Spa industry veteran Christian Kiefer has turned Dubai-based Dreamworks Spas into a consultancy business with a focus on three- and four-star properties in the Middle East, with plans to open 50 spas by 2017.

Kiefer, who was previously based at the St Regis and oversaw the Starwood Middle East region, took over Dreamworks – a chain of day spas in Dubai – a year ago, and began his plan of transforming the business into a consultancy.

The company currently has 19 projects in the works, predominantly in hotels, and offers everything from spa concept and planning to spa management.

“Dreamworks has undergone a big image change in the eyes of Dubai spa goers, and we are focusing predominantly on three- and four-star hotels, where the consistency of quality levels in Dubai still is in its baby shoes,” Kiefer told Spa Opportunities.

Kiefer plans to focus on his niche three- and four-star hotel market, which he said has been neglected in the past years.

“Everyone – including myself – has completely focused on luxury and the finest of treatments in the past years,” he explained. “Gold facials, black diamond exfoliations, gemstone massages – name it. It was all a big wow, but let’s face it: what this does to our top-line expense is, quite frankly, a disaster.”

Kiefer said with quality alternatives and mid-range product lines, he can create a four-star experience with 60 per cent less operational expense.

Dreamworks' parent company, Cedar Bridge, also owns sister companies Zen Yoga, Kalm Beauty and Sisters Beauty Lounge, so can offer salon, spa and yoga experiences in one turnkey solution, he said.

“I am trying to personalise the spa amenity to the individual hotels with a one-size-fits-one approach,” said Kiefer. “Nothing is impossible here since I can adapt to critical path timelines and budget restrictions alike without compromising on quality.”

Kiefer said with projects like the Ibis Styles Hotel Jumeirah, he did a full "360-degree consultation," providing construction, project management, procurement plans, staff hiring, training, onboarding, dry runs, audits, marketing launching campaigns, collateral design and treatment protocols.

Current projects include a six-treatment-room spa at the Damac Cou’Jardin with extensive wet facilities, steam and dry saunas, beauty stations and weight loss; a holistic spa at the Country Club Hotel in Dubai with a focus on ayurveda and five treatment rooms; and a 10-treatment room spa at Copthrone Sharjah with extensive hammam facilities, an outdoor spa area and sunrise and sunset yoga platforms.

“Six months ago, it was us who had to knock on the door,” said Kiefer. “Those times are over. Now, the GMs and owning companies are calling us.”