“My research led me to believe that a big part of
the value of the spa experience comes from the
psychological aspects of being separated from
technology.”
clockwise from bottom-left: mccarthy with fellow isPa
members; mccarthy with deborah szekely; on the expo
floor at the isPa conference & expo; with mary
tabacchi.
of McCarthy’s career in the industry, as
well as the primary source of his
unique contributions to spa. Along the
way he has been influenced and
mentored by “too many names to list,”
adding that perhaps his favorite aspect
of the industry is “the incredible
network of bright, passionate people
who are so giving of their time and
energy.”
McCarthy is proud to see where the
spa industry is today: “I spent the first
half of my career trying to convince
hoteliers that wellness was important.
It’s amazing to see us in a world where
there is virtually no major hotel brand
that isn’t investing heavily in
wellness.” That shift—the
mainstreaming of spa and wellness—
is the most significant industry change
that McCarthy has observed over his
career. With the spa industry growing
so large, McCarthy envisions that the
next step will be a diversification into
more boutique spas offering niche
treatments. “We’re already seeing this
in fitness with the rise of boutique
fitness,” McCarthy says. “Small spas
that are willing and able to specialize
will be able to use digital platforms to
engage with niche market segments.”
For McCarthy, then, the present and
future of spa is defined by digital
technologies: escaping from them as a
guest yet embracing them as a spa
operator. The key to living in the age of
technology, then, is a concept well-
known in the spa industry: balance. n
PrevIouS recIPIentS
1999 l Sheila Cluff
2000
l
Werner Mendel
2010 l Deborah Szekely
2011 l Not Awarded
2003 l Frank Van Putten 2012 l Susie Ellis
2004 l Edwin Neill II (posthumously) 2013 l Horst Rechelbacher (accepted via video)
2005
l
John and Ginny Lopis
2014 l Jane Iredale
2006 l Sylvia Sepielli 2015 l Boldijarre Koronczay
2007 l Clodagh Aubry 2016 l Geraldine Howard (posthumously)
2008 l Robin Zill (posthumously) 2017 l Sue Harmsworth
2009 l Dr. Howard Murad 2018 l Lori Hutchinson (posthumously)
SEPtEmbEr
■
PULSE 2019
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