Spa Community Embraces Global Wellness Day

More than 300 brands in 70 countries have signed up to support Global Wellness Day (GWD) on June 13. GWD is a not-for-profit day of wellness activities founded by Belgin Aksoy, owner of Richmond Nua Wellness-Spa (Sapanca, Turkey), in 2012 and celebrated the second Saturday of June. “We are thrilled with the response we’ve received so far,” says Aksoy. “Although we come from the spa world where the topic of wellness is central, we encourage people to keep it simple and start with even the very basic things on GWD, such as eating organic, drinking more water, taking a walk with family, and not using plastic.” Her hope was that this day dedicated to good physical and mental health that originated in Turkey would grow into an official celebration all over the world, and it has.

“We never imagined it would catch on and grow this fast,” says Aksoy. “It seems to prove that the world is ready to start making smart choices about their own physical and mental health, the health of their neighbors and the planet we all share.” GWD has more than 40 ambassadors from more than 40 countries across the world working to spread wellness awareness. The U.S. ambassadors include Peter C. Anderson, founder and president of Anderson & Associates, Wendy Bosalavage, president of American Leisure, Stacy Conlon, founder and CEO, Daniel Friedland, M.D., CEO of SuperSmartHealth, Ben Holm, sales and marketing director for The Apothecary Spa, Mia Kyricos, chief brand officer for Spafinder Wellness, Mia Mackman, founder and president of Arizona Spa and Wellness Association, Kim Marshall, owner of The Marshall Plan, and Nicolas Ronco, founder and CEO of Yelospa.

The ambassadors along with industry partners have been integral to the quick growth of GWD. Global resort and spa brands participating in the event include Anantara, Accor, Chuan Spas, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Grace Hotels, Healing Hotels of the World, Hyatt, Jiva Spas, Jumeirah, LUX Resorts, Marriott, Mandarin Oriental, Montage Hotels & resorts, Peninsula, Remede, Six Senses, Sofitel So Spa, Trump Spas, and Windham Spas. Skincare brands involved in the support of GWD include Aromatherapy Associates, Biologique Recherche, Bliss, Cinq Mondes (France, Belgique, Maroc, Monaco), Clarins (France and the UAE), Comfort Zone, ESPA, Guerlain, Natura Bisse, Steiner, Thalgo, Thémaé, and Voya.  “In a time where life is moving at a record pace, the Global Wellness Day movement has never been more important,” says Frank Pitsikalis, founder and CEO of ResortSuite and a Canadian ambassador for GWD. “We all know how easy it is to forget even the simplest measures that bring balance into our lives. If we can use this day to remind people, perhaps we can inspire them to live a little more consciously and turn living well into a way of life.”

The campaign challenges people to change one aspect of their lives for a day and outlines seven steps to better wellness: What will you say “yes” to today?

  • Drink more water
  • Walk for an hour
  • Shop locally & eat organically
  • Stop using plastic bottles
  • Do a good deed
  • Eat a family dinner
  • Go to bed at 10pm