Mandara Spa is a global spa management company founded in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

and now under the company ''Steiner Leisure Limited'', publicly listed in

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

(STNR). Steiner was purchased in 2016 by private equity firm Catterton. The name Mandara comes from an ancient

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

legend about the gods' quest to find the elixir of immortality and eternal youth. Mandara Spa has commercially exploited this legend.

History

Founded in

, Indonesia in 1996 by Thomas Gottlieb and

John Pritzker John A. Pritzker (born 1953), the grandson of A.N. Pritzker and son of Jay Pritzker, is an American billionaire and investor. He is a member of the Pritzker family. Early life and education Pritzker was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mari ...

,Hotel Management Magazine: "One on One with John Pritzker" By Ruthanne Terrero
January 21, 2011 Mandara Spa was one of the pioneers of the tropical Asian spa experience. The first Mandara Spa opened in May 1996 at The Chedi (now Alila Ubud) in

Ubud Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. Promoted as an arts and culture centre, it has developed a large tourism industry. ...

, Bali. In 1998, it began operating in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and the following year, in 1999, it expanded into the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. In 1998, Mandara Spa formed the US-based division, headquartered in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, to develop spas outside of Asia.

Shiseido Company

Mandara Spa ceased to be a 100% privately owned company in 2000, when ''

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world and ...

Co.'' of Japan bought a 40% stake in its worldwide operations. In 2001, the remaining 60% of shares were sold to ''Steiner Leisure Limited'', a

(STNR) listed company.

Steiner Leisure Ltd

In December 2002 Steiner Leisure Limited became the sole owner of Mandara Spa after acquiring the 40% equity interests from Shiseido. Steiner Leisure Limited is a global provider of spa services and operations, a manufacturer and distributor of overpriced skin, body and hair care products and an accredited educator teaching massage, skincare, and spa management. Steiner Leisure's Maritime and Resort Spa divisions operate in over 175 venues on land and at sea. Mandara Spa now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Steiner Leisure, with Jeff Matthews as president and Chief Operating Officer of its Asian, and middle eastern region an
Bruce Pine
Senior Vice-president and Chief Operating Officer, Land-based spas, in all other regions.Cohen, Marc. ''Understanding the Global Spa Industry: Spa Management''. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008

Business Model

Mandara Spa is a spa management company, it is not an owning company. The company operates much the same as a hotel Management Company would. A hotel owner or manager offers up space, Mandara Spa comes in and does everything from design & construction, right through to fit out. Mandara Spa also designs the treatment menu and brings in the staff. Finally, Mandara Spa continues to manage the business on an ongoing basis. The business model for Mandara Spa varies according to the needs of each hotel. In some cases, Mandara Spa takes a percentage of revenues & profits, just like a hotel company would. In other cases, Mandara Spa takes on the costs of the operation and shares a percentage of top-line revenue only with the hotel. In some cases, the hotel and Mandara Spa share both costs and revenues and split the profits.

References

{{Reflist Spas