Wellness Retreat wins Prestigious Beauty Award
Karen Ruimy
A former banker-turned-spiritual healer has won a prestigious award for her wellness centre in the heart of Belgravia
The House of Kalmar has been open for a little over a year, but already it has been awarded Best Body Massage Treatment at this year’s prestigious Attracta Beauty Awards, held in London this July.
The treatments are the brainchild of award-winning energy healer Sinéad de hÓra and Karen Ruimy, the founder of Kalmar, and former banker who quit her job to devote her life to spiritual healing, philanthropy and the arts. As she told the Industry. Beauty website, “I started feeling energies and had metaphysical experiences that made me want to learn more about spirituality, my connection to the world, my soul and the messages I was feeling and receiving.”
In 2019 Ruimy launched Kalmar Wellbeing, a wellness brand for those seeking emotional well-being. Focusing on intuitive listening and the concept of the ‘Modern Goddess’, it has partnered with organisations such as Forest Carbon and Women for Women International. The House of Kalmar was launched three years later, in 2022. “It is so important to take time to reconnect to yourself to realign mind, body and soul,” says Ruimy. “The most sacred relationship is the one you have with yourself”.
Located in Belgravia and described as “the perfect escape to 21st-century living”, The House of Kalmar has been designed as a sanctuary from the demands of modern life, allowing one guest at a time to rebalance and reconnect with their inner energy. The retreat revolves around four soul states: joy, calm, peace, and love. After selecting one of the soul states, based on their emotional needs, visitors are taken on a sensory journey, a guided meditation incorporating mindfulness, breathwork, intention setting, specialised massage techniques, and alternative therapies, aiming to realign mind, body, and soul. The duration and frequency of treatments are flexible, tailored to each individual. Additionally, clients have the opportunity to purchase Kalmar Lifestyle’s product range, which includes scented candles, body lotion, and massage oil.
In addition to founding Kalmar, Ruimy has authored books including ‘The Angel’s Metamorphosis’ and ‘The Voice of the Angel,’ which offer spiritual guidance and soul exploration, and has conducted workshops and webinars on inner child healing, spiritual transformation, and soul empowerment. Her ‘Goddess is Speaking’ app and oracle deck aim to provides further wisdom and inspiration, while as a co-founder of the GREAT Initiative, she played a role in passing the Gender Equality Act in England. She is also associated with The Circle, a women’s rights activist foundation, and is a skilled flamenco dancer and musician, co-creating and performing in the show ‘House of Flamenka’ in 2022.
“It is wonderful to be acknowledged with this prestigious health & wellness industry award for what we believe are truly unique treatments,” said a representative for Kalmar, which also won an Attracta Beauty Award in 2022, for its ‘Peace Reconnect Body & Massage Oil’.
Established by makeup artist Attracta Courtney in 2015, the Awards acknowledges excellence in the global beauty industry, with a mission to commend outstanding products, health and beauty spas that defy industry norms and positively impact on customers’ lives. The Awards cover a wide range of categories, including skincare, makeup, body care, nails, sun care and tanning, plus gadgets and tools and health and wellbeing, judged by renowned experts in makeup, hair, and nails, along with influential industry and medical professionals. At time of writing, the global wellness market size is at over $1.5 trillion dollars and rising.
Kalmar are currently running a promotion where you can book a treatment and receive another one for free to share with a loved one.