Spa Executive May 2024

How does technology fit into
wellness and hospitality these days?
Do you find you are using more of it?
We’re using a lot more technology, but
we’re trying to be mindful. I’m using
wearables at the moment because I am in
the period of measurements, but then I’ll
go three or four months and do nothing.
Because the most important thing is to
listen to your own body and its cues. It’s
much smarter than any wearable, but
sometimes we need wearables to learn
about our bodies, which is interesting. So,
I think we’re trying to use it mindfully at Six
Senses in the sense that we use it when it
serves us and not when it doesn’t.
Be mindful of digitally detoxing every day
if you can. We encourage our guests not
to look at their phones first thing in the
morning if possible. Because that will
overstimulate the brain and the brain
gets tired. You’re supposed to have a slow
buildup of your brain function.
Can you address how all of the things
that you do at Six Senses contribute
to happiness. Do you think a lot
about people’s happiness factor?
Yes, we do. Incredibly much, I would say.
But not really “happiness” exactly, because
happiness is a cursed word. It means that
you have to do something to become
happy, like buy a new car. If we talk to
Buddhist monks, they talk instead about
“contentment.” Contentment is something
to strive for because happiness implies that
we always have to be on a high end.
content. If we are content in life, we have
joy. Being content brings more fulfillment.
I believe that, more than anything else,
spiritual wellbeing and finding awe and
wonder and curiosity in life is what creates
what we call happiness.
That’s why we’re so big on things like
retreats and festivals. We want to create
that community. We’ve also been rolling out
communal tables and conversation cards
on tables. So, you can put your phone in a
box and use conversation cards. It’s been
so successful. Guests are loving it.
What are you excited about?
I’m incredibly excited about longevity and
what you can do to prevent needing to
go to hospital or getting various diseases.
Seventy percent of Americans suffer from
autoimmune disease, and 40% have two.
The likelihood that I will get cancer is pretty
big, but if I do the longevity measures, I
can maybe push that forward five years
and that’s huge. So, I’m very excited about
longevity research and also the more
technical stem cell, exosomes, peptides
research that’s happening at the moment.
Female health has been growing and I’ve
learned so much in the last couple of years
that I wish I knew before about how my
body actually works. And then I’m very
excited about shamanism and energy
medicine because that’s something very
close to my heart.
We’re rolling out a program later this year
for spiritual wellbeing, which is about
having purpose and being connected with
yourself and others. Having a community
is very important for being happy or being
20 | Spa Executive