A LAVISH awards ceremony took place at The Hotel Show 2011 to honour the winners from almost 60 entries at the Middle East Spa Awards. With 10 categories ranging from best hotel spa and best signature treatment to best spa director, the awards recognises excellence in quality and facilities provided by spas in the region. Sponsored by SpaSoft, the awards have been expanded since the launch last year and now cover 10 categories with three coveted top spots for Best Hotel Spa, Best Independent Spa and Best Destination Spa. In the latter category, Six Senses Spa, Zighy Bay, Oman beat off tough competition from Banyan Tree Spa, Al Wadi, Ras Al Khaimah and Talise Spa, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, and reinforced its premier spot with four additional awards. Those included prizes for spa design and green initiative as well as spa director and spa therapist, which were awarded to Carolina Moquist and Vishnu Prasad respectively. 'I am so proud and happy for my team who have been working very hard and deserve this recognition,' said Moquist. 'We cannot only use the Middle East Spa Awards to highlight the outstanding features of the Six Senses Spa at Zighy Bay, but also to thank all our staff for their efforts.' In the other top categories, The Spa, The Palace, Old Town, Dubai, UAE, came away as outright winner for the Best Hotel Spa while newcomer, the Dalouk Spa at Sharjah Ladies Club won the award for Best Independent Spa. Winner of the Spa Marketing Programme was Sensasia Urban Spa, Dubai, while Dalouk Spa reinforced its credentials with top place for its signature body treatment and the Elche Natural Beauty Retreat, UAE, won signature facial treatment. According to panel judgeTheodora Kioussis there had been a noted improvement in the quality of entries in 2011, reflecting increased competition among spas in the region as they seek to benchmark against global standards. 'We visited more than 30 spas and were impressed with what we found from Saudi Arabia to Sharjah,' she said. 'In our top categories, The Spa, The Palace was outstanding in terms of quality and service and, as ‘mystery clients’, it is obvious that this applies for everyone that visits. 'At Zighy Bay, the Six Senses Spa ticked every box and was fully integrated into the resort experience, while therapist service was remarkable.' Special mention was also made of ‘The Rainforest’ at the Banyan Tree Spa, Al Wadi, which Kioussis remarked was among the best spa experiences in the region.