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Spa Director Kim Allen |
Nearly ten years later, Allen now oversees two award-winning spas and a staff of 50 at the French Lick Resort. The Spa at West Baden consistently makes Condé Nast Traveler’s list of Top Spas and this year The Spa at French Lick made the prestigious list as well.
As Spa Director,
she put together the menu of spa
services, chose the product lines and developed the team. She was charged
with the task of producing world-class spas and recent awards prove she has
done just that.
Just
recently, The Spa at West Baden was recognized internationally with The World Luxury Spa Award™. One of only five destinations featured in the US, the spa is in good company alongside The Ritz Carlton Orlando, The Spa at
Calistoga Ranch and The Kenwood Inn and Spa in Sonoma, Calif.
Building Life-Changing Careers
If you ask Allen about her accomplishments, she will tell you she is most proud of her focus on staff development. A self-described “people person,” she has a knack for identifying new talent, helping them realize their true potential and coaching them to further develop their skill set.
Behind the scenes, the staff jokingly refers to her as “Mama” because of her kind heart and nurturing spirit. They will tell you she pushes them to build a career. Nearly a dozen spa desk agents have followed her advice and invested the time to get licensed in areas such as cosmetology, aesthetics and massage.
“It makes me so happy to see them advance. Now they don’t have to struggle and they have a career for life.”
One of her
protégés was single mother of two who worked as a desk agent by day and a
bartender by night. Allen saw her struggling to make ends meet and encouraged
her to go to school to become an Aesthetician. Allen went as far as to research
financial aid and recommended a school in nearby Jeffersonville working with
the pregnant mom to keep her job while completing the program. The hard work paid off in the end— as a
licensed Aesthetician, the single mom was able to triple her salary in just two
short years.
If it weren’t
for Allen, Jeff Collins would in his own words, “likely be working in a low
wage factory or a fast food restaurant”. Instead, he is enjoying the rewards of
a career as a nationally-certified massage therapist. It’s quite a change for
the former housekeeper and he is thrilled with new direction his life is
taking. “It’s a career for life and I love that security.”
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| Allen gives direction during a recent photo shoot for Babor Cosmetics |
Allen is
looking to add as many as five new massage therapists to the roster. With 65%
of its business coming in the form of massages and more requests than they can
handle, The Spa at French Lick is taking advantage of an opportunity to expand.
Four additional massage rooms were recently added bringing the total number of
treatment rooms to 28 in the 27,000 square foot spa.
Interested in
joining the team? The resort also has a need for cosmetologists and
aestheticians. Contact Kim Allen today
take advantage of this amazing career opportunity.
For more information about the Spas at French Lick and the entire resort, check out this video from WHAS-TV in Louisville.
Top 100 Resort Spas-
Condé Nast Traveler 2010, 2011 & 2012
One of the Top
Spas in the Midwest, Spa Magazine 2010
"Best
Spa," Southern Gaming Magazine The Best Of Awards, 2007 & 2008