Suzie A Ahmad – Director of Spa & Wellness

Suzie A Ahmad

In this interview, Suzie A Ahmad, director of spa and wellness at Amaala by Ambong-Ambong in Langkawi, tells what her role involves and shares some interesting behind-the-scenes stories.

What do you do?

I am the Director of Spa & Wellness at Amaala by Ambong-Ambong, Langkawi, where I oversee the operations of all spa and wellness activities. I ensure that the activities in the resort run smoothly and our guests experience the ultimate relaxing rainforest experience. I work closely with guest artists from around the world as part of our Wellness Retreat and coordinate the daily running of these programmes.

How did you get into the industry?

My aunt, a hotel consultant, persuaded me to enrol in a short course at the Jamu International Spa School in Bali. I did not expect that this was going to be my career path. I have no idea how interesting this industry is.

Share with us a story from behind the scenes.

After completing the above-mentioned spa course, I returned to Malaysia. I got my first job as a therapist at Concorde hotel. I quickly progressed my career and pursued further study, gaining 3 CIBTAC diplomas in Jakarta, which enabled me to start as a spa management trainee at YTL hotels.

What’s a food memory from your childhood or travels that stands out?

I have a couple of core food memories from growing up. The main one is my grandpa cooking steamboat every weekend. Fresh deep-sea fish is a must! I also remember my mum preparing authentic Sabah food, including kolupis, glutinous rice made with coconut milk wrapped in yerek leaves; linopot, the local rice mixed with yam and wrapped in deringin leaves; and bambangan, pickles marinated with the grated seeds. The list can go on.

What’s the best/ worst part of your job?

The best part of my job is the opportunity to travel and meet people from different cultures. The worst part is having to say goodbye to the therapists you have trained and worked with when they have completed their contracts and are moving on to another resort. It’s hard saying goodbye to the best team you have ever had.

What’s your favourite food and beverage pairing?

Steak and red wine are one of my favourite pairings.

What’s one of the craziest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?

One of the craziest experiences was getting huge bits of gym equipment delivered to the gym, where I worked at 3am for the project and continuing daily meetings at 10am for a week. It was arriving from Italy and was sent directly from the warehouse, so we had to stay up and take the delivery even though it was the middle of the night. We had to use the main lobby entrance due to the size of the equipment.

The perfect day off would be…

… sitting and reading a book by the pool or the beach.

A day in the life of a spa manager is…

… starting work early in the morning and often having meetings with the rest of the spa and wellness team. I am still a practitioner, and if the spa operation is busy, I will usually perform the treatment. Besides designing new products and treatments, I always train new spa staff and teach courses online.

What does Suzie A Ahmad do for fun?

I love to surf, play American pool and play music (I used to be a DJ, so music is still a big part of my life.)

What’s something you’d like guests to know about Amaala?

The unique treatments I have designed at Amaala are based on the healing hands and nature of the Borneo culture.

How has the pandemic changed your perspective or the way you operate?

In a lot of ways! I think this industry was one of the worst affected by the pandemic due to travel restrictions meaning that resorts were empty. The close contact nature of the therapies meant that the treatments were neither permitted nor safe to conduct. It was tough to find any jobs during this time. Having come out of the pandemic, though, I have seen a dramatic change in people’s lifestyles with more emphasis on well-being. It feels as if there has been a shift back to focusing on health holistically, with people wanting to improve their physical and mental health.

What’s something you’d like people to know about being a spa manager as a profession?

Almost everyone thinks that working in a spa is relaxing and fun, but behind the scenes, we are running a tight operation to meet the standard of excellence and ensure that this impression is maintained for our guests. Understanding the roots of what wellness is all about is the most essential thing before progressing up to being a spa director. You have to be passionate to be able to do this role well.

Suzie A Ahmad’s view on the spa scene in Langkawi?

Amaala by Ambong Ambong is the first resort in Langkawi to focus on wellness in this way. Other hotels in Langkawi have good day spas. However, we want to continue to improve our experience so that it becomes known as a place where you can come as a break from normality and learn how to change your lifestyle for the better before going back into your everyday busy lives. Most people come to Langkawi for a short stay doing touristy activities. Still, I believe implementing an elite wellness retreat will be valuable and successful, including expanding into corporate wellness. We hope this will help increase the wellness economy and tourism in Malaysia.

What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?

Sustainability is one of the critical values that underlies a lot of our existing practice at Ambong-Ambong. This year we have opened our vegan cafe, Pegaga, which follows the principles of reducing animal products and our carbon footprint. Our Rimba menus at Ambong Pool Villas also include a strong “farm to table” element. We get many fresh local ingredients from Ambong-Ambong’s own farmland in Langkawi. We want to expand this further and include farm-to-table cooking workshops as part of our future wellness retreats. We lead food waste and sustainability workshops as part of our September wellness retreat, where we turn typical food waste into tasty and nutritious recipes. I think it is important that we inspire these values in our trainees and staff to lead the industry into a more environmentally and socially aware time.

What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?

We are looking into corporate wellness retreats and how we can combine holistic treatment with wellness practices to aid productivity and health in companies.

Read more interviews such as this one with Suzie A Ahmad here, and stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.