Thai spas win 5 awards

Thai Massage Bangkok - Arabstoday Thai spas swept up five of the 25 coveted top honours for innovation and quality in spa standards at the recent seventh annual AsiaSpa Awards ceremony in Hong Kong.“This is huge kudos,” says Andrew Jacka, President of the Thai Spa Association. “Thailand has again walked away with 20 per cent of these prestigious awards. This underlines not only the professionalism that the Thai spa industry has achieved over the past few years, but also highlights some of our unique strengths - our cuisine and our regional domination of the medical spa industry.”In addition to Thai spas receiving the most tributes among the participating spa operators, the Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa in Koh Samui was the only awardee garnering two of the Baccarat trophies, for Spa Retreat of the Year and Spa Cuisine of the Year.The three other Thai winners recognized for their excellence are: TRIA Integrated Wellness in Bangkok for Medi-Spa of the Year; ‘The Siam Journey’, The Peninsula Spa by ESPA at The Peninsula in Bangkok for Spa Treatment of the Year; and Coqoon Spa at The Indigo Pearl in Phuket for Spa Design of the Year.Mr Jacka believes the spa design of the year, a first for Thailand, is also applause for a new direction the Thai spa industry is taking. “Coqoon Spa is absolutely outstanding design and really, really creative. And it’s not singular here – spa designers are thinking out of the box and taking the Thai spa experience to a whole new level,” he says.More than 300 leading spa professionals gathered at Hong Kong's The Mira Hotel in early November for the stunning ceremony that recognizes the industry's top spas, personalities, destinations and products.The AsiaSpa Awards pays tribute to current trends, consistent performances and movers and shakers within the industry. To be shortlisted for the AsiaSpa Award, a spa must impress the more than 20 judges with its professionalism, innovation, quality of treatment and service. The judges are health experts, spa gurus, well-being writers and personalities from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom.“2011 has been a fantastic year for the spa industry, particularly here in Asia, and this year’s awards are our most competitive yet,” says Rebecca Walker, Editor-in-Chief of AsiaSpa Magazine, which initiated the awards to recognize those spas that “drive the exceptional standard” that has become the hallmark of Asia.“Asia’s wellness industry is thriving and we’re thrilled to give recognition to the best of the best,” says Ms Walker.AsiaSpa is Asia’s only magazine dedicated to “the pursuit of complete well-being”. From the latest spa destinations and treatments to health, cuisine, fashion and cosmetics, AsiaSpa is an essential guide to pampering and inner tranquillity, with a circulation of more than 120,000 readers.“Spa concepts and design have evolved enormously in the past few years and we want to give recognition to the innovative pioneers who are pushing the wellness envelope,” says Ms Walker.