Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (right) joined Dr Henry Lowe and wife Janet to unveil the plaque signifying the opening of the new and improved Eden Gardens Wellness Centre and Spa in Kingston, Tuesday evening. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)
THE new and improved Kingston-based Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa was opened on Tuesday to great fanfare.
The launch saw the attendance of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, five members of her cabinet, overseas dignitaries and movers and several business magnates.
Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa is a member of the EHF Group of Companies and is operated by Eden Gardens Wellness & Lifestyle Limited.
In his remarks, EHF Executive Chairman Dr Henry Lowe said that the aim was to make the $550-million ‘green’ facility a major tourism attraction in Kingston and a centre of excellence for wellness tourism.
“Eden Gardens was conceptualised as a wellness oasis in which all its offerings would unite to provide holistic wellness for the body, mind and spirit,” said Lowe, noting that before the overhaul, there had been a diversion from that original concept.
“However, the new Eden Gardens is back and exceedingly better than before, as in addition to recapturing its original purpose, we have now infused cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art amenities into the new facility which we are launching…,” Lowe said of the 20-plus suite facility situated along Lady Musgrave Road in the posh section of the Corporate Area called the Golden Triangle.
Wellness and lifestyle services provided at the facility include a range of professional services that cater to health-conscious individuals and businesses seeking to improve mental, physical and spiritual health to enhance the quality of their lives and workplaces.
Services include a therapeutic spa, fitness club, health food restaurant with a salad, juice and smoothie bar, nutrition centre in addition to massage therapy, reflexology, yoga and activities for stress management.
“I’ve been to spas in Miami and Napa (California) and they have nothing on this spa,” Becky Stockhausen, executive director of the American Chambers of Commerce, said in her remarks.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Wykeham McNeil said the place exemplifies the Government’s mandate to diversify tourism and for the island to tap into the booming health and wellness market.
For her part Prime Minister Simpson Miller said that Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa is an “excellent addition to our tourism product”.
source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com / Jamaica Observer / Home> News / Thursday – March 27th, 2014
