Women In Wellness: Marizza Contreras of K’Alma Spa Concepts & Management On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
“Interact with the world with compassion, love and no judgment because in the end everyone is simply a reflection of ourselves.”
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marizza Contreras.
Marizza Contreras is a luxury hotel spa consultant and entrepreneur with specialities in spa branding, spa implementation and operational management of on-site spas (including outdoors) for upscale hotel properties. In 2004, she founded Miami’s first mobile spa, Miami City Massage. K’Alma Spa Concepts and Management was developed in 2018 after participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses Program, inspired by her passion to deeply impact the lives of those she serves. She has become a luxury hotel spa and hospitality industry leader and the authority in Miami for creating profitable hotel spas and unique guest experiences.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to share my story. I began my wellness journey in the healing arts as a young child in Peru at the knee of my Japanese-Peruvian ojisan (grandfather). I was exposed to different modalities of alternative natural medicine through my Peruvian roots. In Peru, health care looks at the whole body and our deep connection with the natural world. It really shaped my approach to my own life and work.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
I’d have to say it goes back to connecting lessons from my past. When I began my formal education in the U.S., I enrolled in a master’s program to become a healing practitioner. As a student, I was required to not only perform the treatments but also experience them. At the time, we had been learning about practices such as Watsu, Bach flower remedies and herbal sweat lodges. During one of the treatments, I had a breakdown and a breakthrough. It really helped me understand that massage therapy is so much more than just muscle manipulation. If an area of the body is showing muscular issues, it is always tied to an emotional and systemic balance. My grandfather’s lessons all came together for me in that moment, and it has influenced everything we do in the spaces we create.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Mistakes are lessons in disguise. My biggest mistake was believing that the core of any business was simply the guests and ensuring that the services being provided were satisfactory. However, so much more comes into play when owning a business. Your team is the foundation. You know the old adage that says, “The customer is always right,” well, there was a time when I would put every customer’s interests above my own or my team’s. Essentially, this did more harm than good because there was no balance. In order to amplify my vision and mission, I had to put my team first. Building a great team takes time, compassion, education and community. While it takes work, having a reliable team is the best investment I have made in my company. Today, I consider them my family. What we’re able to create together is incredible.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Our company’s mantra is to “elevate the energy of the world, one service and one spa at a time.” It truly goes back to our team as well. We are all aligned with the mission and our impact on every guest, partner and each other. We are all 100% focused on creating spas and treatments that have a strong intention and focused outcome.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better well-being? Please give an example or story for each.
- Don’t underestimate the power of food and nutrition. It will make or break you.
- Move your body to move your mind, and move your mind to move your body. This will impact your spiritual and mental state.
- The power of a good night’s sleep. Our body uses rest as a way to repair itself. If our physical being is drained, our mind will shortly follow, and vice versa.
- Cut out all sugar to avoid inflammation and physical illness.
- Put down electronics whenever possible to disconnect from all the noise. Being present in the moment without electromagnetic stimulation is so powerful.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I love this question. It is very simple and cost-effective: Bring meditation and breathwork into schools from a very young age. These two foundational elements will set up children for success for the rest of their lives and give them the understanding that they can influence their state. This should be coupled with nutritional improvements across the board; the lack of nutritional knowledge in health care and schools is truly alarming.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
#1. Do all things with love. Without love, there is no fulfillment.
#2. Compassion and kindness go a long way.
#3. Create a healthy work culture, not just a successful company.
#4. Focus on your talents and be open to trying things you don’t necessarily think you’ll enjoy.
#5. Invest in yourself and your happiness — success will follow.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is something that I have taken very seriously, especially within the wellness industry. So many people are suffering now more than ever with the events of the last several years. We believe it is our responsibility as creators of healing spaces and services to reach as many people as possible in the deepest way possible. If your mind is chaotic, your physical being will become chaotic, making it impossible to address all the other items referenced in your question.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Instagram. @marizzaspah, @leafspas, @kalmaspas
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Marizza Contreras of K’Alma Spa Concepts & Management On The Five Lifestyle… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.