How to Bring the Spa to Your Meeting

Something as quick as a five-minute chair massage can make a huge impact in how meeting attendees feel — and function — during a meeting. At The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, CA, Spa Director Robin Dunivin often organizes chair massages between meeting breaks, or even employs her spa therapists to offer short massages at hospitality suites for check-in and registration. “That little bit of wellness keeps meeting guests very happy, whether they’re spa goers or not,” Dunivin explains. “They’re more relaxed, and they have a more balanced attitude to be open to whatever they need to learn or do at their meeting.”

Last year, Beth A. Cooper-Zobott, director of conference services for Chicago-based Equity Residential, offered chair massages to attendees at each of her three leader summits throughout the U.S. And while she says that some attendees — especially men — were at first reluctant to have a massage, “they’d soon sit down and do it and be total converts.” She says, “Having those chair massages just really relaxed people and contributed to their physical and psychological wellbeing.”

More hotels aren’t just bringing the spa to a meeting with chair massages or mini spa treatments during breaks; some are actually inviting groups to bring their meetings to the spa, too.

At the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa in Waikiki, the concept of “spa-ceptions” has caught on with meeting groups. The idea, says Stuart Y. Kotake, associate director of catering and event management, was a natural extension of Westin’s focus on wellness. Working together with Travis Kono, director of spa, Kotake has created a variety of spa receptions for meeting groups inside the hotel’s Moana Lani Spa. 

For those groups, says Kotake, the spa experience is transformational. “There’s such a huge difference between walking into a meeting room versus walking into a spa,” he explains. “Those visual, mental, and sensory cues that tell you that you’re in a spa are so powerful. The moment you enter a spa, you become more introspective, and your vocabulary and your movements physically change. That different experience that planners are always looking for is already built in for you.”

One group of both male and female executives from a company based in Asia recently held a spa-ception where each individual received an individual spa treatment, later reconnecting with each other in the relaxation room to continue their teambuilding and meeting discussion. “You have to have the right dynamic for something like this,” Kotake notes. “But it’s a wonderful example of having the opportunity to have great conversations and feel less stressed and connect; it’s cathartic and very relaxing.”

Another group, says Kono, had a late afternoon spa-ception following a full day of meetings. The food and beverage served during the reception was made up entirely of SuperFoods, and a “Blend Bar” in one corner of the room let each attendee select a scent of his or her choice to create a custom-blended Hawaiian salt scrub. Those scrubs, says Kono, were then used for quick 15-minute foot scrubs at the reception. “It was a refreshing experience for them, and it also allowed them to take something home with them that would remind them of the meeting, too,” Kono adds.

Spa soirees are also popular with meeting groups at The Resort at Pelican Hill. “We sometimes do custom events where groups are given a ‘Canvas of Intention’ where each member of the group can paint his or her own intention onto a giant canvas,” Dunivin notes. Her spa also offers custom aromatherapy blends for individual meeting attendees. 

If it’s not possible or feasible to bring your meeting to the spa, adding spa elements to your meeting venue can also help attendees feel more relaxed and ready to learn. Just as a spa creates an ambiance of relaxation and serenity, you have the power to change the energy and wellness of an event just by paying closer attention to lighting, music, and scents.

“The spa is all about the senses,” explains Kono. “If you want to do some subtle changes to energize your attendees, or make them feel calmer, you can us aromatherapy. It adds a lot, and is very low-cost.” He suggests using reed diffusers, or giving each attendee access to an essential oil that they can use on their wrists or temples.

Pelican Hill’s Dunivin suggests, if possible, to even consider using aromatherapy candles to change both the scent and lighting of a meeting.

The use of lighting is yet another opportunity to make attendees feel better, says On Target Living Director of Business Development and Peak Performance Trainer Matt Johnson. “If you’re in a beautiful setting, you want to get as much good natural light as you can. Getting natural sunlight is important for your health; that vitamin D is so crucial to good health.” 

Tara Gravette Vice, owner and president of Birmingham, AL-based Any Reason to Plan, follows the same strategy. “Anytime possible, I think it is important to try and incorporate natural light to a conference or meeting. Sometimes, it means having a lunch set outside on a patio, having a ‘learning lounge’ area outside or just promoting a break time outside. Natural light improves moods and makes everything happier.”