Stephanie Rest, spa and wellness director at Argentta at The Watergate Hotel (Washington, D.C.) and founder of Caribbean Wellness & Education (WE), will host a series of health and wellbeing educational events Jan. 30 through Feb. 3 in Nassau, Bahamas. Rest created Caribbean WE in 2016 because she was determined to find a way to provide the Caribbean community with education, wellness, and business networking opportunities. Additionally, Rest plans these events in authentic, sustainable ways so they have long-lasting positive effects on the countries that she and her team visit. “I am passionate about building wellbeing and spa in the Caribbean and had been dancing around the idea of wellness and education events for the past few years,” says Rest. "Our events are not only a great tool for the Caribbean market and for all vendors trying to make connections, they are also fun. We love meeting new spa directors that have never been able to attend larger industry events."
The series kicks off on Jan. 30 with Community Wellness Day hosted by Debra Koerner, natural health explorer and television host of the PBS shows “Journey into Wellbeing” and “Senior Moments.” This free event will feature Rake and Scrape music, wellness screenings, healthy food, and fun for the kids. Also, on Jan. 30, Eric Stephenson, owner of imassage, which offers programs designed to provide technical and interpersonal skills to massage practitioners, will teach his world-renowned course called “Deep Tissue Made Easy.” This training course focused on self-care is open to massage and spa professionals for a discounted rate of $45 and provides seven NCTMB Continuing Education (CE) hours.
Feb. 1 to 2, Caribbean WE will support the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association with the inauguration of WE Wellness Zone at CHTA Marketplace. This event will bring together more than 30 islands and 250 hotels and sponsors will include Dazzle Dry, Ilike Organic Skin Care, Gharieni, Jane Iredale, and Soleil Toujours. On Feb. 3, Caribbean WE is also facilitating spa and vendor b2b meetings at the newly launched Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas in Nassau. “We develop wellness and education initiatives that are socially conscience and specific to the environment,” says Liliana Grajales, director of events and entertainment at Caribbean WE and the principal owner of LG Wellness Advisor. “Everything WE do, we do with a focus on substance, sustainability, and style.”