Providing guests with an unforgettable experience while doing business in an innovative and sustainable way is what the team at Thermen La Mer is committed to every day.
In early 1998, the luxurious Day Spa opened its doors on Scoutpad, on the edge of the Early Bird Forest. Pieter and Danielle van der Horst have enjoyed working there since the beginning. In 2015, they got the opportunity to take over the wellness business. "We felt it was important to keep the small-scale character, but poured our own sauce over it. We chose a contemporary, warm atmosphere with natural influences."
Almere employer
Thermen La Mer's team is very close-knit and loyal. "We are extremely happy with our staff. Many colleagues have been working here for a very long time," says Daniëlle. "We have 65 employees, and in addition we work with a number of freelancers, and with volunteers who enjoy supporting our sauna masters during the infusions."
Of all employees, 85 per cent are from Almere. "We are really an employer for the residents of this city. We also train our employees internally so that they can provide the customer experience we strive for. In addition, we also train trainees."
70,000 guests from across the country
Almere's central location makes it easier to attract people from near and far. Thermen La Mer expects to welcome around 70,000 visitors in 2024. "That may be less than we had before the corona pandemic, but it is a good result," states Pieter. "50 per cent of visitors come from Almere. The other 50 per cent of our visitors come from the region and the rest of the country. We have guests from Groningen and Zeeland, and increasingly, tourists also know how to find Thermen La Mer."
Always continue to innovate
Pieter and Danielle continue to innovate and invest. Over time, Thermen La Mer got two large, new Kelosaunas, an outdoor pool, whirlpools and a herbal sauna. Pieter: "We built a Pirts, a Latvian log cabin sauna, last year and single-handedly replaced the sauna at the plunge pool with a Himalayan Salt sauna. We did many jobs ourselves in corona time. That greatly strengthened the bond between the employees themselves."
The corona time has also been used to expand the restaurant, says Daniëlle. "In addition, we have also increased the number of treatment rooms for massages and beauty treatments." Recently, Thermen La Mer also started offering gift cards and wellness days for business use.
Sustainable future plans
Pieter and Danielle are committed to sustainability. "We replaced all gas heaters with electric heaters and installed PVT solar panels on top of our sauna cabins, which give off both power and heat. We were pretty much the first in the sauna industry with this."
What other plans does Thermen La Mer have for the future? "In any case, we will continue to focus on sustainability," says Pieter. "For instance, we are going to install additional PVT solar panels in the near future. In addition, we will further expand the facilities for our guests. For instance, we are thinking about changing baths, a salt bath or a hammam. But we are and will remain a medium-sized Day Spa with a small-scale character. That is one of our 'unique selling points' and we want to keep it that way."
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