We are living through challenging times. From inflation to the energy crisis, stock market dips, climate change and geopolitical tensions, there are many reasons why stress and anxiety are reportedly on the rise. Luckily, here in Cyprus there is another way to deal with the stress of modern life. Successful Business talks to George Tavelis – CEO of Tavelis Spa Concept, Managing Director at Sanctum Spa & Fitness Centres and President & Founder of Cyprus Spa Association - about becoming more resilient in the face of challenging times.

As an expert on wellness in our personal lives and workplaces, is it time to start taking wellness and mental wellbeing more seriously in Cyprus than in previous decades?

For many people in Cyprus, the only thing they think about is their daily routine of waking up, going to work, and then returning home to repeat the same the next day. It is important more so now than ever, as our lives become busier and more stressful, to transform our lifestyle by creating a daily wellbeing habit.

It is not simply a matter of exercise and nutrition; we need to incorporate ‘me time’ in our diaries. Time to get some fresh air and be alone in our thoughts. What matters is to find an activity that brings joy into our lives.

At our spa & fitness centres, we do not just support successful career people; we also support the younger generation who have so much stress and anxiety in their lives. If they do not find a way to change their lifestyle, this will lead to them suffering from mental health issues.

What should our priorities be if we want to support a sustainable healthy lifestyle?

Self-awareness is a priority. One of the things we recommend to our clients is to find ways to ‘shut off’ from the outside world and do nothing. Find peace. Read a book. Meditate. We all spend too much time on social media, for example, and it does not give time for our brains to rest. Our spa & fitness centres are specifically designed to incorporate quiet spaces to ‘power down’.

Self-awareness is also about understanding how our actions and the environment around us can affect our wellbeing positively and negatively. This is why we are committed to sustainable solutions to support our client’s wellbeing. Energy, water, spa products, the food & beverages we offer, everything is sustainable. This is essential.

What do you consider to be the biggest consideration when starting a new spa and wellness project?

It is important to create exceptional experiences. We build multiple wellbeing & spas centres in many destinations, with different cultures and treatment concepts, which means every new destination has a unique story. The environment, the culture, the history, it all creates the concept that, in turn, decides which programmes are best suited for that location.

After spending a lot of time at spas, I have learned it is not about back-to-back treatments, which can actually be very stressful. It is about creating a space to fully unwind. Our latest project, Minthis Resort is a good example. It is the first destination spa in Cyprus. The concept is a place you visit to completely unwind, to escape the stress of city life - not just for a day, but for a few days to really benefit from the experience.

Of course, the experience and the story are only as good as your team. They listen to client needs and find ways to advise how to change their lifestyle to a healthier one.

We aim for our clients to always go home feeling motivated and empowered by providing personalised exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation programmes.

We also like to surprise our clients with something special, like a new soothing recovery massage treatment after a workout.

I always say that motivation and empowerment support great performance and higher self-esteem, that will lead to even higher performance. It creates a healthy cycle for success!

We have seen a huge boom in gyms in the EU, big brands and clothing companies springing up in the health and wellness space – what is the future of the industry?

People are always looking for an individual approach. It is important to stay close to your clients and learn how to help them achieve their personal goals. This is why my team is constantly attending courses to keepup with new trends and techniques in the industry. You have to lead your industry with fresh ideas, to keep clients inspired and energised. You need to keep up with demand. At Sanctum, for example, we are at the forefront of wellbeing innovation in Cyprus, and the first to become fully automated, with many other fitness centres following our lead.

You have earned huge success, what advice would you give to today’s emerging entrepreneurs?

Prepare to fail! Remember, failing does not make you a failure. All successful entrepreneurs have failed on many occasions. Failure makes you resilient, adaptable with a strong mindset to manage constant change, like we are currently facing in the world.

As a leader, you need a vision, and you need to be able to communicate this to your team clearly. It is vital you have an open-door policy, so your team feels safe to share their problems. I always tell my team, do not take your problems home, because tomorrow it will become a bigger problem. If your personal life is not in a healthy state, you cannot be successful in your business. Without my family, I would not be able to succeed in life. My home is my sanctuary where I feel relaxed and re-charge. That is why I believe that when you share your problems at work, you go home with a healthy mental state, you wake up refreshed and come to work ready to tackle a busy day.

In the service industry, you need to look after your team so that they can look after your clients with a big smile and a sense of happiness!