IMAGINE SPA MANAGEMENT

22 year old Dan Evans, British Davis Cup team member, won his first title of 2013 beating Marcus Willis in a highly entertaining and high quality Men’s Singles final at The Shrewsbury Club on Sunday. The Club hosted the AEGON Pro Series over the last week culminating in Sunday’s exciting final. With a prize fund of $10,000 at stake the event attracted players world ranked in the top 750 from all over Europe with two Brit’s making it to the final.

Dan Evans serving in an AEGON Pro Series tournament at The Shrewsbury Club

In front of a captivated crowd of over 140 spectators, Evans and Willis, who being the same age have played each other numerous times at junior and pro level, certainly knew what to expect from each other’s game. Despite a number of long deuce games, with some great rallies, there were no breaks of serve throughout the whole match, resulting in both set’s being decided on a tie-break. The first set tie-break saw Evans gain the initiative claiming it 7-3, whilst from 2-1 in the 2^nd set tie-break the number 3 seed won five points in a row to secure the title. Both players will now move up the ranking’s, with the resurgent Willis getting close to his career high world ranking of 563 (which he held in 2010).

After the match both players were very complimentary about the Shrewsbury Club’s facilities, and the great support there had been throughout the week and for the final itself. The event adds to the credibility of the Club which has previously hosted a women’s event in the AEGON Series but this year for the first time has a Mens Event as well.

Tournament referee, Richard Joyner, praised the Clubs organisation and facilities and said;

“We definitely want to bring a tournament back here next year. This is a first class Club.”

Lydia Rose Bright, former star of the hugely successful TV show, The Only Way is Essex is the latest celebrity to visit Imagine Spa Blofield Heath. Lydia follows in the footsteps of X-Factor Winner Alexandra Burke, soul singer Beverley Knight and Take me out the gossip TV presenter Zoe Hardman who are all famous fans of the luxury day spa near Norwich.

Unless you have been living in a cave, you cannot have escaped the TV phenomenon of the ITV2 reality series the Only Way is Essex, lovingly know as TOWIE. Lydia Rose Bright was one of the main cast members on the hit show appearing on our screens for seven series but has recently left the show to pursue other business ventures including further developing her hugely successful fashion line.

To add to her busy schedule Lydia also co-owns a fashion Boutique, Bella Sorella in Loughton Essex with her sister, Georgia May. It was therefore no surprise that on a rare day off, Lydia brought her sister and business partner Georgia along to Imagine spa to share a special day together.

Lydia and sister, Georgia, selecting treatments in the meet and greet lounge at Imagine Blofield Heath

During their time at the spa Lydia and Georgia enjoyed a range of Imagine spa treatments including facials, massages and the spa’s unique Serail mud chamber experience. After a rejuvenating day at the spa the sisters spent the night at the nearby Park Farm hotel and tweeted their followers on twitter to say Blofield Heath was the best spa they had ever been too.

So impressed was Lydia by the spa she has since arranged to treat her mum Debbie, (also a star of TOWIE) to a spa day at one of Imagine Spa’s newest properties, Quy Mill, Cambridge.

Mosaic Spa and Health Clubs are pleased to announce the acquisition of their second freehold Club, Holmer Park Health Club and Spa in Hereford.

Holmer Park was privately owned by local entrepreneur David Edwards who built the Club just under 7 years ago. It has a luxury day spa with 5 treatment rooms and a vibrant health club with 1,700 members. Set in four acres of landscaped gardens on the outskirts of the town, the Club’s jewel in the crown is the wonderful 20m swimming pool with heated loungers and an array of steam rooms, relaxation areas and hydrotherapy pool.

Mosaic plans to invest £300,000 in the Club to upgrade the existing facilities and to develop more spa facilities including a mud serail chamber and dry floatation bed.

All the existing staff team are being retained and will become part of the Mosaic group whilst Regional Manager, Jonathan Smith, will oversee the Holmer Park development.

Mosaic MD, Dave Courteen, said;

“We are delighted to complete this acquisition of such a great Club. It is a lovely facility with a friendly team and that is crucial to the Mosaic brand. Being just an hour away from our Shrewsbury Club we can enjoy some economies of scale and shared resources. We think that our Imagine Spa brand will blend perfectly with the existing facilities at Holmer Park.”

This acquisition represents a significant further investment in the  Mosaic business by Downing and Investment Director, Paul Beaumont, commented;

“The Mosaic team have demonstrated their ability to manage their own freehold sites alongside the management contract business which they have run for the last 25 years. The impact they have had on the Shrewsbury Club has given us the confidence to make this additional investment”

The Mosaic plan is to increase the membership to just over 2,000 and to bring the performance of the spa up to the level currently achieved by the existing Imagine Spas that they operate.

In mid July 2012, we launched our ‘Think Pink’ facial in conjunction with Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Available throughout all of our participating spa’s, you can enjoy this luxuriously relaxing facial, knowing that you are donating to a worthy charity that’s helping to save lives by researching the causes of breast cancer and improving detection, diagnosis, treatment and support services.

The ‘Think Pink’ facial, is a newly developed treatment from Babor that is tailored to your specific skin care needs to improve radiance and leave either a ‘Renewed’ or ‘Restored’ complexion. The 60 minute facial includes a thorough skin analysis, luxurious massage and tailored products for your desired outcome and skin type.

The ‘Think Pink’ facial also includes a 15ml Babor face cream worth £10 enabling you to continue the experience at home. More importantly, £2.50 from every ‘Think Pink’ facial we deliver will go straight to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Cancer affects one in three of us, and for some, that prospect is a current reality.

In December 2010 the wife of Imagine Spa Management’s MD was diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently spent the majority of 2011 undergoing weeks of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and ultimately a mastectomy.

Thankfully, she has now been given the all clear and the ‘Think Pink’ facial is our way of both contributing towards and showing our appreciation for those who have supported her and the many others affected by breast cancer.

Welti Health and Fitness, a large health club and tennis centre in Shrewsbury, has obtained new ownership, being bought out of administration by health club management group, Mosaic Spa and Health Clubs.  The Welti is a popular local club with over 2,500 members and offers a large gym with 2 seperate exercise studios, a kinesis zone, boxing ring and large free weight area. The club also offers a swimming pool with a sauna and steam room, a day nursery and 6 indoor tennis courts and 8 outdoor courts. The Club possesses one of the most successful elite junior tennis programmes in the UK.

With over 25 years experience, the Mosaic group is an established operator of health clubs with a portfolio of over 28 clubs around the UK and the intention is to bring the philosophy of running friendly health clubs that are fun to belong to, with highly trained staff to help members achieve their individual goals to the Welti. The focus is always on operating health clubs that are for local people and bring communities together.

Mosaic plan to rename the business The Shrewsbury Club, to mark the positive changes they plan to bring to the club, and as a reminder that this will very much be a club for local people at the very heart of Shrewsbury. The club is also firmly family orientated, with an onsite nursery, and encourages families to keep fit together. Investment will be injected into the business over time to improve and upgrade the existing excellent facilities.

Mosaic Managing Director, Dave Courteen, said

“We are really excited to be involved in this new project. We recognize that the Welti Club has come a long way since it opened, but we very much hope to take the business to the next level. The heart of our strategy will be to develop the business as a local club to be used and enjoyed by local people primarily for the residents of Shrewsbury and the surrounding areas of Shropshire. We look forward to working with the existing team and hope to add to this in the near future by recruiting locally. We are also committed to working with local suppliers.”

Despite the transitional period it will be business as usual, and The Shrewsbury Club will be ready for the busiest time of the year in January. Mosaic look forward to looking after existing health club members, and also hope to introduce new people to the club who are looking to keep fit in 2012.

A new £1.5m luxury day spa retreat has opened in Norfolk, representing further expansion for Norwich-based Imagine Spa Management which already operates 7 spas in East Anglia and 17 across the UK

The new venture will create 14 jobs at the spa, which is located six miles east of Norwich at Blofield Heath and just nine miles from the company’s headquarters.

Officially opened  on Monday 5 December by Anglia TV newsreader Becky Jago, the spa is set in a former seven bedroom farmhouse which has been converted by Imagine Spa Management in conjunction with Norfolk’s Blue Sky Leisure group which owns Kelling Heath Holiday Park, Woodhill Park and the Zaks restaurants in Norwich and Poringland.

Having toured the spa, Becky said:  “I love to treat myself to some indulgent pampering and it’s fantastic to have discovered somewhere so close to the city. It’s quick and easy to get to but still provides a real feel of escapism. With such a picturesque setting and an amazing array of facilities and treatments it makes you want to stay for a week, let alone a day.”

Even the professionals have their favourite plce to read the news - Becky Jago, Anglia TV newsreader at the opening of the Imagine Spa Blofield Heath

She added: “Juggling being a mum with a career means I’m always busy. When I have time to myself I want to make the most of it. I was especially excited to hear more about Imagine Spa’s ethos of time rather than treatments. I think it’s a fantastic idea that I can book time at the spa but decide on the day if I want to relax and unwind after a hectic week or be reenergised. The therapists tailor my treatments and create the spa experience I need.”

At the VIP event, the spa’s team of experienced therapists demonstrated some of the treatments available including the wellness spa bed which offers a floating experience and relaxing warmth, the serial mud chamber designed to cleanse the skin and accelerate toxin removal and the oriental heated Hammam table used for a variety of treatments including exfoliation and body wraps.

The luxurious spa features beautifully appointed treatment rooms and the exclusive Imagine Spa thermal suite comprising a mineral grotto, aroma steam room, ice fountain, feature shower and centre piece hydrotherapy pool. The thermal suite is situated at the heart of the spa and its ceiling-to-floor windows provide a picturesque view out on to the natural pond and gardens.

The Kitchen at the Spa has proved popular with spa guests already

A range of unique packages are also being developed to further extend the spa’s offer to guests.  These include a series of specialist themed days such as a ‘spa and food lovers’ special which will consist of cookery demonstrations from local celebrity chefs in the spa’s theatre-style open kitchen, and workshops designed to build women’s confidence and style in collaboration with Suffolk based Dream On which offers personal advice and self-help for women.

Paul Timewell, CEO of Blue Sky Leisure and Dave Courteen of Imagine Spa Management at the opening of the Imagine Spa at Blofield Heath near Norwich

Dave Courteen, Managing Director of Imagine Spa Management, said: “We are delighted that by working with Blue Sky Leisure we’ve had the opportunity to continue to invest in our home county of Norfolk and to expand our portfolio. We have created a true luxury day retreat with extensive spa facilities, exclusive treatments and experienced therapists. Guests are encouraged to visit for a half or full day to really enjoy a full spa experience.”

Two of the most currently talked about women in the press were among the list of celebrity and VIP guests who attended an exclusive launch party at The Imagine Spa, Thames Valley at The Hilton Hotel, London, Heathrow, Terminal 5 on November 11^th 2011.

Lauren Pope and Lauren Goodger, two of the biggest stars from the phenomenally successful reality TV series, The Only Way is Essex were at the exclusive spa launch to celebrate the opening of the new Hilton Hotel and beautiful Imagine Spa. Other famous faces in attendance included Ex- Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton, who showed off her growing baby bump, award winning journalist Vanessa Feltz and her partner Ben Ofoedu, model Nicola McClean and her husband, footballer, Tom Williams.

Throughout the evening VIP’s enjoyed a tour of the spa facilities, followed by a champagne reception with tasty canapés. The Imagine Spa therapists were on hand to pamper guests with a selection of mini treatments, including manicures and hand massages. Celebrity TV chef Cyrus Todiwala, patron of Mr Todiwala’s kitchen, the signature restaurant at The Hilton Hotel, and his team, served attendees a sumptuous array of Indian cuisine. Luxurious goody bags were provided by Babor, the leading organic skincare range used at the spa.

Imagine Spa Team at the Opening Night

As part of the launch party event, organised by Gorgeous Star PR, all guests stayed overnight at the 5 star hotel and were offered exclusive use of the spa facilities the following day, to really make the most of the experience.

Lauren Goodger quotes, ‘This break has been just what I needed, I have been feeling run down lately as my schedule has been very busy. I had a relaxing massage and facial during my stay, I have really enjoyed it and plan to come back again soon in a couple of weeks.’

Dave Courteen Director of Imagine Spa Management quotes, ‘It was a pleasure to welcome so many celebrities, press and VIPs to the new Imagine Spa, Thames Valley at the launch party. The event was a huge success and we were overwhelmed with the positive feedback we received from all of our guests. The new Hilton hotel and Imagine spa opened on August 31^st 2011, and as a company we are keen to spread the word about the fantastic facilities we have on offer, not only for guests travelling in and out of Heathrow, but  also that Imagine Spa, Thames Valley is the ideal destination for spa days and breaks for anyone looking for a truly first class spa experience.’

The spa offers a fantastic fire and ice experience with hammam table, serail mud chamber, and a stunning hydrotherapy bath. Guests can also enjoy a wonderful chill out relaxation zone which is surrounded by six wonderful treatment rooms.

The stunning hydrotherapy pool at Imagine Thames Valley

There is great excitement at Imagine Spa Management as we announce the following development which sees us become part of Mosaic Spa and Health Clubs Ltd. Here is a press release which announces the acquisition:

“The contract management business operated under the Fitness Express and Imagine Spa brands has secured significant investment to enable the business to acquire more sites. The backing has come from funds under the control of Downing Corporate Finance who have taken a 30% shareholding in the business which will now be operated under a newly formed holding company called Mosaic Spas and Health Clubs Ltd. The existing management team of Steve Taylor, Oliver Wright and Dave Courteen have slightly increased their share in the business too.

“Over the last 5 years we have grown our spa business and have numerous opportunities for further growth which requires us to inject some capital into the potential developments. We have spent the last year looking for partners to help us with funding. We like the approach Downing take to investing and believe they are the ideal partners to help us grow the business,” explains Dave Courteen, MD of Fitness Express.

The deal sees the exit of six shareholders who invested in the business when Taylor and Courteen, the original founders, reacquired it from Crown Sports in 2004. “It is great that this deal represents a good return in the current climate for the departing shareholders. They have provided us with loyal support over the last seven years but they felt it was time for them to get a return on their investment and allow us to get the new funding we needed,” Courteen added.

As well as securing more management contracts and joint ventures with hotel partners, the Mosaic business is also looking to acquire freehold sites to roll out the Fitness Express and Imagine Spa brand. Paul Beaumont of Downing, who becomes a Director of Mosaic as part of the deal, explains “Downing has a history of backing strong management teams and we are excited to be involved with this business. We have spent some time looking at the way they operate and have been attracted by the enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism of the people within the business. We are very confident that we can provide the financial support to take the business to the next level.”

Mosaic are close to announcing the first of its joint ventures with hotel partners in East Anglia.

The business, through its digital media team, has already created an interactive new website for the new business which  creatively tells the Mosaic story. A link to the new website is included below:“

www.mosaicspaandhealth.co.uk

Blue Sky Leisure in conjunction with Imagine Spa Management have begun work on the conversion of a 7 bedroom residential property in Blofield Heath into a day spa retreat for East Anglia.

The work is expected to take 18 weeks and the retreat will be open for business in early September – perfect timing for Mums to chill out and recover from the school holidays. Offering a range of individual treatments, half day and full day spa experiences the spa will operate under the Imagine brand so guests can be assured of the usual friendly welcome and great treatments alongside wonderful facilities.

The spa will offer a hydrotherapy pool, foot baths, ice fountain, rassoul, hammam table and dry float bed as part of a Fire and Ice Experience which will lead into some wonderful gardens and water features with decked relaxation areas and a sensory and ornimental garden. There will be 6 treatment rooms including one double treatment room too.

The therapists will be taken from the existing Imagine team whilst new staff are being recruited. The unique BABOR products which have proved so popular in other Imagine Spas will be used to create an exciting treatment menu and the spa is designing a series of specialist themed days including organic spa days and a “spa and food lovers” special which will include cookery demonstrations from local celebrity chefs as well as a range of spa treatments.

The Spa Retreat will be the first of it’s kind in East Anglia and is sure to attract a lot of interest with it’s Autumn opening. We will update you of it’s progress.

A team of Imagine Spa therapists have been busy over the past two days at the Professional Beauty Show held at the Excel centre in London’s Docklands. The therapists were part of a working spa built within the exhibition hall and provided treatments using the Haslauer and Spa Vision equipment. All bookings were made using the Gumnats booking system which is distributed through Spa Vision and is also used in all Imagine Spas. Delegates could pre-book their treatments online ahead of the Show – a real life demonstration of the effectiveness of the system.

Imagine provided ten therapists each day and they were fully booked throughout the exhibition providing a range of massages and facials with the usual Imagine Spa friendliness and enthusiasm. Neil Owen, MD of Spa Vision, said;

“The Imagine Spa girls were fantastic – they worked so hard and created such a positive impression with all the visitors to our stand. Their professionalism and commitment really helped us to demonstrate our innovative treatments in the best way possible”

The partnership at the leading Show for the spa industry is a further development in the working partnership between Spa Vision and Imagine Spa. Dave Courteen, MD of Imagine Spa Management commented;

“Spa Vision are key partners for us as they provide our spa booking system which underpins the way we run our 16 spas with central booking and reporting function. This is crucial in delivering the returns our hotel clients expect and is a core part of the service we provide at all the spas we operate for our clients. By working with them at the Show we were able to show the quality of therapists we can provide to any potential spa developers who were visiting the Show”