Spa Life® (UK) Convention 2026

Keynote

Jennifer Walsh

KEYNOTE - BEAUTY, BIOPHILIA & THE BRAIN: How Neuroaesthetics is Transforming the Future of Spas and Spaces

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As the wellness industry evolves, spas are uniquely positioned to become more than places of treatment, they can become environments that actively support brain health, emotional regulation, and human connection.

In this keynote, Jennifer explores the emerging field of neuroaesthetics and how beauty, environment, and sensory experience directly influence the human nervous system. Drawing on 30 years of experience at the intersection of beauty, retail, and nature-based wellness, she introduces a powerful new framework for designing spaces that truly restore.

Attendees will learn how the brain responds to environmental cues and why these inputs can significantly impact stress, mood, and memory. The session will also highlight how these principles can be applied immediately to elevate guest experience, increase perceived value, and differentiate spa environments in a competitive market. Jennifer delivers a visually rich, story-driven keynote that blends science, real-world application, and lived experience.

This presentation is designed to inspire while offering practical insights that attendees can immediately apply, engaging audiences across spa operations, design, and leadership through a universally relevant lens of human wellbeing. This session is both inspiring and practical, offering a clear path forward for spa operators, designers, and wellness leaders looking to align with the future of wellness.

ABOUT JENNIFER WALSH

Jennifer Walsh is a pioneer in experiential retail and wellness, founder of Beauty Bar, the first omni-channel beauty retailer in the U.S.in the 1990’s and creator of Lost Art of Being Human. Her work bridges beauty, neuroscience, and nature to help businesses design environments that enhance wellbeing, performance, and human connection.

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Keynote

Kat Thorne

KEYNOTE: THE ONE HABIT ADVANTAGE: Creating happier, healthier & higher performing people

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Spa leaders and teams operate in environments where calm, care and consistency are expected - no matter what’s happening behind the scenes. Focus, energy and decision-making don’t just impact performance; they shape the entire guest experience.

In this interactive keynote, Kat Thorne reveals how one small, intentional habit can unlock up to 15% greater performance by improving focus, resilience and consistency. Rather than relying on willpower or pushing through, you’ll learn how habits create the foundation for sustainable high performance - especially during busy periods, organisational change and evolving industry demands.

You will learn:

• How daily habits influence energy, presence and performance across your team
• Why improving performance at work starts with your habits
• How one small habit can elevate both team performance and guest experience - without adding more to your workload

You’ll leave with a simple, practical framework and one habit you can implement immediately - supporting how you perform at work, how you contribute to your team, and how you show up at home.

About Kat Thorne

Kat Thorne is an international keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, and positive habits expert, helping leaders and teams unlock higher performance through one small, practical habit change. Kat's work shows that habits are not personal - they are a strategic advantage in human performance, improving focus, energy and productivity. Kat will equip you and your team with simple tools to drive measurable results at work and home.

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Transformative Practice

Michelle Hammond

TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICE IN ACTION: exploring the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern science to develop experiences that truly deliver.

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Transformative Practice in Action is a dedicated conference track, curated exclusively for Spa Life by Michelle Hammond, Founder of TPOT Education.

As the wellness industry continues to evolve, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: the future of health and longevity does not lie in constant reinvention, but in meaningful reconnection.

This unique track explores the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern science to create experiences that genuinely support health span - not just momentary relaxation, but measurable, lasting wellbeing.

Opening the new series, Michelle sets the tone with a powerful and thought-provoking session that reframes the current landscape of wellness. Drawing on over 30 years of clinical, educational and industry experience, she explores the growing disconnect at the heart of modern health, and what it means to reconnect more intelligently:

•    To self - through nervous system awareness, regulation and embodied understanding
•    To one another - through the therapeutic power of touch, presence and human connection
•    To the world around us - through nature, environment and the spaces we design and inhabit

Blending timeless principles with emerging science around stress, inflammation, and human physiology, this session lays the foundation for a new way of thinking - one that moves beyond trends and treatments, and towards integrated, intelligent wellbeing.

Because better health isn’t about doing more…it’s about understanding what truly matters.

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Transformative Practice

Lisa Knowles

GLP-1 & THE MODERN CLIENT: What Every Practitioner Needs to Understand Now

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GLP-1 is reshaping the health landscape, and your clients are already part of it. Are you ready to better support them in your practice?

In this tpot curated focused session, you’ll gain clear, practical insight into what GLP-1 is, who’s using it, why it’s gaining traction, and where the challenges lie. Most importantly, you’ll leave with grounded, actionable ways to adapt your treatments, consultations, and experiences to better support this rapidly growing client group.

Led by Lisa Knowles, respected spa industry consultant and degree-qualified Nutritional Therapist, this is essential learning for practitioners, team leads, and experience designers ready to stay informed, relevant, and client-centered.

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Progressive Thinking

Tom McPherson Le Maire

UNLOCKING HIDDEN REVENUE IN YOUR SPA: Revealing untapped opportunities that could be quietly limiting your sales and profitability

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Tom MacPherson Le Maire is a seasoned skincare expert with over 20 years of experience in the sector. Specializing in luxury hotel and spa channels, he is passionate about hospitality and the integration of innovative wellness concepts.

Tom has worked across multiple channels, supporting go-to-market strategies for several emerging skincare brands. His career began with industry icons like The Body Shop, followed by nearly a decade at Clarins, where he honed his expertise in fast-paced commercial retail. During his time at Clarins, he held senior roles in training and field management, overseeing more than 70 staff members and driving significant business revenue.

Transitioning to work with SMEs and challenger skincare brands, Tom sought to amplify the voices of smaller brands often overshadowed by larger budgets. He led the EMEA region for Intraceuticals, an Australian oxygen facial brand, and later helped launch the Icelandic skincare brand BioEffect in Space NK, while also developing their spa and clinic division. He then established his own consultancy, collaborating with brands like Aromatherapy Associates across EMEA, Swedish skincare brand Swiss Clinic (launching them in Harvey Nichols), and The Hut Group.

Following the pandemic, Tom joined British luxury skincare brand 111SKIN, where he has spent the last five years overseeing their global spa division and export markets across MEA and LATAM. His extensive network within luxury hospitality facilitated 111SKIN’s successful entry into major hotel groups worldwide, including Mandarin Oriental, Marriott Luxury, Four Seasons, Rosewood, ACCOR Luxury, Hilton Luxury Brands, and Kempinski. Under his leadership, the brand’s spa channel grew exponentially, with high-profile partnerships like the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and other iconic global properties.

Effective February 2026 he is the founder and Chief Growth Officer of an independent consultancy Atelier Vitae specialising in brand building, route-to-market strategy, and the creation of omni-channel distribution opportunities across hospitality and luxury skincare. With a strong focus on the evolving wellness landscape, Tom works closely with brands, hotels, spas, and clinics to develop commercially sound, experience-led strategies that connect products and services seamlessly across retail, treatment, and lifestyle touchpoints. His approach supports the growth of the wellness industry by helping brands scale with clarity, authenticity, and relevance, while aligning luxury, performance, and consumer trust in an increasingly integrated market.

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Transformative Practice

Christine Clinton

LYMPHATICS FOR LONGEVITY

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Transformative Practice

Joanne Berry

LYMPHATICS FOR LONGEVITY

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Joanne Berry has enjoyed over 30 years of professional international experience in the luxury and medical spa industry.

Beginning her career as a massage therapist, esthetician and aromatherapist, over the last three decades Joanne held a variety of roles covering business management and education in a number of different divisions including, cruise ships, day spas, resorts and medical spas, plus, most recently, education and training in specialised techniques for international brands.

In 2018 Joanne founded The Wellness Education Hub, based in San Diego, California, inspired by her receipt of American Spa magazine's 'Women in Wellness Award' as the Educator & Trainer of the Year, and the 'Making a Difference Award' from Circadia for her work on spa training in the oncology arena.

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Progressive Thinking

Orla Kenny

UNLOCKING HIDDEN REVENUE IN YOUR SPA: Storytelling for Profit (PANEL)

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Orla Kenny has 20 years’ experience in the spa & wellness industry covering both operations and supplier roles for several employers.

Beginning in operations as a spa therapist, Orla quickly progressed through supervisory roles into a Spa Management with different employers, and eventually into a Group Spa & Lesure Director post.

Along this journey, Orla has also spent more than 5 years in Education and Training roles with different brands and today is partnership & education manager for Irish brand Seabody.

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