Behind the scenes at the European Spa Event 2026

By Wendy Golledge

04 February 2026

europeanspamagazine.com/leaders-resource

The European Spa Event is now firmly established as one of the leading spa networking events for the spa and wellness world.

Connecting people with purpose, elevating spa leadership with heart and offering a unique space to discover new brand innovations and thought leadership, it is the event that everyone is talking about.

Held at Jumeirah Carlton Tower on January 29, everyone came to celebrate the thriving spa and wellness industry, next-level leadership, industry insight and future thinking.

Our guests travelled from France, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Malta, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Ireland, the four nations of the UK and further afield from Hong Kong, Dubai and Canada.

From left: European Spa's Mark Smith, Wendy Golledge, Sarah Camilleri and Frankie Short with Sue Harmsworth MBE (centre)

From left: Sarah Ronchetti, TempleSpa; Tara Moore, Galgorm; Victoria Elsey, Elemis; Martine O'Neill, TempleSpa; consultant Clair Davidson

From left: spa, wellness and hospitality curator, Paula Perkins; Cheryl Anderson, Barr + Wray

Sharing ideas

Experts travelled from Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, France, Switzerland and UK to enjoy a speaker line-up that included André Devillers, general manager, Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Aki Mandhar, CEO and president of Chelsea FC Women.

They were joined by, among others, Patrick Saussay, founder, GPSA Wellness and Spa Consulting; Magdy Abdelaty, director of wellness, The Chancery Rosewood, and Pillar Wellbeing’s Oliver Patrick.

The inaugural European Spa Visionary Leadership Award was presented to Susan Harmsworth MBE for her extraordinary contribution to the industry.

Sarah Camilleri with Aki Mandhar, CEO and president of Chelsea FC Women

From left: Laura Freeman, Aqua Sana; Chelsea Foyle, Ellisons

From left: Harrison Gregory, Omorovicza; Oriele Frank, Elemis

From left: Teresa O'Farrell, Dorchchester Collection; award-winner Sue Harmsworth MBE; Wendy Golledge

The European Spa Event brought together more than 240 spa leaders to share conversations, connections and spa intelligence.

Our aim was to connect many of the leading lights who are building the spa industry for the future. The result was a day that was both inspiring and informative.

We welcomed some of the best spa directors and consultants from Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont, Raffles, Dorchester Collection, Bulgari, Jumeirah, Six Senses, and Rosewood, to name just a few.

From left: Jade Pollendine, Sopwell House; Peigin Crowley, Ground Wellbeing

From left: Francesco Rinaldini, Starpool; Angelica Maran, AKT Group

From left: Holly Mandall and Isadora Provatos, Aromatherapy Associates

The European Spa Leaders’ Resource 2026

The day also celebrated the official launch of the European Spa Leaders’ Resource 2026, our business year book.

It features a global collective of experts, suppliers and spa leaders, top spa destinations and brands to watch.

This expert book brings together intelligence and thought leadership from many world-renowned spa leaders who are building successful concepts, as well as managing destinations and teams.

Read our full event report later on this week at europeanspamagazine.com.

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