Best Spas & Wellness Centres Announced

Best Spas and Wellness Centres in Malaysia Announced

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.

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

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

Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2008- Short Video

The Malaysian Spa Culture

If you have always wanted to try out a spa, but are confused with the myriad of centres calling themselves ‘spas’, fret not, for here’s a run-down on the Malaysian spa culture and scene.

So you have been to a few spas. Perhaps tried out most of the treatments available. Then good for you. For the majority of the people out there, however, it’s not always a clear cut case of walking into a spa and getting your money worth. Often, you don’t get what you expect. Why’s that?

Spas in Malaysia have some nasty connotations to it. Ask your parents. They will tell you it’s a place you shouldn’t go. “Don’t be naughty, eh”.

Which is completely unfair to our burgeoning spa industry, of course. Many spas and wellness centres that have mushroomed over the past few years have invested huge amount of money, expertise and passion into building some of the most talked-about spas in the region. In fact, we are fast becoming the next spa destination in Asia, and our industry growth is the envy of many.

But when is a spa, a spa?

Jumping on the bandwagon of the current frenzy for everything spa-ish, are the mom-and-pop beauty salons and massage centres. Whilst there’s absolutely nothing wrong with such decent businesses, they are not technically a spa.

The general consensus in the industry is that a spa should contain several treatment rooms, offer a variety of treatments, have professionally trained therapists and have an ambience that soothes and relaxes.

In most spas, you should be able to obtain a massage therapy, and have the option for facials, exfoliation (body scrubs), body wraps, floral bath and so on. You will often be led through a series of consultations before you choose a treatment that’s suitable for you and that fits your budget and time. Some spas will go to the extent of offering ‘spa cuisine’ or healthy meals that’s low in calorie, fat-free and high in vitamins.

As a good spa focuses on relaxation and rejuvenation, you shouldn’t be made to go through lengthy sales pitches disguised as consultations and told to swipe your credit card for treatments you haven’t even decided on. If I’m you, I walk out from such establishments. Fast.

And a real spa don’t have skimpily dressed ladies at its entrances, nor allow you to choose your ‘masseur’. In fact, spas no longer use the term masseurs, in favour of the term ‘therapist’ as it’s not uncommon to have therapists spending up to a year in classes to learn academic and practical aspects of spa therapies.

Day spa vs. destination spa

As spas are each unique, the industry segments itself into various categories. It’s very much like hotels: you have 5 star, 4 star, etc, and you have seaside resort, city hotel, inns, and so on.

The most common type of spas is the day spa. This is very similar to beauty salons, in that you only visit the spa for the duration of your treatment, and when you are done – off you go. The difference is this: a day spa would have more variety of treatments than a typical salon, and focuses on pampering and rejuvenation instead of beauty and slimming. Which doesn’t mean a day spa does not offer facials and slimming, as most does.

A destination spa on the other hand, is built into a resort and is often the key attraction of the resort they are in. Some destination spas in fact, are entire resorts, and you cannot opt to just book a room – you need to take up the whole package. Which is why the new term hotel / resort spa has emerged, to describe spas that are based in a hotel or resort but is not the raison d’etre of their hosts. Similar to day spas, but often larger and more elaborate, destination spas also offer longer treatment sessions. A half day (3 to 4 hours) or full day (6 to 8 hours) is common, and you’re likely to see multiple day spa packages as well.

Day spa and destination spa asides, there’s now a multitude of new types of spas. Medical spa are gaining popularity in Europe and Japan, and don’t be surprised to see one in Malaysia very soon. A medical spa is essentially a day or destination spa that also provides medical treatments, usually skin-related, although treatments of allergy, high-blood pressure and other lifestyle diseases are common. A medical spa is run by a healthcare professional, and offers a combination of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) and spa therapies. A cruise ship spa and club spa are self explanatory.

A new trend is to have ‘specialist spas’ such as ‘nail spa’ or ‘hair spa’. These are of course not spas proper, but there’s no way to stop enterprising people from using the term. At least in these cases, you know what to expect.

Too expensive or too cheap?

For some, parting with RM 800 for a full day spa package seems like a small sum for a whole day of luxury and pampering. But to some, RM 100 for a one-hour reflexology seems like a rip-off when street-side peddlers are offering them at RM30. So, how much do you pay for a spa treatment?

The going price for a one-hour spa session in Kuala Lumpur is RM 80 to RM 250. The price you pay of course depends on the ambience, location, treatment, experience of therapists and facilities available. Like hotels, there’s various kind of categories – the more stars they have on that little board behind the reception, the more you should expect to fork out.

As spa visits are often very personal, even intimate in nature, you should not settle for anything less than a clean, professional environment. If you are offered a treatment for a lot less, be wary. Your therapist may be self-learned or worse, completely untrained – and you walk away with a back-sore and more problems in the future. If you can’t afford to go regularly to a good spa, then it’s better to save for an irregular session, than to visit a street-side establishment with dubious training and certification, that uses cooking oil (yes, it happens!) to massage you.

By William Ng, Chairman of Asia Spa and Wellness Promotion Council

In a nutshell, spa enthusiasts should look for credible spas and wellness centres to get your every cent counts. Because spa should care for your health & wellness, and not the other way round..

Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2008

Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2007

Malaysia Spa and Wellness Awards 2006

Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2008

A multimedia video shown on Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards 2008 Gala Dinner, Sime Darby Convention Centre, 19 January 2009.


Nomination for Malaysia Spa & Wellness Awards will be opened soon!
For more information, please log on to www.spawellnessawards.com