Image: Helena Grzesk MBE
Special honours such as the 2022 New Year Honours List are given in recognition to those of amazing achievements. Awarded twice a year, accolades such as an MBE are awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community and in Helena Grzesk's case, for ‘Services to the Beauty Industry before and during Covid-19’.
The UK Spa Association (UKSA) is a not-for-profit, industry association with one mission, to ‘get more people into more spas, more often’. The mission of the UKSA is to grow their membership base by providing true value for money, both resource wise and financially. The organisation champion’s the positive contribution made by the spa industry to UK health, social and economic wellness and wellbeing, while driving continuous improvement in quality training, high standards, inclusiveness and professionalism.
With a passion for change and a desire to raise awareness of the benefits of spa and make the industry better, Helena Grzesk joined the UK Spa Association as a volunteer board member and eventually decided to leave her role in spa operations to take the role as General Manager at the UKSA.
It was while Helena was at the helm in a part time position during 2020, when the global crisis of the covid-19 pandemic hit. The Association appreciated that anxiety levels were high within our sector and so quickly brought its community online. Its popular Spa Director Assemblies, that Helena orchestrated, continued more regularly and she also introduced online Spa Supplier Assemblies, as safe spaces to seek council and plan for the uncertain future ahead.
Throughout the pandemic the Association collaborated with other trade associations, sharing knowledge with BABTAC, British Beauty Council, NHBF and ukactive, Helena all the while, being at the forefront of this activity.
Predominately made up of volunteers, the UKSA created a pioneering industry survey, so that industry could understand key concerns and those areas which required priority focus, within the government guidelines, that it advised upon. The association was also delighted to strengthen its relationship with the consumer facing, Good Spa Guide, sharing expertise to understand any consumer concerns, on their eventual return to spa.
Through sheer tenacity, Helena forged a relationship with the Safer Working team at BEIS for close contact services in Spring 2020, in order to represent and have the specific and unique spa sector complexities understood at a governmental level. Helena provided BEIS officials with a raft of data and intelligence which was played into the reopening discussions. The activity of the UKSA had been relentless, in that many hours were spent by Helena in particular, extracting official government guidelines, to develop comprehensive spa specific, Covid-19 reopening guidelines. This was then freely distributed amongst the Association’s community and beyond.
A consumer press campaign was launched to reassure consumers, that it was safe to return to spas. Assets included video footage with a message from General Manager, Helena Grzesk. The Association also created a UK Spa Community Promise whereby spas were encouraged to display this guidance, so that staff and guests alike could adhere to new business etiquette going forward.
The UK Spa Association galvanised the industry trade press, the industry’s most effective influencers, to come together to support the association’s ‘A Date for Wellness’ campaign, to issue letters to the Prime Minister and local MPs. With full velocity, the UKSA also drove the APPG letter writing campaign on behalf of the spa sector.
Support in the form of editorial coverage, came from media interviews with Helena, and were generated across leading industry titles, as well as within wider hospitality titles such as: Boutique Hotelier and The Caterer and national broadsheets such as: The Telegraph, The Independent and The Sunday Times.
Through these constant communications, it had become apparent, how little the public and the government understood the spa sector and the vital work that is does for public health, mental health & emotional wellness. An aspect that Helena believes passionately within and as her trade organisation’s figurehead at the time, she fought and won, in giving the spa sector the recognition that it rightfully deserves, as a £2.1bn and growing sector.
Helena has since moved on from the UKSA to become Chief Operating Officer in January 2021, in order to broaden the scope of her focus. Her attention now will be on the delivery of the Council’s roadmap and the future strategy of the British Beauty Council organisation. Helena Grzesk MBE, remains a consultant for the UK Spa Association.
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