The Barai, Hyatt Hua Hin

The Barai, Hyatt Hua Hin is awarded Best Spa Ambiance and Best Resort Spa; Spa Cenvaree at Central World in Bangkok wins Best New Spa; and RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort in Bangkok wins Best Day Spa at the Asia Spa & Wellness Festival Gold Awards 2009.

Spa Cenvaree at Central World

Out of 28 spas and wellness centers across Asia honored with the Asia Spa & Wellness Festival Gold Awards, three spas from Thailand brought home four awards in Asia Spa & Wellness Festival 2009 in Bangkok.  The Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was held on March 21 at The Landmark Hotel in Bangkok attracting more than 300 spa owners, managers and industry leaders.

The awards covered many spa categories and were decided from a pool of 212 nominations. The decisions included assessment of both ‘hardware’ components (ambiance, design and equipment) and ‘software’ components (therapist skills and qualifications, treatment menus and service quality). Judges were comprised of spa personalities, travel writers and tour planners.

RarinJinda Wellness and Spa Resort

China, Thailand and Singapore were three of the biggest winners of the night. China, which has the largest number of spas in Asia, proved quality and quantity by bagging five awards including Best Day Spa, Best Wellness Center, Best Resort Spa, Best Destination Spa and Best Hotel Spa. Thailand and Singapore were tied with four awards each. Other winners included spas from Malaysia, India, Macua, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bhutan.

The much anticipated Awards, regarded as the most prestigious awards for spas and wellness centers in Asia were given in conjunction with the Asia Spa & Wellness Festival 2009, organized by AIC Exhibitions Sdn Bhd, Thai Spa Association and Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Promotion Council with the support of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

William Ng, chairman of the Awards, said that the Awards showed that world-class spas are operating across Asia and he confirmed that judges had a very difficult time in selecting winners from among the strong competition.

Full List of Winning Spas

Best New Spa Spa Cenvaree at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
Best Spa Ambiance The Barai, Hyatt Hua Hin, Thailand
Best Spa Experience Mogambo Springs, The Spa at Plantation Bay, Cebu, Philippines
Best Day Spa (5 winners) Evian Spa by Three, Shanghai, China
Tirta Spa, Boracay Island, Philippines
The Retreat Spa, Singapore
RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort, Bangkok, Thailand
Sense of Touch, Hong Kong
Best Wellness Center (2 winners) Kenko Reflexology & Spa, Singapore
Song Spa, Hyatt Regency Dongguan, China
Best Traditional Treatment Manda Snana by Jiva Spa at Taj Tashi, Thimphu, Kingdom of Bhutan
Best Signature Treatment Chocolate Wrap by M-Spa & Fitness, Genting Highland, Malaysia
Best Resort Spa (5 winners) The Barai, Hyatt Hua Hin, Thailand
Spa Village, Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia
Kaya Kalp – The Royal Spa, ITC Mughal, Agra, India
Health Club & Spa – Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore
Regalia Resort and Spa, Suzhou, China
Best Destination Spa (4 winners) Spa Indochine, Siam Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia
The Spa at The Nam Hai Resort, Hoi An, Vietnam
Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan, China
Thermes Marins Bali, Indonesia
Best Hotel Spa (6 winners) The Spa at Crown, Macau
Plateau Residential Spa – HYATT PURE, Hong Kong
Heavenly Spa by Westin, Beijing, China
The Asian Spa, Spacare International, Singapore
Zen Serena Spa at The Metropolitan Hotel, New Delhi, India
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, Japan
Best Spa Group HYATT PURE