Cairndale Hotel appoints Claire Primrose as its new spa manager

Cairndale Hotel in Dumfries, Scotland has appointed Claire Primrose as its new spa manager, tasked with spearheading a spa recruitment drive after  the hotel announced plans for a £2 million spa development last month.

A qualified beauty therapist, Primrose joins Carindale from Apex Hotels, where she was spa manager in the Yu Spa in Edinburgh.

She brings with her a decade of experience in the wellness and hospitality industry, having been spa treatments manager at Edinburgh’s Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa, and spent seven years at sea with One Spa World.

Primrose started her career in Jersey as a spa therapist at Spa Sirene at The Royal Yacht Hotel.

A new £2m spa for Cairndale

The Cairndale transformation project will see the hotel’s existing leisure club replaced with a new 1,285sqm spa and wellness café.

The spa will have six treatment rooms, a thermal pool, rasul, aroma steam room, Himalayan salt sauna, Hammam and herbal lounge.

There will also be an external spa garden with a cold pool, garden sauna and warm room.

The project follows an award of almost £400,000 in development funding from South of Scotland Enterprise, and is estimated to generate additional income for the local economy in excess of £12 million over ten years.

“In the first six months, my primary goal is launching the spa and establishing The Cairndale as a destination for relaxation and luxury in the south of Scotland,” says Primrose.

“We have a strong focus on building relationships with exceptional partners and on delivering wellness retreats that enable visitors to benefit from the outstanding natural beauty of our location.” 

Primrose will play a vital role in recruiting and training 15 new staff, confirming spa partners, creating treatment menus and setting service standards. She will work alongside hotel director, Matthew Wallace.

“My new role includes all aspects of spa set-up, from selecting brand partners and building relationships with local colleges to recruiting and training staff and spa therapists,” continues Primrose.

“I’ll be involved in training therapists and, once we’re open, I’ll be focusing on ensuring that we pay the same attention to staff wellness as we do to customers.”

Work got underway on the new spa in early January. It is set to open to the public in late spring.

Recruitment opportunities can be found here.

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