24 Spas, Wellness Centres and Spa Product Brands Honoured in Oscar-styled Ceremony

PUTRAJAYA - In a star-studded ceremony reminiscent of the Academy Awards, 24 spas, wellness centres and spa product brands were honoured with the Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2009 at the Putrajaya Marriott Hotel & Spa.

As each Award was announced the whole ballroom roared with applause from both winner and nominees alike.

The much awaited Awards, dubbed the most prestigious awards for spas and wellness centres in Malaysia are organised by the Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council. The Awards were presented by Dato’ Dr. James Dawos Mamit, Deputy Minister of Tourism Malaysia. Also present at the packed Awards ceremony were Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Hj. Ab. Ghaffar, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, William Ng, Chairman of Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council, and representatives from spa associations across Asia.

The winners were selected from a pool of 163 nominations, and were judged by a panel of independent judges comprising spa personalities, travel and lifestyle magazine editors and celebrities. The grueling nomination and adjudication process took over three months, and comprised of mystery visits and spa audits. In deciding the winner, the judges took into consideration both the ‘hardware’ component – ambience, design and equipment, and ‘software’ component – therapist skills and qualifications, treatment menus, and service quality.

Among the big winners of the night are YTL’s Spa Village Group, which took home four awards including the prestigious Best Spa Group. Built on a floating spa concept at Avillion Port Dickson, Avi Spa was awarded with Best New Spa and Best Traditional Treatment. Borneo Spa at Nexus Karambunai and Mandara Spa at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa were honoured as Best Resort Spa and Best Hotel Spa respectively. Spa Village’s Ayu Murdani and Serenity Spa’s Antony Dalani were named Best Spa Therapists.

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Council Chairman, William Ng said that the industry players should rely on each other’s strength and know-how in a win-win collaboration, rather than see each other as a competition of one another.

“Through collaborative and co-operative campaigns, such as those promoted by the Council, we will be able to draw on our collective strength as an industry, and better promote and sustain our own businesses”, Ng said.

Since the introduction of the Awards in 2006, the industry has rallied behind this momentous annual event, and the Awards have raised the bar for the spa and wellness industry. At the same time, greater recognition both locally and internationally for our spas bodes well for Malaysia to become a regional spa destination.

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About the Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council

The Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council, or ASWPC is the regional coordinating body for the promotion of spas and wellness centres. We assist national and regional organisation in promoting spas and wellness centres both inter- and intra-regionally to an audience of wellness tourists, health practitioners and other stakeholders.

Our credo:
1. Uphold the professionalism of the spa & wellness industry at all times
2. Promote sustainability and respect for the environment in all we do
3. Treat all practitioners and stakeholders as equal

For more info, visit www.aswpc.org

About the Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards
The Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards is an annual Awards ceremony organized by Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council to identify and promote Malaysia’s best spas, wellness centres and other industry affiliates. Winners are not only among the best in the country, they carry the Malaysian flag in our efforts to promote Malaysia as a regional spa destination.

For more info, visit www.spawellnessawards.com

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Full List of Winners
Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2009

Spas and Wellness Centres 
Best Day Spa The Asia Spa, Kuala Lumpur
Best Resort Spa  Borneo Spa, Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai, Sabah
Best Destination Spa Spa Village Tanjong Jara, Tanjong Jara Resort, Terengganu
Best Hotel Spa Mandara Spa, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Selangor
Best New Spa Avi Spa, Avillion Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
Best Family Spa Pedas Springs, First World Plaza, Resorts World Genting, Pahang
Best Spa Design (Hotel/Resort) CHI, The Spa at Shangri-la's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang
Best Spa Design (Day Spa) Elysyle Spa, Kuala Lumpur
Best Spa Ambience Serenity Spa, Bangi, Selangor
Best Spa Experience M Spa & Fitness, Maxims Genting, Resorts World Genting, Pahang
Best Customer Service JoJoBa Spa, Berjaya Times Square Hotel & Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur
 Sembunyi Spa, Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa, Selangor
Best Signature Treatment  Suam Suam Panas, Shiok Shiok Sejuk, Spa Village Malacca, Malacca
Best Traditional Treatment Malay Strength, Avi Spa, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
 Pulau Bayu Retreat, CHI, The Spa at Shangri-la's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Sabah
Best Wellness Treatment RimBa Royal, RimBa Spa, Royale Bintang Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Best Hair Care Centre 101 Hair Care
Best Slimming Centre Slimming Sanctuary
Best Yoga Centre Yoga Club by Prabhu Yoga
 
People & innovation 
Best Spa Product (Home Spa) Tanamera
Best Spa Product (Body Care) Biossentials
Best Spa Therapist Ayu Murdani, Spa Village
Antony bin Dalani, Serenity Spa
Best Wellness Equipment Zazen Far Infrared Thermal System, Zazen Health Solutions
Best Nail Art Academy Y Snow Beauty
Best Beauty & Slimming Academy Terimee International Beauty Slimming Academy
Best Spa Group Spa Village Group
Best Consumer Choice Thai Odyssey

GLOSSARY

Spa – the term ‘spa’ comes from the Latin acronym ‘salus par aquum’ meaning healing by water or water-based therapies.

A number of organisations have endeavoured to defined spas in a contemporary context. For instance, Singapore-based spa research specialists, Intelligent Spas defines ‘professional spa treatments’ to be ‘based on authentic therapies and practiced by qualified and knowledgeable personnel’.

The International Spa Association (ISPA) defines 'spa’ as ‘… entities devoted to enhancing overall wellbeing through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit’. This definition clearly implies both health and wellbeing.

The Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council defines spas as ‘any licenses establishment providing wellness treatments including, but not limited to professional massage, plus some form of water-related treatment such as therapeutic bath, scrubs and technology-driven water treatments’.

More importantly, this clearly precludes massage centres and reflexology services offering solely massage and reflexology services.

Wellness – has been defined by Mueller and Kaufmann as a ‘state of health featuring the harmony of body, mind and spirit, with self responsibility, physical fitness / beauty care, healthy nutrition / diet, relaxation / meditation, mental activity / education and environmental sensitivity / social contacts as fundamental elements’.

In terms of defining the different spa experiences, the following are the general categories commonly used and referred to in the industry:

Day Spa – a business that provides professional administered spa services that are offered to clients on a daily basis within appropriate day spa facilities. These are further divided into stand-alone day spas, which are housed in their own building or within an office or commercial complex, and hotel-based spas, which although attached to accommodation facilities, are complementary to the hotel products rather the reason for the hotel existence.

Destination Spa – spas provide spa-style treatments with accommodation or are housed within a hotel or resort which the spa being the major attraction for that hotel or resort. These are further divided according to the location of the destination spas, and include island spa (most popular in Malaysia), highland spa, underwater spa (there’s one in Australia and more are being built worldwide), and hot spring / thermal spas (such as onsen in Japan and hotsprings in Victoria, Australia).

Medical Spa – these are relatively new entrants in the spa market and combines medical treatments with spa facilities. Commonly owned, or managed by a licensed medical professional, a medical spa
 
Related Spas – are businesses that incorporate spa principles into their philosophy and practices, with minimal water therapy facilities and minimal guest amenities. These include hair and beauty salons, ‘fish spas’ using fishes to massage the feet, dental spas, nail spas and larger and more comprehensive massage centres. This is one of the more commonly found form of spa in Malaysia.

Wellness Centres – generally lumped with spas within the spa and wellness market, and yet not as easily defined as spas. Wellness centres can be defined as any establishment that offers non-medical or non-exclusively medical services, which may or may not be traditional and complementary in nature.

Media Contact:
Ms. Candice Chiang
+60127252393
candice@aswpc.org