Pulse May 2025 | Page 32

AS A PRACTICING PHYSICIAN, Kathryn Dundas has always taken care of people’ s health. But when she started her private practice 20 years ago in Calgary, she noticed significant gaps in her patients’ healthcare. Traditional medicine was concerned with putting out fires, not preventing them, and patients“ didn’ t see spa as part of their healthcare,” Dundas says.“ I wanted the whole toolbox available to my patients. How do we increase someone’ s health-span— not their lifespan, but their health-span?”

When the space adjoining her medical practice became available, Dundas took this as a sign: She launched Sublime Wellness Spa there in 2007 to open that toolbox to her patients.

Early on, the M. D. after Dundas’ s name often meant prospective clients and staff assumed Sublime Wellness was a typical medspa. However, Sublime Wellness was different, offering a full suite of massage, facials and energy work( Dundas employed a dedicated energy director at the time) alongside medspa injectables and treatments. This challenged convention: Medspas didn’ t typically talk about

FOUNDER’ S PLAYBOOK l ADVICE FOR YOUR YOUNGER SELF:“ Ask for help more. Reach out to people around you, to like-minded individuals.” l PERSONAL MOTTO:“ Go with the flow.” l BIGGEST MENTOR:“ My biggest mentor worked in marketing and had been an entrepreneur. He supported my vision and would challenge me to explain it more effectively to the world at large.” l ALTERNATE CAREER:“ Veterinary medicine. My friends and family always said I was like Dr. Doolittle taking care of injured wild animals.”

things like energy, while traditional spas didn’ t feature cutting-edge injectables. Sublime Wellness broke the mold by fusing these paradigms; bringing both clients and staff into the fold of that new vision was challenging but worthwhile, says Dundas.

After nearly two decades of success, Sublime Wellness is relaunching this year as Sublime Life to better emphasize Dundas’ s understanding of how both spa and medicine contribute to a healthy life.“ We’ re making people more aware of the full spectrum of services we offer,” says Dundas, which includes integrative medical counseling in tandem with Dundas’ s medical practice.“ Right now, people need connection more than they ever have, and our spa is a community,” says Dundas.“ Spa isn’ t about luxury services,” she adds.“ It needs to be part of your life.” n

Dr. Kathryn Dundas with Ella Kent and Frank Pitsikalis at a 2011 ISPA Board meeting.

The spa community is fortunate to have leaders who have elevated the spa experience and shaped the industry ' s evolution.

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