Back for its second year, American Spa’s Women in Wellness Awards honor the women in our industry for their contributions in making the world a better place. Nominated by their peers and chosen by acclaimed wellness journalists, these women are showing they’re a force with which to be reckoned. Making a profound impact in the industry and beyond, they are leaning in by serving on related industry boards and organizations, discovering untapped opportunities, giving back, and bringing their unique perspective to all that they do.
From September 24 through September 28, each day American Spa will be announcing two new winners of the 2018 Women in Wellness Awards. Today, discover the winner of the Spa Consultant Award.
Spa Consultant: This award honors a spa consultant who helps create unique, meaningful, effective, and expertly crafted wellness spaces.
WINNER: Amy McDonald, principal, Under a Tree Consulting
A 30-year veteran of the spa and hospitality industries, Amy McDonald is a pioneer in wellness, sustainability, and transformational programming. She not only created one of the first 100 percent organic spa products and recyclable containers in her quest for sustainable ecological authenticity in the spas and resorts she managed but also played a role in demanding verifiable “greening” of the industry when green-washing threatened the health of both employees and the environment. After serving as spa director at both Miraval Arizona (Tucson, AZ) and The Living Spa at El Monte Sagrado (Taos, NM), she founded Under a Tree Health and Wellness Consulting in 2004, where she has gained recognition for projects such as Chablé Spa (Chocholá, Mexico). She recently embarked on a major collaboration with Watermark Senior Living in Tucson, which serves to fulfill her long-term dream of providing spa and hospitality-level service to the aging population. McDonald also helped establish awareness about hot springs and geothermal water through the Global Wellness Institute, where she has served as chair of the Hot Spring Initiative for the past two years.
FINALIST: Lynn Curry, president and co-owner, Resources for Leisure Assets
Providing financial feasibility, design development, creative direction, and pre-opening consulting services to dozens of upscale and luxury spa projects since 1997, Lynn Curry has shared her talents with a host of memorable properties and spas, such as Montage Laguna Beach (CA), Island Spa Catalina (Avalon, CA) ; The Ritz-Carlton Spas of Bachelor Gulch (CO), Dove Mountain (Marana, AZ), and Laguna Beach (CA); The Four Seasons of Westlake Village (CA), Dubai, Vail (CO), and Punta Mita (Mexico); Rosewood Resort Spas at Sand Hill (Menlo Park, CA), and Mayakoba (Mexico); and more. She began her career as manager of tourism development providing destination sales services for The Anaheim Visitor and Convention Bureau and then became a group sales manager at Hyatt Resorts Hawaii before moving on to the Grand Wailea Resort, where she forged a career in spa management. She eventually founded Curry Spa Consulting but merged it with Resources for Leisure Assets in 2016. Curry currently serves on the Spa Consulting Task Force of the Global Wellness Institute and is a popular speaker at various hospitality events.
FINALIST: Kim Collier, experience planner, Blu Spas; founder, Jamu Organic Spa Rituals; cofounder and international educator, Collier Concepts
With a respect for natural healing and a solid understanding of industry trends, Kim Collier has established herself as a spa director, a consultant, and a trainer. She got her start in the business giving massages and private yoga sessions to John Denver, Peter Frampton, and Sting. As a professional dancer in Dallas, she owned Health Arts, a business that offered spa and wellness services to members of the touring music industry. She is a founding partner with her husband, Cary, in Collier & Collier Spas, which was established in 1988. Known as Collier Concepts today, it is now a family affair involving their two daughters. She also works as an educator and experience planner for Blu Spas. In addition to consulting for brands such as Four Seasons, Regent, and Intercontinental, Collier is also the founder of Jamu Organic Spa Rituals, an Indonesian-based product line that preserves the indigenous customs of Asia. Her specialties include product development, treatment menus, and training and education programs.
Stay tuned on American Spa online, as well on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as we continue to announce the 2018 Women in Wellness Awards winners all week long. Up next: Philanthropist and Owner & Operator on Friday, 9/27.
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