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GLOBAL SPEAK 74 DAYSPA | JUNE 2014 company-owned and franchised, in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities. They're similar to many U.S. spas: well designed, with quiet lounges featuring refreshments, and attractive furnishings. Some include cafés and fi tness components. São Paulo is home to a number of beautiful day spas, among them Otris Spa (spaotris.com.br), which has extensive hydrotherapy options and heated stone beds, and an in- triguing outdoor treatment area on a platform that's built around a tree. Kalmma Spa (kalmmaspa.com.br) is taking a page from the wellness movement, and combines spa with both hair and fi tness, offering yoga and Pilates. Like Buddha Spa and Kalmma, new centers are opening that com- bine elements of wellness and fi tness along with spa, such as Spa Cidade Jardim (spacidade jardim.com.br), which offers Indian massages by Indian therapists, an indoor pool, in-house plastic surgeon and a gym. It's all part of the largest spa operator in the country, Spa Collection, which has tripled in size in the past three years to 22 locations. Brazil also boasts a selection of highly rated destination spas. The oldest, Lapinha Spa (lapinha .com.br) in Lapa, about 300 miles southwest of São Paulo, opened in 1972 and features 1,360 acres of grounds and organic gardens, plus all of the desti- nation spa staples such as medical care, spa treat- ments and healthy cuisine. The spa runs fi ve- and seven-day programs including smoking cessation, detox and slimming. Further south in Gramado, Kur- otel (kurotel.com.br) was started in 1982 by Dr. Luis Carlos Silveira and his wife, and is now run by his daughter, Dr. Mariela de Silveira, and other family members. Kurotel provides a full medical evaluation, extensive fi tness options including Pilates, aerobics and strength-training, and activities and interests such as dance lessons, fi lms, cooking classes, dinner theater and lectures. Indeed, despite fi rst impressions, beauty is more than skin deep in Brazil. The country is estimated to have more than 18,000 fi tness centers, second in the world only to the U.S., despite its much-lower population of nearly 200 million (the U.S. popula- tion is about 320 million). In Rio, with its proxim- ity to beaches and mountains, much of the fi tness activity takes place outside, but gyms are numerous elsewhere, especially in São Paulo, the fi nancial hub and largest city in the country, with a population of 11 million. An il- lustration of the importance of fi tness becomes clear when we examine the pricing: a popular fi t- ness center chain, Bio Ritmo (bioritmo.com.br), with 22 locations, has a monthly membership fee equal to US$160 in a city where the minimum monthly wage barely reaches US$300. The idea that Brazilians are interested in a holistic approach is corroborated by Waldyr Soares, former president of the local chapter of IHRSA (Internation- al Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association), who comments that, "Even though Brazilians do care about their bodies and outward appearances, most of what we're seeing is more the result of concern for health and well-being." Albanesi concurs that the most common current trend is the growth of nutrition services associated with healthy living, and teaching people how to eat better. So, despite the apparent lack of support or licens- ing from the government in growing the spa indus- try, in a country obsessed with health, appearance and vitality, the future looks bright. Lisa Starr (lstarr@wynnebusiness.com) is a business consultant for Wynne Business and a spa management trainer/educator. Kurotel's Sala Royal provides deep relaxation via chromotherapy. PHOTO COURTESY KUROTEL G l o b a l S p e a k . i n d d 7 4 Global Speak.indd 74 5 / 1 / 1 4 3 : 3 5 P M 5/1/14 3:35 PM