Spring’s story is one of conviction and tenacity. In her time at Banyan Tree Spa Lijiang, she quickly rose from a trainee therapist to a senior spa therapist and trainer. Despite entering the spa industry with no prior experience and knowledge, she embraced her journey with an admirable posture of grit and resilience.
Enrolling into Banyan Tree Spa Academy in 2013 as a fresh beginner, Spring revealed that it was difficult at the start as she struggled to catch up with the intensive training curriculum. Adding on to this steep learning curve were her peers who already know the fundamentals. “It was a time where I felt very discouraged and kept doubting myself. Things weren’t working out well, and I thought maybe I wasn’t capable enough to be a spa therapist.”
“Always learn with an open heart and never doubt yourself, even when things are not going well.”
However, Spring chose to put aside the negativity and faced her adversities with unwavering determination and discipline. Although what took others days to learn took her weeks, she didn’t give up. “I knew it was not right to quit without giving my best fight. So I told myself I will make it as long as I keep trying and working hard. Slowly, this became my mantra – to always learn with an open heart and never doubt myself, even when things are not going well.”
“It was a tiring period but I was able to learn the importance of instilling habits of discipline and perseverance into my daily life.”
Spring revealed that she would wake up at 6am and stay back till 10pm daily to practise the various massage techniques. “It was a tiring period but I was able to learn the importance of instilling habits of discipline and perseverance into my daily life.”
Spring shared humbly that it was also through the support she received from her seniors that gave her the encouragement to push forward. “When I first joined the company, the spa manager and seniors gave me a lot of guidance and concern. Their support encouraged me greatly, and comforted me during stressful times. I grew so much as a spa therapist and an individual from their patience and passion.”
“The more you learn, the more you gain. Always believe in your own capabilities and potential.”
Before we end the interview, we asked Spring to share a word of advice for aspiring spa therapists – “The more you learn, the more you gain. Always believe in your own capabilities and potential. Do not think that you are not good enough, especially when you feel that you may be behind others. Challenges are there to help you learn and grow as an individual.”
Spring’s story is a reminder of the importance of willpower and how that is vital as we journey through different seasons in life. We hope Spring’s personal journey inspires you to always embrace setbacks with grace and resolute.
She Inspires is a series where we celebrate women empowerment by featuring our spa therapists who pursued their dreams with courage and tenacity. In light of 2017’s International Women’s Day theme “Be Bold for Change”, we are honouring our spa therapists from different backgrounds by sharing their journeys at Banyan Tree, and making it last.