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Lyndall Mitchell, high priestess of balance
Quietly spoken, focused, clear thinking and gorgeous; Lyndall Mitchell, founder of Aurora Spa Retreat is everything you secretly envisioned she would be. But this motivation mistress and the woman whose vision has revolutionised the spa experience in Australia is also refreshingly practical, realistic and sensitive to human limitations. The philosophy behind Aurora is an integrative one, helping people to maintain wellbeing in the modern world, no matter what their lifestyles.
Born and raised on an organic banana plantation in Queensland, Lyndall was used to a life of sunshine, fresh food and lots of exercise.
“When I gave up radio I returned to my parents’ plantation which was very close to Camp Eden (a well know Queensland health retreat). I’d often run into staff and clients from Eden, and eventually I went to work there.”
Lyndall quickly progressed through the ranks, eventually completing a fitness qualification and then becoming involved in program management, working with with clients from 5am in the morning to 9pm at night! Tailoring programs to suit the individual, seeing how they responded and also seeing how they coped (or did not cope) when back in their domestic and business environments gave her unique insight.
A move to Melbourne and a day of complete meditation was actually the genesis of Aurora. Lyndall’s vision of creating an urban spa environment was founded on a meditation vision.
“I knew I wanted to establish a spa retreat in an urban environment, somewhere where people could come to re-charge and focus once again on the principles of health and well being,” she says.
Endless amounts of research went into fulfilling her dream. She took time to travel to Europe, Asia and the USA to examine and compare contemporary spa practice. She is a particular fan of the European spa approach where the curative powers of water are very much appreciated.
Water is a big part of the Aurora approach too, from the wall of cascading water that dominates the reception area, to the European Swiss shower and the signature Kitya Karnu and Guku cocoon steam treatments.
Another unique aspect of the Aurora approach is the three, four and five hour, and five day retreat packages. Themed Detox, Bliss, Balance and Vitality the combination of treatments offered in the retreats aim to restore, rejuvenate and refresh each individual.
Since starting the retreat in 1997, growth of the business has exceeded expectations and turnover has increased by 40 percent each year. The business initially started with Lyndall facilitating personal training and running the business solo. Today Aurora Spa Retreat employs over 40 people. In the first three years of operation not a cent was spent on advertising. Word of mouth has seen Aurora grow to its current size and standing.
“At Aurora we really do treat the body like a temple,” says Lyndall. “It is the centre of health and well being and must be treated with respect. Nurturing and restoring are an element of our treatments but it’s really about something much deeper. That’s what I’ve always been interested in.”
Clients are encouraged to arrive at Aurora 15 minutes before their treatments to relax, disengage from daily life, sip some specially blended herbal tea and speak to the therapists about what they’re hoping to get out of the Aurora experience.
”We’re about where you are and where you want to be in life,” says Lyndall, “and we’re about bridging that gap. A lot of clients have one treatment here and feel revitalized and convinced they’re ready to radically alter their lives. We encourage them to take a step back, think about what they can realistically achieve, and think about goals they can really stick to. It’s no point saying you’re going to do three Pilates and two yoga classes a week and completely re-vamp your cooking habits, when you’re trying to work full time, raise a family, study and travel or juggle combinations of all of these.
“The Aurora approach might mean committing to an hour of something a month or even one particular type of treatment every three months and then you build on this. This removes all the feelings of failure that inevitably come from jumping in at the deep end of new approaches to life and not being able to follow through. The Aurora approach leads to long term positive change.”
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