Espa founder Sue Harmsworth to receive Ispa Visionary Award

The International Spa Association (Ispa) has announced Sue Harmsworth as the recipient of this year’s Visionary Award.

The 2017 Ispa Visionary Award will be presented at the annual Ispa Conference & Expo at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on October 16-18.

Ispa president Lynne McNees said: “Sue is recognised as one of the world’s leading spa experts.

“Her innovative, inspirational and forward-thinking approach, combined with her passion and vision,has helped shape the spa industry into what it is today. We are thrilled to honour her achievements with this award.”

The Ispa Visionary Award is presented annually to a person “in the spa industry who has made significant contributions to the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career”.

Past winners include Aromatherapy Associates founder Geraldine Howard in 2016; Jane Iredale, founder of the eponymous mineral makeup brand, in 2014; Susie Ellis, founder of the Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, in 2012; and Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta founder Deborah Szekely in 2010.

Harmsworth, who established Espa in 1993, commented: “I’m thrilled to receive the award for what has been for me, simply my life’s passion. “From the start, I was driven by an ambition to help people understand the impact of health and wellness on beauty and learn how to look and feel their best. It’s this passion that still inspires me today.”