Spa Employee Handbook Manual

Julie Garrow developed a mission in 2001 to assist spa owners, managers and employees provide seamless spa experiences to their valued guests, after realising via consulting and mystery shopping projects, new spas in particular, were not operating efficiently and delivering the promised level of relaxation. Her consulting career in hospitality and leisure in the late 90’s led her to specialise in the spa sector when it was still a very young industry and Julie founded Intelligent Spas to author a range of publications which spas could easily reference and implement in order to improve their performance and service delivery.

Julie initiated a partnership with Maggie Gunning, an experienced spa director and consultant, to develop a range of international standard, Spa Operating Policies and Procedures Manuals, resulting in detailed and practical guidelines spa owners, managers, and employees require to support an efficient business, whilst delivering consistently high service standards. The manuals have been updated and refined over the years as the industry has matured.

In 2009, Julie was awarded the "Distinguished Industry Leader" title in The Crystal Awards Asia Pacific, which was nominated by industry peers to acknowledge and reward an individual who has made a positive contribution to the spa industry.

Prior to establishing Intelligent Spas, Julie represented major organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality and Leisure Consulting (Singapore), Southern Pacific Hotels (Sydney) and KPMG Tourism and Leisure Consulting (Melbourne). Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Business specialising in Tourism, Management and Marketing. Julie is from Australia and currently resides in Singapore with her husband and business partner, Stu and their son, Conrad.

Maggie Gunning was a major contributor in the development of Intelligent Spas’ Spa Operations Manuals, providing valuable practical insight into the many procedures and work flows to achieve high quality, international standard resources, designed to enable spas to effectively implement the knowledge. She has spent almost 30 years helping spa owners, investors, hoteliers, designers, project managers and consultants turn their spa visions into a reality, from creating innovative spa concepts and managing spa developments through to the pre-opening phase, to conducting focused employee training to refine the operations of luxury day spa chains. Her work has taken her to over 20 countries across Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, where she’s developed a valuable understanding of spa infrastructure and operations required within various cultures and climates.

Maggie founded spa consulting firm Spa Synergy and succeeded in establishing the brand as the trusted advisor to deliver world-class standards in spa excellence, before selling the business to A. W Lake Spa Concepts Pte Ltd, whom she continues to work with. She has also acted as an international examiner for the Confederation of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology in the United Kingdom

Originally from England where she trained as a fully qualified aesthetician in face and body treatments, Maggie has resided in Asia for many years and now calls Singapore home.

Kirien Withers was chosen to edit Intelligent Spas’ Sop Operations Manuals given her experience and reputation in beauty and spa industry publishing. She founded the first generic beauty and spa publications in Australia in 1993 and 1999 respectively, after beginning a long campaign to see Australia and New Zealand’s industries blossom. She was Founding President of the now Australasian Spa and Wellness Association and launched Australia’s first spa and wellness consumer publication. Kirien has also consulted on all things spa, wellness, aesthetics and sustainability over the last three decades, which enabled her to provide a valuable contribution to the quality of the Spa Operations Manuals.