The retreating side of ONJ
At Spa Life we like to introduce you to the people behind the Spas and Retreats that we are encouraging you to come and rest awhile within. But Olivia Newton-John needs no introduction. There are few celebrities who can claim as much affection and respect from their homeland audience, as does Olivia. For those of us in the world of bringing Spa to you, our precious guests, we are very proud to have Olivia as one of our peers.
When I was lucky enough to interview Olivia for this story, for you, I asked how it came about. How did such a famous, and in demand, performer, come to be a retreat and Spa proprietor? Olivia Newton-John is part owner of the Gaia Retreat and Spa just outside Byron Bay in the beautiful and very restorative Northern Rivers hinterland.
Olivia tells the story...
I have owned a farm in the Northern Rivers area since 1982, my good friend Gregg Cave visited regularly, as did my mum, and they both loved it! Mum passed away three years ago. Gregg was helping me take her furniture up to the farm. As we drove through the beautiful hills he said, “I’d love to live here.” I said he should find a little house that he liked and knock on the door and ask if it was for sale, you never know! We saw a little house and thought we’d knock, but then we saw a sign saying Sanctuary For Sale. Something made us look! It was a beautiful property, had fantastic views, the buildings were a bit run down, but it was very beautiful.
That night I had a dream. I dreamt that we bought the ‘Sanctuary’ and we called it Gaia Resort. I told Gregg in the morning and he said that he had had a dream that we bought it as well, but we had called it Bella Vista. So we said, “Lets buy a resort! We can bring all our friends here.” I had always said we would have somewhere that all our friends could gather and relax. Then I went back to the USA. We kept talking about it though and we put in an offer.
Someone else bought it, so we said, “If we need it, if it’s meant to be for us to look after, it will happen.” We knew nothing about running a ‘retreat’ but we felt if it was right, it would happen and if it didn’t, it obviously wasn’t right for us.
The buyer fell through and our offer won!
Gregg was running his own art business in Sydney and that was it! He said, “I’m putting the art business on hold and moving up!” The next minute he was on his way and all his things were in a truck.
We dreamt it all and it happened. I believe my mum had a bit to do with it, tweaking it from the other side!
We had two other friends who joined us as well: Ruth Kalnin, and Warwick Evans - a former equities director of Macquarie Bank. Gregg designed the refurbishment the design and feel. We all loved the colours and the feelings he had chosen.
We wanted to create somewhere that we would all want to go. Not costly, great food, wonderful massage, so that was what we did, created a place where we and our friends would want to go to relax.
We literally modelled it after our own tastes. It has been described as ‘Barefoot Armani’, comfortable and casual with a certain elegance. As for the food! We have a great chef, Tom Cameron. He has a deep spiritual approach to creating food, and cooks only organic. We call it art on a plate! Gaia has a wonderful organic food garden now; it’s fantastic when it’s in full bloom. We have a recipe book coming out soon of Gaia Retreat recipes.
We asked Olivia her thoughts on wellness for women. Being a survivor of life, and breast cancer, herself, what wisdoms could she share from her own experience?
Like many women, I am a working mother. I was living with my daughter alone since she was eight. As mums, we tend to put ourselves on the back burner, but the truth is you can’t take care of everyone else until you take care of you.
Taking time out at a retreat makes such a difference. When we were on tour, I took my band there for just one night and two days. Everyone felt totally revived even after such a short time to themselves. It makes such a difference to give totally personal time to ourselves. We so often forget to do it, getting distracted by the needs of everyone else. We asked Olivia how she keeps her ‘mind right to stay centred in such a hectic and public lifestyle?
For me, my thing is nature. Gaia Retreat is set in such a beautiful environment. I find it so healing. I love just love gum trees. I can sit for hours in the day beds and just take in the view. That’s what fills my soul-peace and nature. Wherever I am, I always try to get out and walk in nature. At Gaia we encourage every guest to fully interact with nature. We have a program where we ask every guest to plant a tree. To give back something to nature before they leave.
All the things we do at Gaia are the types of things that keep me centred. We have Spa Cuisine cooking programs, sculpture classes, organic farming education.
I have not necessarily been good at paying attention to myself and my own needs in the past, but being part of Gaia has helped me to remember me. Now I remember to turn off the phone. Get off the bus and go for a walk if we are on tour. I take my dog with me on tour now to keep me sane and remembering to get off the bus! As well as nature, I love massage. I love having my feet done and a having a head massage. We have wonderful treatments at Gaia, excellent masseurs, and a great hot rock massage. Gregg’s wellbeing has improved too. He has been working out, walking his dog on the beach, he’s looking really good.
Gaia’s capacity is only 40 people. I love to stay on my own. Many guests come with just themselves. It’s a very comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, no matter what reason you are coming for. Whether you just want to relax on your own, focus on an aspect of your health, get some serious pampering in the Spa or get involved in learning new skills and sharing relaxed times with like minds. We made Gaia perfect for ourselves, so we hope that it is perfect for you too.
Beauty And Wellbeing Retreat September 1-2, 2006
Set in the beautiful surrounds of Byron Bay’s hinterland at Gaia Retreat and Amala Day Spa. Begin your Spring Clean on this two-day pure indulgence package.
DAY ONE begins with morning yoga to internally tone and condition the body and mind, followed by a healthy home cooked breakfast. Then indulge in a 90-minute facial specifically tailored to your skin type with the exquisite Australian Ayurvedic skin care range, Sodashi. Time out is also very important on this journey so they have made sure you have the time and space to enjoy some of Gaia’s many activities such as tennis, spa, sauna, hiking, swimming or purely relaxing in the hammock with a good book. Day one concludes with a sumptuous organic meal and a glass of wine.
DAY TWO is pure bliss with a one-hour manicure, one-hour pedicure, one-hour body polish and a 90-minute personal makeup consultation with Madonna Melrose, from Diego Dalla Palma.
All this and so much more, so grab a girlfriend, or take this opportunity to meet new people and experience this incredible offer. Spaces are limited to ensure the best possible personalised attention so book early to avoid disappointment. All meals, two nights accommodation and treatments are included in the package price. Terms and conditions do apply, so contact the team at Gaia on 61 (0) 2 6687 1216 to make your booking today.
THE LIV KIT
Olivia recently launched the LIV KITI Olivia explains.
“The Liv Kit is a reminder for women to self examine their breasts on a regular basis. Our own intuition is much more reliable than mammograms. The Liv Kit is a reminder that the best way to keep in touch is to check our breasts on a regular basis and to be responsible for our own health. The Liv Kit is very helpful, it consists of a pad with a gel inside that magnifies everything 10 times. So when you put it on the breast it magnifies everything you feel by 10 times. By feeling your breasts this way, you really get to know what is normal for you and will be able to instantly tell when something is not!”
By Kirien Withers