26 May 2005
New zealand's biggest day spa opens at the skycity grand hotel
Auckland, May 26, 2005 - New Zealand's biggest day spa, the luxury East Day Spa at the five-star SKYCITY Grand Hotel,
opens in central Auckland today.
Featuring ten treatment rooms with full hydrotherapy facilities, the luxurious East Day Spa at 123 Albert St is also
Auckland's first Eastern-style day spa.
Custom-built as an urban sanctuary for peace and relaxation, East Day Spa will service the Auckland market as well as
business and leisure travellers.
The spa is operated by East Day Spa Ltd, a growing and innovative Wellington-based entrepreneurial company specialising
in holistic, Eastern-style massage, skin and beauty treatments.
East Day Spa Ltd Managing Director Ina Bajaj says the company's expansion into the Auckland market reflected a growing
demand for day spa treatments in New Zealand.
"With all the attention focused these days on stress, it's no surprise that interest in day spa treatments is on the
rise. Everyone from stressed-out executives to busy mums, working people and worn-out city folk generally are turning to
East Day Spa to feel refreshed, rested and re-energised.
"Internationally, the day spa industry has experienced phenomenal growth and this trend is now reaching New Zealand,"
she says. "People, especially those living in cities, now have to live with stress on a daily basis and are realising
that far from being a luxury item, a visit to a day spa is essential for maintaining their everyday wellbeing."
Ms Bajaj says the company was excited to be opening its second spa on a grander-scale with one of Auckland's biggest
companies. The first East Day Spa opened in Wellington in August 2002.
"We are pleased that SKYCITY decided to look outside the square and approached a non-conventional spa operator to set up
a luxury spa in its new upmarket hotel," she says.
"The decision shows SKYCITY is up with the play with global trends in the growing international spa industry, which has
experienced an upsurge in popularity of Eastern-style spa treatments."
SKYCITY General Manager Group Marketing and New Zealand Operations, Heather Shotter, says that East Day Spa is an
exciting development that will complete the luxury accommodation and relaxation package for the city's newest five
star-hotel.
"The SKYCITY Grand Hotel is securing significant interest from the high yielding international convention and incentive
market.
"Increasingly, spa services along with luxury accommodation are a key requirement for this lucrative segment of the
market," says Ms Shotter.
ENDS
BACKGROUND:
The philosophy behind East Day Spa is to stimulate holistic wellbeing for the busy urbanite. The East Day Spa experience
combines:
* Eastern-style natural holistic skin, massage and beauty treatments that have stood the test of time and use only pure,
natural products including the Forest Essentials range available exclusively to East Day Spa.
* Warm and nurturing hospitality and spa treatments for men and women that gently soothe, heal and relax.
* A tranquil urban haven with décor inspired by the exotic and mystical East.
East Day Spa's purpose-built facilities include a five-head Vichy Shower, Steam Room, two double suites for couples with
spa baths, Massage Rooms, Beauty Room and Relaxation Rooms. The spa's furniture, artwork and artefacts were sourced from
Bali and India to lend an air of authenticity to its ambience and décor.
East Day Spa's holistic Balinese and Ayurvedic massages and facials are ideal for combating stress because they are
based on the principle that to achieve a healthy body and mind, the wellbeing of the 'whole' person has to be restored.
In other words, it's about treating both the outer image and appearance and inner beauty - a balanced and harmonious
spirit.
The therapies are performed by highly trained therapists specialising in Eastern-style treatments and delivered with
Asian-style warmth and hospitality. This reflects East Day Spa's intrinsically nurturing philosophy to spa therapy,
rather than the more clinical approach taken by conventional spas.
Before establishing East Day Spa in 2002, Ms Bajaj ran a number of highly successful Wellington restaurants. The former
Wellington restaurateur is used to signature dishes and has one for the East Day Spa at The SKYCITY City Grand Hotel, a
traditional Javanese Lulur body polishing treatment. Created originally more that 300 years ago to prepare a Javanese
princess for her wedding day, this turmeric-based mask and scrub is formulated to smooth and polish the skin and is
popular today with both the bride and groom, and fit for a King and Queen.
The $85 million five-star SKYCITY Grand Hotel opened in the central city on 5 April 2005. Twenty-one levels offer 316
rooms of uncompromising quality ranging from The Grand Suite to eight premier self-contained suites, 11 Executive King
Suites and 296 Luxury King rooms.
Exclusive guest services include the new 'dine by Peter Gordon' signature restaurant, The Terrace breakfast restaurant,
a 25m lap swimming pool with adjoining sauna and spa pool, a gymnasium offering the ultimate in fitness technology and
equipment, a private members club with full guest service 24 hours, a cocktail lounge on arrival and complimentary
wireless and broadband connectivity.
For more information please visit www.eastdayspa.com