Business Daily (Nairobi)
Abbysinia Lati
9 June 2008
In the serene suburbs of Nairobi's Westlands is a healthcare gem offering services that many city residents often have to travel for miles and pay thousands of shillings to access.
Hidden in a leafy neighbourhood and covered with a light but relaxing smell of green grass and blossoming flowers is the luxurious Wild Earth Day Spa. Those who run this little recreation facility promise their customers one thing: "putting back a little of what life takes out..."
This recovery, one may say, begins right at the spa's reception that is painted in calming colours and furnished with comfortable chairs. Two water fountains flow at the corners giving audio support 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 that runs on natural and latest products in the market. More recently, the spa has acquired a slimming machine and flies in an expert from South Africa every four months to remain on the cutting edge of the business. The list of services is long- ranging from specialised facial treatments to full body massages. Ms Armitage says treatment is for every part of the body from the head to the toe and that the name Wild Earth derives from use of natural products.
Long before they went into the business of therapy, Ms Armitage and Qureshi worked as interior designers and jointly run a fabric shop called Beyond Interiors at the Sarit Centre.
Running the shop involved frequent travel out of the country to buy stocks. It was during these travels that the duo frequented spas in various cities to relax after long hours of air travel.
And from it was born the idea of running a spa. The dream was realised in February last year with the renovation of an old house along Peponi Road and its conversion into a spa with six treatment rooms, one wet area and a salon.
Ms Qureshi says it took much longer to get the business on its feet because they decided not to borrow any money to finance it. The partners had to set aside a specified amount of money every month for the project no matter what personal commitments they had.
The spa opened in December 2007 with a staff of 16, some of who had been trained in South Africa and Dubai.
Mercy Wambui gives clients a massage
"Though it is a business like any other, this spa represents the calmer side of us," says Ms Armitage referring to interior design as tough and demanding. The target customer for Wild Earth Day Spa is the woman "who is too busy looking after everybody else but not herself," she says.
"If anything, we are introducing the spa experience to women," says Ms Qureshi, adding that spas have been around for centuries but had men as the main users.
Spas have their origins in ancient Greece where men used water treatment for relaxation and healing. Ms Qureshi says there has been some sort of revolution, with men starting to buy spa vouchers for their wives and girlfriends.
She says spa means water treatment and without water there is no spa. One other important service that is needed to run the business is electricity. Not only is power needed to run the water, but also bring the right ambiance to the place through lighting.
The spa uses académie, French professional products for spas, facials and Thai products for the body massage and clients make their choices according to skin types and environmental elements. Everyone who walks into the spa gets a skin analysis and answers a questionnaire to determine their allergies or any other medical condition.
Ms Qureshi says this is important because some products react negatively to certain types of skin. The pampering is done according to a client's needs and when it is over they are ushered into a quiet room to relax with their favourite drink or a bowl of fruits.
Rapid growth of the business has enable Wild Earth Day Spa to develop products for corporate clients as well as bridal packages that begin six weeks before the big day.
"Someone has to be committed to this programme for it work," says Ms Qureshi. The business is open seven days a week with Sunday as the busiest day. Ms Qureshi says Wild Earth Day Spa's dream is to expand throughout East Africa.
"For now though, all our efforts are concentrated in ensuring that our clients leave the spa happy and relaxed having got value for their money."
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the place looks good from the artical,can i have the contacts to book appointment,
navin patel