Some careers are chosen with precision. Others, like Yvette’s, begin with a detour that leads to a deeper understanding of Holistic healing. When her matric results were delayed, Yvette’s father insisted she couldn’t simply wait at home. He had a friend whose wife ran what he thought was a hair school. “Go for an interview,” he told her. “See what happens.” That hair school turned out to be an unexpected interview at a beauty school. Yvette laughs when she recalls it. “My dad thought it was just about hair,” she says. “But then the lady explained that they do massages, facials, waxing, and even prepare people to work on cruise ships and in hotels. I was sold from that moment.” And sold she was. Inside the beauty school, Yvette felt something she hadn’t anticipated. Every skill came naturally, and every technique felt intuitive. “I never struggled,” she says. “It just made sense to me.”
Wellness Beyond Luxury
Growing up, Yvette considered massages and facials luxuries reserved for the wealthy. But training and hands-on practice shifted her perspective.
“When I started doing treatments myself, I realised this isn’t about luxury. It’s about living well. Everyone deserves to feel healthy, clean, and cared for. This is about lifestyle, not status.”
This realisation became her compass, guiding how she works to this day. Yvette creates experiences for her guests that remind them wellness isn’t a once-off indulgence. It is a way of being and a commitment to mind, body, and soul.
Global Perspectives
Yvette’s journey has taken her far, from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi and now Nigeria. These international experiences honed her technical skill and expanded her understanding of people.
“In the Middle East, I worked with incredibly luxurious clientele. It taught me a new standard: to always deliver excellence and always raise the bar. It also pushed me to grow personally. I’m an introvert, but those experiences taught me to be more confident, more vocal, and to connect with guests at a deeper level.”
These international chapters were mirrors for Yvette. Each experience allowed her to come into herself and recognise that wellness is a language that she could speak across cultures, expectations, and personalities. With every guest she met, she discovered not only what people sought in luxury, but also what they longed for most: authenticity, care, and human connection.
Finding Calm in the Hustle
Perhaps the most defining chapter of Yvette’s career has come in West Africa, as Assistant Manager of the Amani Spa & Wellness at the Radisson Blu Ikeja, Lagos.
“Nigeria is hustle and bustle,” she says with a smile. “Everyone is always on the move. When guests arrived at the spa, you could see they struggled to switch off. Their minds were still outside, in the traffic, in their work, in the chaos of the city.”
Here, Yvette learned that creating wellness was not only about delivering treatments. It was about crafting an environment that invited people to pause. Simple rituals made all the difference: a welcome ritual that grounded guests from the moment they walked in, a gentle but firm no-phone rule that allowed them to disconnect, and a rhythm of service designed to slow the pace of their day.
“These little rituals created an island of calm in the middle of the city,” Yvette explains. “It showed me that wellness isn’t just about what we do in the treatment room. It’s about the atmosphere, the culture, and the unspoken signals that say: here, you can let go.”
Wisdom for the Next Generation
If she could speak to her younger self, the girl waiting for matric results and thinking her only path was law school, Yvette’s advice would be simple but profound:
“Don’t limit yourself by what others are doing. Take the journey for yourself. Discover what you like, not just in work, but in life. Explore the food you love, the environments that make you thrive, and the people who bring out your best. Build your own path.”
It is this spirit of curiosity, courage, and care that makes Yvette such a valued part of our team.
