Maria is a spa creator, the man behind some of the most important projects in Romania. She designed the Grand Santerra SPA at Balvanyos Resort. She redesigned the Spa at Afrodita Resort, Baile Herculane and brought Romania the award for the Best Spa Concept in Europe, awarded by the European Spa Association in 2019. 

With her lifestyle and approach, Maria embodies everything wellness. 

From a very young age, she felt the need for peace and was concerned about her well-being, health and balance. To achieve them, she preferred to define success by her own criteria. And although the awards she has received over the years confirm that she has achieved it, she does not consider herself a career man. It brings her joy to share what she has accumulated in the spa & wellness field with those interested. She does it as a Mentor, but also as a Consultant in the projects she is involved in.

She was born in the country, in the valley of flowers that she considers the most beautiful place in the world, even though she has worked in 5* spa destinations in exotic islands. She moved to Cluj when she was young, but has always been nostalgic for the peaceful life in her native land. 

He discovered spirituality very early, in the readings that colored his adolescence, from Eliade to Dostoevsky. 

Movement, especially swimming, has been a permanent part of her life. She tried it all: skiing, climbing, diving, yoga, aerobics without pursuing performance, but just simple enjoyment.

She attended the Faculty of Chemistry in Cluj. From this profession she inherited rigor and clarity for practical things, but also a better understanding in reading the labels on spa cosmetics. 

He was a chemical engineer for a few years. By chance, after a cosmetic treatment, he developed an infection in his beard. As recovery was difficult, he felt the need to understand why. So she took a course in cosmetics. Shortly after came the Revolution and with it, the freedom to travel. On one of her first vacations abroad, she fell in love with Italy and, with the help of the beauty course, she lived her own "La dolce vitta" experience for five years. 

Adventure, exotic destinations and spa jobs

The thirst for adventure, new places, the exotic and the unknown began to take wings. That's how she signed her first contract with a cruise ship and ended up with her first job in Spa.

"As chance would have it, that first job was with the best in the world at the time in spa training - Steiner. Back then, spa schools, including spa management, were almost totally lacking. Career advancement had simple rules: you had to look a certain way, have a smile on your face no matter how long the shifts were and sell products. I got a better grade in retail, but I was never genuinely interested in leading something or someone. 

I wanted to see the world, so I would first choose the destinations, then I would look for a job to get to that place. 

Throughout my career I have had better and less good managers, I have always been a keen observer and I have learned from some and from others. 

I have been in management positions and not once did I accept executive positions after having previously climbed the ladder, just so I could see the places I dreamed of, because that was my priority. That's how I ended up living in real paradises, such as Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Malta, Tenerife or the Greek islands. 

I pushed sandal season as far as I could depending on location. My photos from that time look like vacation photos, with a hat and water bottle in hand, even though many were taken on the way to and from work."

She had the chance to work in renowned spas such as The Bodyholiday or Abama Spa. Even if this apparent "fickleness" doesn't look good on her CV, the experience gained through the diversity of spas has helped her enormously.

"My generation learned from books. When Spa Management course offers started to appear, I felt the need to complement my Steiner's knowledge with a Spa Management Academy. I followed the courses Alpine College, The Swiss Business School for Hotel & Tourism Management"

When it comes to a field as complex as spa, theory and practice are equally important. This can be seen very clearly in spa developments that are done without an experienced consultant or spa manager. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of improvisation and the consequences are extremely costly."

Financial aspects were never important, but such calculations were also necessary. "In one of those moments I signed a contract in Baku. The tightness in my chest from the air I was breathing there made me give up, true to my belief that health is more important than anything. But I didn't give up before implementing the Hyatt concept on the location, I carried the contract through to the opening. It was my last collaboration abroad."

Return to Romania

The return to Romania was not easy and it didn't happen suddenly, there were years of back and forth where she started opting for spa locations open seasonally. 

The decision to make a full comeback was not about her career, but about her belief that to be truly well you have to be where your heart is. Maria's heart is where her family is. 

"I learned that you can create your own paradise in your own garden and that your inner balance is in your own hands. And, perhaps, the spirit of adventure had begun to tire. I don't do simple things, I don't climb cliffs, I don't cross high seas and countries at the same frenetic pace, The important thing is to be always on the move so that the mind and soul can rest."

In the country, she had to adapt to a rather weak, but growing and positively evolving market. She had to put on the brakes many times in order to keep up with investors' expectations, which were different and far below her own. 

Maria first contacted me when she decided to stay in Romania. She wrote me an email on the contact address of the website and asked me what she could help me with. We chatted a bit and agreed that the most she could help me would be to write two types of articles. Some for the readers of the site, others for the professionals in the field, with as many practical examples as possible, understandable to everyone. 

But Maria did much more than I had hoped. She knew that, even though I am not a spa specialist, I wanted to promote spa and wellness concepts and their benefits through despreSpa.ro, with the help of a few specialists in Romania.

With a lot of passion, but also patience, Maria introduced me to the depth of this field, even though she knew that I did not choose it as a profession. We talked on the phone for hundreds of hours over the years. With her help I understood the importance of a correct operational circuit in a spa, but also the consequences of a bad one, she explained the major importance of the menu in the success of a spa and how spas should choose their cosmetics.

Maria is the person I call whenever I have a question. No matter how busy she is, she makes time for me and doesn't let up until I fully understand both the detail I'm calling her about and the bigger picture and the wider consequences. She explains to me step by step, logically, with her engineer's rigor. 

That's why, in the pandemic, when I had the idea to start the online mentoring program, 100% free for spa managers in Romania, the first one I thought of was Maria. She had taught me a lot in the 9 years we had been working together and I knew how much she wanted to pass on what she knew to others. 

"I feel the need to get closer to the young people who came from behind. We are from two different generations, but we had and need each other."

What are the spa projects you have been working on so far in Romania and what's next? 

The notable projects I have worked on are Grand Santerra Spa - Balvanyos Resort and Herculum Spa - Afrodita Resort Baile Herculane, which have received and continue to receive many unanimous, even international, recognition. I put the same dedication and skill for Cellarium Spa - Castel Daniel, Teleferic Grand Hotel or Anette in Timisoara.

I think that traditional Romanian balneology, which falls into a spa category, needs profound changes. European countries are moving faster. The experience of Herculum Spa @ Afrodita Resort, Baile Herculane has helped me to deepen my study of this sector, to get to know it closely, and I can't wait to make my mark in another renowned resort, Baile Tusnad, where I want to do great things.

What do you consider to be your strengths that help you deal with everything that goes into creating a spa? 

The experience and the role taken on to maintain the integrity of the spa concept helps me to see "the big picture" and stay connected with global developments, as we are talking about an industry that is growing at an accelerating pace around the world. Cultural differences have been and will be there, but it's how we adapt between the mix of investor's ideas and desires, modern trends and traditional historical spa concepts that matters. 

My background as an engineer has helped me to assist developers to avoid or correct functional design mistakes that prove very costly. 

But my spa therapist background also helped.

What is your favorite part of creating a new spa project?

I like many things. It's that part of analyzing and discovering the place, with all the history, resources and ingredients, with all the stories known and some perhaps long untold. Around that, the concept is born. I think that's my favorite part. 

I like to train therapists, I have a very good manual dexterity and I manage to bring that absolutely necessary energy exchange to high levels. 

In the spa I can easily get into any role, I can even "stick my head in the picture", if a model is missing during a photo session.

What is the most satisfying thing you've experienced in your work?

Awards, accolades, all are important, but when you come to understand a field very well and love it, you make your own evaluations.

I love building teams, helping them to evolve. But the thing that still moves me most today is the satisfaction I see on my clients' faces after a massage or other spa experience.

But the biggest achievement?

I enjoy achievements, as they come, each in its own measure. I don't know which is the greatest and I never set goals for my professional work, although I am a perfectionist. 

However, I set my own standards from which I do not abdicate and, if I can do something within their perimeter, I do it with all my energy.

How was the pandemic period for you? 

The pandemic came at a time when I needed a break. I took care of my own. I brought down from the attic everything that was left to refurbish, because I felt I had to do something with my hands and I like to breathe life into old things. I grew tomatoes and harvested honey from the family beehives. 

I analyzed a lot of behaviors, opinions, what was and what will be. I preferred to wait calmly for this madness to pass. 

Shortly after the emergency, I suddenly felt the courtyard of the house squeezing me and I went to the sea. The sea, which always heals me. 

Then, I enthusiastically joined the aboutSpa.ro Mentoring Program and the SPA Romania Association's project to legislate the Romanian spa market. I would have happily said "Yes" in normal times. 

Surprisingly, or maybe not, business inquiries came in, investors took the opportunity to recalibrate. 

I consider the pandemic over. It wasn't too bad for me. I still missed swimming a lot. 

What are the most important things you have learned about yourself since working in this field?

I have learned that there are deeper things beyond the surface. The rational and the conscious are not enough. You need to open your heart to be whole and achieve balance with yourself and in your relationships with others. I have learned to stop often and ask myself how I feel, but also how those around me feel.

What is the lesson you learned the hard way?

I have a strong temper, I get angry quickly and I've learned that I have to get over it as quickly as possible so as not to hurt myself and those around me. 

What brings you joy, fulfillment?

Love. To know my loved ones well and healthy. 

I love to spoil my mom on short vacations to the mountains or the sea, and to the spa, obviously. 

I love history and walking through the grass barefoot. 

I love Cluj and, even if I leave it frequently to avoid the crowds, I periodically pass through the city. 

My everyday spa lately is a swimming pool, actually, redeveloped around some lakes neighboring the famous Turda Salina, places where we used to bathe and spend our high school years. 

In the cold season, the salt water from these lakes is also used in other spas in the city, where I have had to adjust my standards as a user. The one requirement from which I do not waive is absolute cleanliness. 

What wellness trends do you see in the short and medium term?

• Today's main market for spa tends to be couples or families with children, which means targeting several segments simultaneously. Before, professional women were the target audience. 

• Many Aqua Parks have been created, and there is already a cluster of such mega centers in Central Europe. Many of them are financially supported to operate with low prices for users. They tend to offer a similar product for the same target market (leisure/families with children) with little or no differentiation. To be sustainable, they need to diversify and offer unique and authentic experiences, not just rely on the image and attractiveness of already recognized destinations, as they do now.

• We will see an increase in the number of Spa destinations, whose facilities are mainly aimed at guiding users to develop healthy lifestyle habits. This is made possible through comprehensive programs of spa services, movement activities, wellness education, healthy nutrition etc. touching all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. They can be focused on weight loss, de-stress, detox, fitness, relaxation, etc. They are generally located in remote, quiet locations where nature plays an essential role and where escape is truly possible. They are already quite popular in Western Europe and particularly in America.

• The spa of the future will integrate more and more experiences and the holistic can't miss out

• Consumers are becoming more spa educated and harder to please, looking for highly personalized packages and services that can meet their own needs. 

• People's lack of time for relaxation and leisure will remain a constant, "quick fix" services will be sought, in some locations, spa for a day or half a day.

• Sustainability is the big trend of the moment

• Veganism is growing at an unprecedented rate - an opportunity for spa cuisine. Attracting and involving the community in sourcing fresh local produce for consumers in a spa facility could create a mixed product and successful differentiation. 

• Hiring local staff, training them is a healthy trend. I'm not encouraging efforts to bring in therapists from Asia, it's much simpler and more efficient to turn physiotherapy graduates into spa people. 

• Service quality remains essential, the concept of "service design" is increasingly widely understood and implemented

• Last but not least, spas need to become more affordable for any pocket, which will be a major challenge especially in terms of quality of services where there is demand for a major improvement.

What message would you like to convey to the world?

I believe in evolution, humanity and civilization. I believe in peace, harmony and justice.

I understand that love makes the world go round, love gives me wings, and the immense desire for freedom that I have always felt, I give it equally to others. 

I believe that out of love comes the desire to do good to those around us, but good is not done with reluctance. Love has also taught me detachment and I've learned to stand by until I'm needed. 

With love I turn to myself, the time has come for wisdom. 

In conclusion, my message is an apparently simple one:

Do good to yourself without harming others 

yes

Do good to others without harming yourself."

You can find Maria here: https://desprespa.ro/curs-spa-manageri/

Ioana Marian,

Founder despreSpa.ro