Six Senses aims to merge wellness and sustainability to promote personal health and the health of the planet

in running and developing hotels and spas, including heading up the Spa Task Force at Four Seasons.

Wellness innovation Many of Jacobs’ passions are growing in importance – and increasingly overlapping – for today’s travellers. “As people become more conscious about their health, they’re more accepting of different modalities, including the spiritual and mindful, and become more curious each year as to the possibilities,” Jacobs explains. “What will keep [wellness] relevant is continued work around new initiatives, jumping feet-first into the lesser-known healing arts, and doing work to devise programming that is interesting and exciting for our customers.” Those new initiatives and programmes are driven by a Wellness Innovation Group,

Anna Bjurstam

headed up by Anna Bjurstam, vice president of spa and wellness for Six Senses. The group is charged with the ongoing creation of wellness content for the brand, which recently has included the launch of a Grow With Six Senses programme for children; a holistic anti-ageing concept at Six Senses Kaplankaya; the development of a jet lag app; and the Sleep With Six Senses (see SB18/2 p66) and Eat With Six Senses programmes, which address sleep health and nutrition, respectively.

Notable new openings include a circuit of five lodges in Bhutan (top) and Six Senses Krabey Island in Cambodia (above)

Jumping feet-first into the lesserknown healing arts is exciting

Focus on ‘spa as spa’ Despite these broader wellness initiatives, spas remain at the heart of each Six Senses property, with every location offering signature treatments and therapies, plus locally inspired therapies, yogic programmes, and more traditional feel-good pampering. Therapists are drawn from all over the world, and visiting practitioners add an extra depth of knowledge. But it’s the move to take wellness outside the spa, integrating it into the entire stay for guests, that spabusiness.com issue 2 2019 17