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Success Story: Ruta Tavoraite-Johns

Ruta moved to England from Lithuania 14 years ago. She started her training at West Thames College. After passing with high grades, she joined the Steiner Academy. She then traveled onboard P&O Australia cruise liners.

Two years later, she moved back to London to further her career in the wellness industry, working her way up from therapist to a Senior Therapist role at ESPA life at Corinthia.

She then joined Rocco Forte’s Brown’s Hotel as Head Therapist in 2015 and is now the proud and passionate Spa Manager of The Spa at Brown’s Hotel, London.

How did you get your start in the spa industry?
I started my career in beauty quite late- I was 26. After graduating from college, where I was awarded student of the year/ course award, I chose to work on a cruise liner so that I could travel and of course gain new experiences. This was with Steiner Academy, which is like a ‘beauty therapist army’- very full on, but amazing if you are willing to learn. From that point on, I never left the world of wellness.

What roles have you held in the industry during your career?
Being able to put Steiner on my CV helped open doors. Following my experience with Steiner, I worked in P&O Cruises Australia (now Princess Fleet) for two years as a therapist, ‘Seaweed Queen’, where I largely carried out treatments, seminars and covered reception. It was here that I truly started to form a holistic understanding and really started to fall in love with wellness.

Following work on cruise liners, I briefly worked in the private member spa at Chelsea Football Club, which then led me to ESPA Life at Corinthia. Here, I worked my way up to become a Senior Therapist. My two years at Corinthia were fantastic; I gained even more knowledge and truly developed both as a person and a therapist. I was lucky to work with great people that I admired and could learn from.
I then became Head Therapist at The Spa at Brown’s. I was in this role for a year and a half before being promoted to Spa Manager, which is my role today!

What's the hardest challenge you've had in your career, and what did you learn from it?
At times I’ve been faced with slightly more narrow minded individuals, which has been challenging. Nevertheless, this has inspired and driven me even more to educate them and show them that wellness is much more than they may have believed. I’ve learnt that challenges are not really challenges- they are opportunities to learn and improve from.

Is there someone in the industry who has had a profound impact on your career? Why?
There are many people that have inspired me, empowered me and taught me to become better, to learn and achieve more. Up to this day I have found inspiration through energetic and influential yet caring women that continuously develop, lead and shape the world of beauty and wellness as a whole.

What is the best part of working in the spa and wellness industry?
I love spa and wellness as it brings together my great passions: people, healing and beauty. It enables me to be part of an individual’s transformation, improvement and journey to a healthier and more beautiful self. In addition, I love how much the world of wellness has developed since I started and how it is continuing to develop. This evolution is exciting and keeps me on my toes to constantly do more.

What one piece of advice would you give someone starting out in the spa and wellness industry?
To someone starting out in spa, I would advise them to always think back to why they chose to work in the industry, remembering what they are passionate about. I would also say to stay positive and passionate and not to be afraid to be different. And lastly, that the great beauty of spa, is that you can learn something new every day.