About Us

Abi Wright, founder of Europe’s leading spa booking agency Spabreaks.com, was born in Newton Abbot in Devon. With no formal business training and no stand-out academic record, she has a vivid memory of her careers advisor telling her that she wouldn’t ever amount to anything. It was a galvanising moment in Abi’s education that continues to inform her drive and encouragement of other individuals in their careers today.

It was during her time as sales and marketing manager for The Peter Michael Collection that Abi had her lightbulb moment, realising that there was an opportunity to change the way spas were marketed, and to alter the perception of spas by working with them to help realise their commercial potential whilst still showcasing the integrity of the industry.

In early 2008, Abi launched Spabreaks.com with a team of two interns, just four months after her first son was born. Having started the company in the middle of a recession, Spabreaks.com reached the number two position in The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 in 2012 following revenue growth from £250k in 2009, to £3.9m in 2010, £6.8m in 2011 and £11m in 2012. By 2018 turnover reached over £25m.

Today Spabreaks.com sends more than 6000 people on spa days and breaks each week, and has a customer database of more than one million people. The number of spas they work with now exceeds 900 in the UK and overseas; and the team has grown to more than 90 members of staff.

The founding principle of Spabreaks.com was to make spa experiences more accessible to anybody and everybody who wanted to go. Abi wanted to bring back the ancient purpose of spas as places of sanctuary for mind and body. However, she also wanted to balance those principles with commercial viability, proving that integrity and business success could go hand in hand. That meant creating accessible booking and communications systems, a variety of price points, a wide range of geographical options, a dynamic marketing strategy and working closely with spa destinations to create spa experiences that really showcased their attributes. In short, Abi and her team pride themselves on marketing spas with commercial passion.

For Abi however, accessibility has also meant challenging outdated and damaging limitations within the spa industry. In particular, she and her team at Spabreaks.com have worked to break down barriers and drive change in the industry approach to treating anyone with or recovering from cancer, or with any other illness or disability.
After serving a 2 year tenure on the Board of the Spa Association and feeling like progress is really being made to bring identity and purpose to the organisation, Abi is looking forward to working alongside new and old colleagues for the coming 2 years.

A previous serving UKSA board member, Bobby re-joined the team as our General Manager in March 2024. Bringing over 29 years experience in the luxury spa and hospitality sector.

Bobbys career boasts a broad range of experience within the industry, from starting out as a spa therapist at the highly acclaimed, Ragdale Hall Spa to worldwide projects for industry giants, such as Mandarin Oriental and E’spa International. Bobby worked as a Spa Consultant with the famous, Tanya and Allan Wheway (Wheway Lifestyle International) and was heavily involved in training, pre-opening and extensive operational roles in Jordan, Beirut, Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, Mauritius, St Lucia and Tunisia, as well as various parts of the UK.

More recently Bobby headed up the Spa at Dormy House in the Cotswolds and was responsible for the concept, design and creation of their estate wellness centre.

Bobby is passionate about the spa industry and looking forward to working closely with the UKSA board to deliver existing targets whilst setting a new and exciting agenda for growth.

In Bobbys own words, ’I am both humbled and delighted to take on the role of General Manager, at this critical moment in the industry’s future. It is an honour to serve the industry that has given me so much and I thank the board for the trust and confidence they have placed in me. I aim to work tirelessly to progress the UKSA over the coming months and am looking forward to working with my industry peers to see what can be achieved with our combined experience and passion for spa and wellness.’

Gary has almost 40 years’ experience in the Personal Care sector and is Managing Director of the JK Health and Beauty Technologies Group plc with responsibility for sale and distribution of a portfolio of leading brands within the UK, Europe and beyond.

With a long-standing passion and commitment to supporting the sector, Gary has for many years volunteered his time, energy and expertise to a range of sector organisations, with roles as diverse as political lobbyist and strategist through to media spokesperson, campaigner and expert topic member with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).  In his new role on the UKSA Board, Gary is keen to utilise his considerable experience in supporting the UKSA’s communications strategy objectives and is very much looking forward to taking part in the continued growth and reach of the organisation.

Colin is a seasoned professional specialising in wellness, sports and recreation management, with a proven track record in innovation, people development and commercial impact. He brings a pro-active, inventive and insightful management approach based upon, research, financial planning, operational standards and rigour alongside relationship management and the desire to lead with new initiatives which communicate a passion for health, well-being and the natural environment.

Colin has extensive experience at senior management level in projects in the UK and abroad, having managed 5 star properties in Jordan, Cyprus and various parts of the UK. He spend several years as Managing Director at Wheway Lifestyle International and was responsible for overseeing concept, design and feasibility on a number of projects, whilst supplying business and management support on others and guiding the commissioning and operational launch on further projects.

For the last 8 years Colin has been based at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire as their Director of Leisure. There Colin holds a senior divisional management position, with a wide remit of non-golf leisure departments. Managing a team somewhere in the region of 170 and specialising in: gym, poolside, spa, hair and beauty, Children's care and activities, equestrian, falconry, gundogs, off road driving, climbing and adventure, cycling, clay shooting, fishing , archery and field sports, Colin has not only substantially increased revenues but has also introduced a number of specialist events, programmes and initiatives.

He joins the board at a time of dynamic growth and change for the UK Spa Association and is very much looking forward to contributing with his wealth of experience and industry knowledge.

As Spa Director of the Spa at Carden, board member of UK Spa Association and member of VTCT Beauty Employer panel, Emma has been a prominent voice in the UK spa industry in recent times and a mainstay of the Carden Park team for over two decades. Starting as a reservationist, Emma went on to manage key areas of Carden Park revenue and was instrumental in the development and launch of the spectacular new Spa at Carden in early 2020. 

With one of the UK's largest spa gardens and an investment of over £10 million, The Spa at Carden has become a globally recognised destination for five-star luxury and wellness set in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. 

Jamie has worked within the wellness industry for over 30 years both domestically and internationally. Most recently as a Spa Director in the UK but also as an integral part of the international consultancy team at ESPA working in partnership with brands such as Ritz Carlton, Leela, Mondrian, Corinthia, Fairmont, and many industry leading independent properties.

Prior to ESPA, Jamie was Spa Director at the multi award winning Gleneagles Hotel, where Jamie launched the newly designed Spa at Gleneagles by ESPA achieving industry and media award recognition. Additionally, within his time at Gleneagles, Jamie led the launch of ESPA Life, an industry leading wellness concept devised by Sue Harmsworth pioneering the delivery of wellness in the luxury hotel sector. 

Since joining The Spa at Mandarin Oriental London, Jamie has supported the relaunch of the spa in 2019 developing the product and service offering, building strong business partnerships, developing reputation, and positioning within the market.

Most recently Jamie was promoted to Area Director of Spa & Wellness for Mandarin Oriental and he will bring his knowledge and experience to support the strategic direction of The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair and supporting the further develop of the Mandarin Oriental Spa Division in Europe.

Jessica is the Director of Spa & Wellness at Lucknam Park Hotel and Estate, and her 20-year career includes leadership roles in renowned 5-star hotels in the UK and Southeast Asia.

Entering the spa and wellness industry as a personal trainer, Jessica later trained as a therapist, quickly rising to a management position. In 2014, Jessica and her team opened the first hotel in the UK with thermal waters, The Gainsborough Bath Spa, awarded Best Spa in the World by Tatler in 2016.

In 2019 Jessica was offered to lead Whatley Manor’s spa, where she successfully navigated through the pandemic, managing to retain the original team even after the third lockdown. Through this challenging time, Jessica experienced first-hand the great support and invaluable resources the UKSPA Association offers spa operators. It was this support that made Jessica hope to one day join the board, putting her experience and skillset at the service of others in the industry. 

Jessica joined Lucknam Park in 2021, doubling the team's size within the first three months of her tenure and taking the spa through operational changes, including innovative sustainability practices and new concept implementation.
 
Jessica is passionate about education and developing others. Alongside her team at Lucknam Park, she works closely with local colleges to offer employment opportunities and career advice, helping to futureproof the spa industry. 

While raising two children and working full time, Jessica obtained a business degree followed by a master’s in psychology, with further qualifications in nutrition, mindfulness and hypnotherapy. 

As an active yogi and mindfulness advocate, Jessica brings such practices to the workplace, fostering love and compassion amongst staff, and promoting the importance of the therapeutic relationship between therapist and guest.

Sarah Ronchetti has been Head of Spa for nearly 15 years at TEMPLESPA where she oversees the Spa Sales and Training team, playing an integral role in the growth of the British award-winning Spa brand and making a huge contribution to its success to date.

Prior to joining TEMPLESPA Sarah spent time with Elemis where she was one of the Senior International Trainers, also working as part of their sales force. Elemis gave Sarah immense exposure and understanding of the Industry as well as offering the opportunity to travel the world visiting some of the finest Spas, primarily within the US, the Caribbean and Hawaii as well as locations closer to home.

The Cayman Islands were also key in the early years of Sarah’s career, spending almost 3 years in the Caribbean and enjoying the position of Spa Manager at the Hyatt Hotel and Spa towards the end of her time there. Whilst in the Cayman Islands Sarah set up a massage training school, an initiative to encourage local people into the industry and boost employment opportunities for the residents, this proved a huge success.

The earliest role for Sarah was working as a therapist at Grayshott Hall where she really cut her teeth in Spa; hard work, long hours, and a long commute, she embraced it all and performed treatments on many “A” listers and even Royals during her 7 years there.

Combining all her roles, Sarah is a great all-rounder and hugely knowledgeable about all aspects of the Spa Industry on a UK & International level, her passions lie in Industry Standards, reputation and encouraging more young people to embrace careers in the fantastic world of Spa.

I have been involved in the spa and hotel industry for over 12 years now.  At age 16 my careers officer told me that I should be a hotel manager.  Of course, I ignored them and then spent the next

20 years working within customer service roles. Finally, I saw sense on a career change and joined Lifehouse spa and hotel, as part of the pre-opening team, back in 2010.  I originally started as a night receptionist and then worked my way through the company and learnt every role within the business.  I switched to the financial side of the business in 2013 and after some intensive training ended up in the Finance Director position.  In 2019 I then took on the operational side of the business and currently sit in the role of Finance and Operations Director.   With both the operational and financial experience, this has given me a holistic 360 approach and understanding to running the spa, as well as a never-ending To-Do list.

Alongside work I have also studied for Leadership and Management qualifications and am currently studying Chartered Management Accountancy with CIMA.  

Since being at Lifehouse I have been lucky to have been given so many opportunities to progress, so am a firm believer in paying that back and giving people opportunities to succeed by empowering and developing my team through mentorship.   Equality and diversity in society and the workplace is really important to me, along with and mental health awareness and support.  I think it is so important to try and make the spa industry inclusive to everyone.

My interest in wellness first began in 1999 when I began studying Kung Fu, both internal and external styles.  I qualified as an instructor in both styles, learning meditation, qi gong and acupressure amongst other things.  I have held British titles in Tui Shou, a method of Tai Chi fighting and have two silver medals from the European Tai Chi Championships.  Although I am not actively practising any more, it is something that will always stay with me and influence my life.

Outside of work I can be found paddle boarding or spending time with my Wife and three dogs.  Long beach walks are a favourite with us all. 

I have a Macedonian rescue dog called Richard, who loves to come to work with me and is regularly found in my office at Lifehouse distracting the team. 

My name is Steve Ewing; I'm currently working as a General Manager for THG at Hale Country Club and Spa which forms part of their experience division. I have been working in the industry for just over 20 years and in recent times pre and post pandemic have seen the real measurable impact and difference that the UK Spa Association has made to the UK Spa Industry.

Victoria is UK Sales Director for luxury French spa and skincare brand Sothys, where she oversees the UK sales, training, marketing and PR Departments. 

With over 25 years of global spa experience across luxury hotel groups, day spas and retail channels, Victoria began her career at the multi award winning Ragdale Hall in Leicestershire. 

Specialising in leading sales and training teams as well as launching luxury skincare brands in new markets, Victoria’s extensive experience and knowledge of the industry has been honed working with some of the world’s most prestigious spa and skincare brands: Shiseido, Kaneb,Hyatt Regency and Natura Bissé.

With a reputation for excellence and a passion for high quality skincare and spa treatments, Victoria spent 11 years working with Shiseido learning all she could about one of the world’s most famous luxury 

At Shiseido, Victoria swiftly climbed the ranks from UK National Training Manager to EMEA Head of Spa Development managing and delivering training across the EMEA. 

Her passion and enthusiasm, combined with her knowledge of the luxury skincare market made her a perfect fit for Natura Bissé, where she successfully launched the brand to the Irish market within five-star properties around the country. 
Victoria joined Sothys in 2022, with a remit to further develop the profile of the brand in the UK, using her extensive knowledge and experience to launch the brand in the UK luxury hotel and spa arena.