FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN
2018
ISPA BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
ELECTED OFFICERS
CHAIRMAN
Todd Shaw
The Peaks Resort & Spa
VICE CHAIRMAN
Todd Hewitt
Shangri-La International
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Garrett Mersberger
Kohler Co.
“Self-care” iS going to be a major buzz word in 2018, but what does
that mean for those of us who work in the wellness industry? It should mean that we take the
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
Michael Tompkins
Hutchinson Consulting
DIRECTORS
time to listen, that we hold ourselves accountable, and we make a point to protect and nurture Sharilyn Abbajay
ISPA Foundation Vice Chairman
everyone around us—from our guests to our staff. Self-care and wellness need to be a constant Noel Asmar
Noel Asmar Group, Inc.
practice. Peyton Manning didn’t just run onto the field every Sunday without spending hours
practicing exactly what he was going to do, so neither can we. We must spend every day
Damien Craft
Four Seasons Westlake Village
practicing the little things that lead to a life of wellness. We must learn to hold ourselves Scott Duncan
Spa Gregorie’s
accountable and not fear inevitable change, but embrace it. Brennan Evans
Trilogy Spa Holdings
I don’t really like the word change. It has such a bad connotation, but shouldn’t everything
be constantly moving, changing, evolving? During his 2017 ISPA Conference & Expo keynote
Blake Feeney
Living Earth Crafts
presentation, Manning noted that you should always be pushing yourself to the edge, and when Kelleye Heydan
The Edgewater Resort & Spa
you get to that edge, you find a new edge to push towards. If we don’t embrace change, how Patrick Huey
Ballagio Spa & Salon
will we keep moving that edge and evolving to a new reality?
We live in a time where many people are afraid of change. That fear is manifested in the
Kristine Huffman
Huffman Hospitality Concepts
inability to comprehend other points of view or concepts or even the thoughts of people who Laura Parsons
ESPA International (US) Ltd. (Spa Division)
may think or feel differently. In other words, we’ve stopped listening to each other. How can we Frank Pitsikalis
ISPA Foundation Chairman
truly practice wellness if we don’t slow down and listen to the needs of everyone around us?
It’s about what choices we are going to make to better ourselves and those around us. We
Eric Stephenson
Elements Massage
have a responsibility as managers to respect others’ space, comfort zones and opinions. We Robert Vance
Sensei Retreats Lana'i
have the personal responsibility to be human beings and care for one another. As leaders in our Lynne McNees
International SPA Association
industry we can lead the way on this wellness and self-care movement, we just have to practice!
Since 2018 will be the year of wellness and self-care, why don’t we recommit to putting spas
at the forefront of that movement? We can do this by reinforcing that spas are safe havens—
MEDICAL ADVISOR
Brent A. Bauer, MD
Mayo Clinic
places where personal growth and safety are put above everything else, and communicating that
spas are the ultimate place for wellness and self-care—for both your guests and your staff. Using CHAIRMEN’S COUNCIL
the New Year to recommit to spa is the ultimate form of self-care we can accomplish. Past ISPA Chairmen who are current members:
Gayle Brady • Brady Spa Consulting
Ella Kent • The Spa at Sea Island
Jeff Kohl • Spa & Club Ideations
Jean Kolb • Well By Choice
—TODD SHAW, CHAIRMAN
John Korpi • Korpi & Korpi
Kate Mearns • LIVunLtd
Todd Shaw MBA
@tddshaw
Todd Shaw
Jim Root • The Westmoor Club
Jane Segerberg • Segerberg Spa Consulting, LLC
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January/February 2018
Deborah Waldvogel • ResortSuite