Developing lifestyle and body care products that are allergy friendly became a personal mission for the owner of The Spa Beechworth, Deb Donkers.
The mother of two had noticed for some time that many guests visiting the spa were unable to have some treatments because they were allergic to ingredients, such as nuts or seeds.
Her idea of dabbling with recipes was fast tracked, when her son began showing signs of intolerance to multiple foods.
“The idea of developing my own range had been in the back of my mind for a little while because I felt really sad for clients who were missing out on the full, sensory journey of a spa experience due to allergies,” Deb said.
“When my son started to have really bad allergies, it became obvious that we needed to change what we did in our household and became the motivation to take that final step from an idea into developing products.”
All of the products at The Spa Beechworth are gluten, nut, seed and dairy free.
Although they were originally developed for clients visiting the spa, the products have proven so popular, they are now stocked at selected stores across the country.
“Our products are now in about 25 stores, but we’re pretty selective about where we go because it is all literally made by me, hand-bottled, hand poured in my little studio at the back of my house.
“For that reason, to date it has stayed small, just to be able to manage it,” Deb said.
Products in the range are diverse, from candles, roam sprays, soaps, bath soaps and massage blends, to hand creams and body washes.
“I am still caught by surprise when I’m exploring through a shop and I think ‘oh, that’s really beautiful’ and realise, ‘actually that’s mine!’
“You’re so busy trying to meet all the demand and dynamics of not only wholesaling, but manufacturing and packaging, doing the labels, taking products to trade shows – that you don’t often have time to see the product, so when you meander around and see it on a shelf or pop up on someone’s Instagram or Facebook Page, it’s a really rewarding surprise.”
For more on the hand-made range from The Spa Beechworth: http://www.thespabeechworth.com.au/spa-store/
