Wellbeing
Christine Keeling on turning long-haul flights from ‘skincare disasters’ to ‘uplifting wellbeing experiences’
Long Haul Spa Founder & CEO Christine Keeling talks about the beginnings of her inflight wellness brand, its key USPs and how the wellbeing category should evolve to meet the needs of the next generation of travellers.
Introduction: As a former flight attendant, Long Haul Spa Founder Christine Keeling certainly knows a thing or two about the pains of frequent long-haul travel. In 2019, she found a niche in the wellbeing space and created Long Haul Spa with the specific intention of helping travellers nourish and care for their skin and overall wellbeing during arduous long flights.
Her innovative concept has already earned her a slew of awards in travel retail, including winning the acclaimed The QDF Factor in 2020. Recently, Long Haul Spa has partnered with Avolta to launch its range of natural wellness products in Melbourne and Perth airports. However, according to Keeling, her and Long Haul Spa’s travel retail journey is only just beginning.
What sets your brand apart from other players in the wellbeing space?
When Long Haul Spa launched in 2019 it was born from scratching my own itch – which was the desperate need for inflight wellbeing on long-haul flights. It wasn't just about skincare, but broader wellbeing and protection from the terminal exhaustion of long-haul flights and the impact that they have – not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Designing a grab-and-go kit that contained in-seat hygiene and skincare that turned a long-haul flight from a complexion disaster into a hydrating and uplifting wellbeing experience was a matter of survival, especially for an avid traveller like me.
The Long Haul Spa range is designed to offer a holistic solution in one vegan-friendly leather travel bag, with a collection of travel-sized products in reusable bottles. We are an easy answer for anyone wondering how to manage their skincare and personal wellbeing on their travels and beyond.
Long Haul Spa’s skincare products are crafted in New Zealand and made from natural botanicals that are vegan, paraben and cruelty-free. All its ingredients are sustainably and ethically sourced.
Each kit contains an assortment of skincare essentials. These include 15ml bottles of cleansing micellar water, super saturating face mist, serum sorbet, eye balm, lip balm and rejuvenating and protecting facial oil. It also contains a super-hydrating gel face mask, moisturising crème balm, disinfecting wipes and rehydrating towels.
An extra pop of colour is added as the bags are wrapped in bold aboriginal sleeves depicting the 7 Sisters Songline, a mythical tale of aboriginal origins, created by Barngarla artist Jonas Dare.
While Long Haul Spa has global ambitions, it is also deeply rooted in Australian culture and works closely with ethical artisans and suppliers in Brisbane
How does your brand, and the wider wellbeing category, appeal to the next generation of travellers i.e., Millennial and Gen Z shoppers?
Millennial and Gen Z travellers value transparency and authenticity – the hallmarks of the wellbeing category, and certainly values that Long Haul Spa has held dear since day one. The wellbeing category is also more inclusive than other categories, which these younger generations appreciate.
In your view, how can the new world of digital (from Metaverse to Web3) enhance the wellbeing experience?
The new digital world, including Web3 and the Metaverse, has the potential to enhance the wellbeing experience in several ways such as virtual shopping, AI-powered services and collaborative wellness initiatives.
In travel retail, Web3 and the Metaverse can offer virtual shopping experiences, allowing travellers to explore products, receive personalised recommendations and make purchases without being present at the airport itself.
AI-driven virtual assistants can guide travellers through the retail process, offering information about products, providing assistance with decision making, and ensuring a seamless shopping experience.
Finally, Web3 can facilitate collaborations between wellness brands, influencers and travel-related companies to create integrated wellness programmes that combine both physical and mental health offerings, which can enhance the overall travel experience.
What are the biggest challenges facing a wellbeing brand such as yourself in travel retail?
The biggest challenges that we – and most wellbeing brands – currently face in travel retail are logistics and supply chain, consumer education, sustainability, regulatory compliance, and competition.
What role do you think the health & wellbeing category plays in travel retail?
Wellbeing is an incredibly broad category consisting of everything from skincare to supplements, meditation apps to manuka honey drops. Well established both online and at domestic retail, you might well expect to see a more mature offering at travel retail where the need is more acute.
However, the sector is still in its infancy in comparison to domestic and online markets with many airport stores still focused on big global beauty brands dominating shelf space – often with products that aren’t specifically designed for the traveller. Dedicated wellness spaces that can elevate the travel experiences would go a long way to demonstrate that travel retail is in-tune with the wellness journey that the consumer is on.
While passenger numbers may be returning to pre-COVID, travel as we know it certainly has not. The journey through the airport, from check-in to security and even waiting at the gate, is sucking the joy out of travel. While the flights are great, the journey through the airport itself can be a nightmare. And while there is a new generation of travellers embarking on their global adventures, in many cases there is no time to experience travel retail as it is meant to be, with operational challenges thwarting their shopping plans.
In the absence of an improved airport experience, creative solutions need to be pursued. For example, pre-order and airport pickups are great options to remove the pain points of the travel shopping experience.
"Dedicated wellness spaces that can elevate the travel experiences would go a long way to demonstrate that travel retail is in-tune with the wellness journey that the consumer is on" — Christine Keeling
The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 330 | 22 December 2023
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 14 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (Moodie International Ltd). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please e-mail kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com