," she says.
"If anything, we are introducing the spa experience towomen," says Ms Qureshi, adding that spas have been around forcenturies but had men as the main users.
Spas have their origins in ancient Greece where men used watertreatment for relaxation and healing. Ms Qureshi says there hasbeen some sort of revolution, with men starting to buy spa vouchersfor their wives and girlfriends.
She says spa means water treatment and without water there is nospa. One other important service that is needed to run the businessis electricity. Not only is power needed to run the water, but alsobring the right ambiance to the place through lighting.
The spa uses académie, French professional products forspas, facials and Thai products for the body massage and clientsmake their choices according to skin types and environmentalelements. Everyone who walks into the spa gets a skin analysis andanswers a questionnaire to determine their allergies or any othermedical condition.
Ms Qureshi says this is important because some products reactnegatively to certain types of skin. The pampering is doneaccording to a client's needs and when it is over they are usheredinto a quiet room to relax with their favourite drink or a bowl offruits.