The Bliss Business

THE AUTO CLASSIC MAGAZINE WINTER 2018

The Bliss Business

Danny and Tania Taylor are the brains (and beauty) behind one of Perth’s great success stories. Their Bodhi J luxury spa brand now takes pride of place one of the best addresses in town - the new Westin Perth hotel - as well as the Qantas International departure lounge, offering succour to weary travellers. Gabi Mills reports.

Danny Taylor is in a rush when we meet for a coffee in a cafe in Margaret River. This state of permanent motion is by no means unusual, it turns out; he and wife Tania are in the middle of a maelstrom of extraordinary activity which shows no sign of letting up since a series of incredible developments for their business Bodhi J. I’m glad he’s got time to sit down and sip a cuppa with me, but I’m aware that this is a brief pause in an otherwise hectic schedule.

The Bodhi J success story started simply enough in 2007 with a single wellness venue in Wembley which the pair took over and remodelled in the now-familiar Bodhi J way. At the time however, it was groundbreaking, taking a holistic approach to the beauty business.

Think restful hues, gentle new age music, beautifully designed treatment rooms and a definite East Asian influence to the experience for a client.

“It wasn’t long before the Wembley sanctuary was booking weeks in advance and we realised we had to expand,” says Danny. “We acquired a lease on a neighbouring tenancy and increased our capacity by 50%, but agains struggled to meet demand. The opportunity to create another venue at Pier Street on the Perth/Highgage border came up, and we grabbed it.”

The launch of the Bodhi J Wellness Spa Retreat attracted all the A-listers who turn up to events and spread the love via their Insta pages. It was an instant hit and, just like the Wembley sanctuary, is booked up weeks in advance.

It seemed that Perth couldn’t get

enough of the Bodhi J vibe - an ecofocused yet uber luxe spa experience which tapped into a certain clientele’s desire to be pampered without literally costing the earth.

“Nobody in Perth was offering the full organic experience – literally everything we use in our business is low impact or organic,” says Danny. Running two such successful

luxury retreats may have been enough for most people, but Tania and Danny are not most people. The dynamic duo were considering their options when, last year, the opportunity to take over one of Margaret River’s most luxurious resort’s spas came their way.

“When the chance to run Injidup Spa Resort’s offering arose, we jumped at it,” he says. “We opened in September 2017, the very same week we got the call from The Westin Perth and Qantas.” Quite a week, by any description. The exquisite Bodhi J @ Injidup Spa Retreat features three discerningly appointed treatment rooms – one a double room for couples – and each has a beautiful and unique serenity of its own, with spectacular views spanning the south west coastline. The team of six expert therapists will cater for guests of the resort and visitors to the area, and offers an extensive world-class spa treatment menu with eco-luxe Australian skincare brand Sodashi, hand-made in North Fremantle, as well as the signature Li’Tya Marta Kodo Rock Massage.

“We’d stayed at Injidup many times – it’s our go-to place to unwind,” says Danny. “We knew that thanks to our big following in Perth, those same clients would love to visit a Bodhi J when they’re holidaying down south.”

And that’s the magic formula; whether you’re enjoying a hot rocks massage in Injidup or a facial at The Westin, you can be assured that the experience will be identical whatever the venue, down to the way the fruit is sliced and presented at the end of your treatment.

“Consistency and service is the key to success, we’re very customeroriented,” he says. “Now that there are five venues we work extremely hard through training our staff that the offering is the same across the board.”

Back to that incredible week in September.

The Westin Perth is just the latest in a pipeline of luxury hotels that are springing up in Perth's CBD, and it was extremely pleasing for Danny and Tania to receive a call from the world-wide brand asking them if they’d like to set up a Bodhi J in the new dedicated spa floor in the new destination.

“We got the call and they said that they’d heard that Bodhi J was the best wellness spa in town, and would we like to be part of the new hotel,” says Danny. Needless to say, they said yes.

Since April, Bodhi J at The Westin Perth has been taking the wellness experience to decadent new heights. The experience is superlative from the welcome to final, reluctant

goodbye. It’s a beautiful sanctuary in the heart of the city, with six treatment rooms, including a gorgeous double room for couples.

Despite the pressures on their time running such a rapidly expanding business, it’s just as likely you’ll be greeted by Tania or Danny behind the reception desk as one of their exceedingly well-trained staff members. They don’t shirk from being hands-on and keep an eagle eye on consistency of experience, wherever they happen to be in their wellness empire.

The latest piece in the puzzle is an innovative one; a wellbeing studio at the international transit lounge at Perth Airport.

“Being approached by Qantas, such an iconic Australian brand, was definitely a highlight so far for us,” says Danny.

Partnering with the airline, premium passengers are offered the chance to enjoy a 15-minute Bodhi J-driven session as they wait to board or have disembarked the non-stop Perth to London route.

So instead of browsing Duty Free, why not instead give yoga a go or brush up on your breathing and meditation techniques?

“The ideal for us is that passengers will arrive via Qantas, check into the Westin, then go down to Injidup for a break, enjoying the same Bodhi J experience at each venue,” says Danny.

It’s almost like they planned it. MQ Visit bodhij.com.au for information.

FAST FACT

The Bodhi J tree encompasses the group’s holistic philosophy to beauty and wellness; to enhance each guest’s overall wellbeing using the purest botanicals in an environment of complete serenity.

IN SAFE HANDS

Arriving at The Westin Perth's Bodhi J luxury spa was like taking a giant sigh of relief. In the heart of the city yet a million miles from all the concerns of that CBD, I was welcomed warmly, more than ready for my Sodashi Pure Radiance Facial at the hands of one of the highly trained Bodhi J therapists. Shown to the changing rooms, I slipped into a super comfy dressing gown, slippers and at the same time, into a mindset which would, for an hour at least, make me feel like a million dollars.

In the treatment room, Sophie put me at my ease immediately, gently moving around the room, explaining what she would be doing to revive my tired, nearly half-century-old face back to life.

I knew already that a Sodashi treatment would be top of the range; the Fremantle-created organic line of potions, creams and near-miraculous rejeuvenating concoctions are the go-to collection for those in the know. Sophie began to work on my skin, her gentle, rhythmic movements on my chin, cheeks and forehead creating an unbelievably relaxing sensation. The facial is designed to soften, nourish and balance skin as well as giving it a super-charged boost in terms of radiance. I had high hopes I'd emerge after my session literally radiating a newfound youthful glow. The warming compresses followed by a rich, nurturing face mask, enriched with plant essences did its best to draw out 50 years worth of hard journalistic living. While the mask was working its magic, I had an added bonus: a foot rub to end all foot rubs.

And the result? My skin was a soft and radiant as somebody half my age. Not bad for an old chook.