Andrew McCaffery is serious about the importance of hands-on treatment in airports. And he doesn’t mean frisking at security.
That’s why he (a former UBS managing director) and his business partner Grant Thompson founded Rejuve, a wellbeing-oriented club and spa in Heathrow airport here.
The 4,500-sq.-ft. space, which was opened in June, features treatment rooms, a gym, showers, a barbershop and a lounge—that were all designed to make the traveling experience more pleasurable and productive.
Rejuve was conceived to offer a luxury oasis in the bustling airport environment. Its dark woods and neutral color schemes are teamed with Grecian imagery to add an air of luxury.
McCaffery and Thompson came up with the concept after Thompson, a managing director of HSBC and Rejuve’s co-founder, was delayed at Stockholm airport.
“It was a tortuous journey,” said McCaffery, who is also a frequent traveler. “He noticed how really few productive things he could do, except fi nd somewhere quiet to sit for three hours and wait.
“No one was focusing on the travelers’ experience, on how to help them to prepare for their fl ight, to enjoy better wellbeing, to be more productive and give them somewhere to escape to,” he continued, adding some passengers now have more time to dwell in airports than ever before, due to stricter security measures.
After studying the market and deliberating on which services they would ideally like to fi nd in airports themselves, the pair came up with Rejuve, a concept meant to help passengers either unwind or reenergize. McCaffery noted that many of the 149 million passengers passing through Heathrow annually are there for business travel, so many of the spa’s services were tailored to suit their specific needs.
Fifteen-minute head-and-shoulder massages are on offer, for example, while the grooming area is intended to make executives look smart for when they arrive at a destination for their meetings. Nutritional information is on hand, too. Corporate membership plans are available on a per-company basis.
“From a company’s point of view, it’s a way to get people to join a health club, to get fitter, to think about nutrition and make sure they’re eating properly in different time zones, and to make sure they’re prepared physically” for work, he said.
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While initially Rejuve executives expected quick treatments would be the biggest hit among passengers, McCaffery said he was surprised to fi nd the massages lasting 30 minutes or longer are most popular.
Rejuve is also open to recreational travelers, for whom daily entry fees start at £25 (?36.85/$46.90) and annual access with additional benefi ts is priced at £2,500.
A la carte treatments range from the 15-minute Notebook Neck and Shoulder rub, for £26, to the 75-minute Global Adventurer massage and facial, which costs £100.
All treatments use Jurlique natural products.
“Jurlique is very complimentary to our thinking, as it’s organic,” said McCaffery.
A selection of the brand’s products are also available for purchase in Rejuve’s retail space.
Product sales, which include travel items, already represent about 20% of the spa’s business, with fees for treatments and services making up the remainder.
Industry sources estimate Rejuve could ring up total sales of £2 million in its fi rst 12 months. The space’s workout area is meant to offer convenience, since business travelers leaving early in the morning to catch fl ights are not always happy to get up at 5 a.m. to squeeze in a run, said McCaffery, adding a workout in the airport makes good use of down time.
“They can get to the airport and fi t it in at their normal time,” he explained.
Since Rejuve is not associated with a specific airline, unlike airport lounges run by Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, for example, all passengers can have access to the space.
So clients don’t forget their primary reason for being at the airport, they are notified when their flight is about to board. Luggage can be stored in secure lockers. Further, Wifi and a meeting room are available for business travelers hoping to maximize their working hours.
Looking ahead, McCaffery said plans could include the opening of up to three additional Rejuve spaces over the next two to three years, potentially in London or elsewhere in the world.
“The goal is that when people see Rejuve it becomes a reason to make the airport a destination, rather just an environment they pass through,” said McCaffery.
This article appeared in WWD Beauty Report International a special publication of WWD.