Finding purpose through wellness: I Gusti Ayu Ariani at Cora Cora Maldives

When I Gusti Ayu Ariani arrived in the Maldives for the first time in 2009, she had little idea that the islands would become her second home. Sixteen years later, she manages MOKSHA® Spa & Wellbeing Centre at Cora Cora Maldives and has been recognised as Wellness Personality of the Year at the Hotelier Maldives Awards 2025. “It’s a dream come true,” she says. Her story reflects resilience, self-discipline, and a deep commitment to people-centred leadership in hospitality.

Ariani’s introduction to wellness began long before she entered the industry formally. Growing up in Bali, she often helped her grandparents by giving massages. “I really loved to do massage,” she recalled. “I did it for my grandparents basically before.” Raised by her grandparents in a modest household, Ariani describes herself as “the only one person” in her immediate family, encouraged from an early age to “be the foundation” for her loved ones. This sense of responsibility, combined with an early fascination for touch and healing, eventually led her towards a professional career in spa and wellness.

Her formal journey began in 2007 as a spa therapist in Bali. In 2008, she joined Coconut Spa, a well-known Balinese company with operations in the Maldives. After extensive training and testing at their Bali centre, she was selected to work in the Maldives—a chance she’s deeply grateful for.

Ariani arrived in the Maldives in 2009. Her first posting was at Palm Beach Island Resort, operated by an Italian company. “At first, honestly, I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “Maldives was not like now. Seventeen years ago, it was very different.” Her first impressions were far from easy. “My first impression, to be honest, was not good,” she admitted. “When I arrived, I cried for over an hour at the airport. I wanted to go back.” The unfamiliar surroundings, language barriers, and island isolation were daunting for a young woman leaving her home country for the first time.

But with encouragement from her employer, she stayed and persevered. “My ex-boss told me, ‘Since you’re already here, there’s no turning back—you need to stay and give your best.’ That encouragement helped me settle in and keep going,” she remembered. She soon adapted, rotating across several resorts under the Coconut Spa brand before pursuing new opportunities at in other resorts such as LUX* South Ari Atoll or Ayada Maldives,. Each role strengthened her technical expertise and exposed her to different operational cultures within the Maldivian hospitality sector.

A defining period in Ariani’s career came when she joined LUX* South Ari Atoll. There, she diversified her skill set, training as a yoga instructor and later assuming supervisory responsibilities. “I had the opportunity to grow,” she said. “I took a new challenge as a yoga instructor, and later I became a spa and wellness manager.” At RIU Palace Maldives, Ariani took on her first full managerial role. “My first spa manager role was in RIU,” she recalled. This marked a major shift in her professional identity, requiring her to build confidence, communication, and mentoring skills.

When she joined Cora Cora Maldives as Spa & Wellness Manager, Ariani brought with her over a decade of experience across multiple brands. Her philosophy evolved from personal mastery to team empowerment. “When I became part of the management, my focus was finding positive solutions for my team. I love to support and guide rather than control. I listen, I learn, and I always ask my team to seek opportunities to grow and take ownership of their work. With support from the Cora Cora management team, I’m able to explore more, and more confident on what I am doing. Their trust and encouragement have helped me grow not only as a manager but as a person,” she says.

At Cora Cora Maldives, wellness is integral to the resort’s identity. The MOKSHA® Spa & Wellbeing Centre is designed around personalisation rather than prescription. “We are not just selling what we have,” Ariani explained. “We always ask guests what their concerns are and what they expect after the treatment. We recommend according to their needs.” One of the centre’s unique offerings is its Freedom Time concept. Instead of booking individual treatments, guests purchase a block of hours and can use them flexibly across different therapies. “With the hours, they can choose any treatment they like. It’s freedom for them,” she said.

Customisation extends beyond the menu. “Even treatments not listed on the menu can be crafted upon request,” Ariani noted. “For example, we don’t have a cellulite treatment, but if the guest really wants it, we work on that as well.” The centre’s signature experience, Essence of Maldives, remains a guest favourite. “It’s all about coconut,” she said. “Guests really like it because it represents the Maldives—tropical island, sea, and sun. Coconut oil is also very good for moisturising the skin. All reasons to make this our signature treatment.”

All products used at MOKSHA® are natural and locally inspired. “Our base oil is coconut,” Ariani said. “We mix and blend our own massage oil, and we bring essential oils from Sri Lanka to make three different types of oil—relaxing, detox, and balancing. We also use scrubs such as coffee and coconut. For the coffee scrub, we use excess coffee after roasting. It’s sustainability—we reuse it for the spa.”

Ariani manages a team of twelve, including herself. Training is central to her leadership approach. “We do weekly training,” she said. “To do product knowledge, practical work, and quality checks. I’m always the one who checking the quality.” Continuous development extends to daily briefings and structured onboarding for newcomers. “When a new staff member joins, we have a three-month training and probation period,” she explained. “If they learn quickly, they can handle guests earlier. We do internal tests—first by myself, then by another senior, and finally a mock guest test.”

Retention and consistency are major points of pride for her. “We have a lot of repeater guests,” she said. “They often meet the same therapist who treated them before, which makes them happy, and feedback is always positive.”

Ariani is constantly researching new developments in wellness tourism. She believes guests now seek meaningful, health-oriented experiences rather than short-term indulgence. “People now travel more with wellness and wellbeing in their mind compared to before,” she observed. “It’s not just for fun anymore. They really take care of themselves.”

Drawing on this insight, Ariani is preparing to introduce a new concept at MOKSHA® in 2026, which she is very excited about. The treatment combines different techniques from traditional massages and modern elements to a new, refined treatment. “We see a clear trend toward this new concept in other countries and want to bring it to Cora Cora Maldives,” she said. She has already reached out to a spa brand that offers said treatments for a possible collaboration and to supply equipment and protocols. “We reached out for a collaboration,” she explained. “I hope we will be the first resort in Maldives to be able to offer it, so I will not reveal too much yet.”

To prepare, Ariani is training two senior therapists to master the new treatment. “We focus only on two therapists for now,” she said. “Because if we train everyone, they might forget when not practising regularly. We maintain quality this way.”

Despite her achievements, Ariani continues to invest in her own education. “When I go back to Bali on vacation, I learn English,” she said. “I took English courses for one month, and when I came back, I was more confident.” She later studied yoga and sound healing in India, spending two months there for certification. “I took one month each, for yoga and sound healing, to really deepen the knowledge,” she said. “Afterward, I studied spa management at Bali BISA Training Centre and Certified with CIBTAC in spa management” All her studies were self-funded. “Everything I learned, I earned the money first and then I studied to support myself,” she said.

For Ariani, leadership is rooted in empathy and purpose. “I think the most important thing is to lead people with purpose and put people in the heart of everything you do,” she said. “Wellness starts from within. You take care of your people, and they will take care of your guests.” Her management philosophy aligns with her broader view of wellness as a collective culture rather than an individual service. “Being named as Wellness Personality of the Year is not just an individual achievement for me,” she reflected. “It’s a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and passion that my team and I put together in promoting wellness within the hospitality industry.” She added: “I believe wellness is not just a trend, it’s a way of life. I’m so grateful to be part of this positive movement.” A positive impact she creates—for her team, her guests, and herself. It’s found in the quiet confidence of leading with empathy, in the growth of her team members, and in the satisfaction of guests who return not just for treatments, but for meaningful experiences.

After sixteen years, Ariani considers the Maldives her professional home. “The Maldives remains in my heart—it’s where I’ve grown, learned, and built a life I’m proud of.” Her journey from a small Balinese village to managing a leading wellness centre in one of the world’s top resort destinations illustrates the transformative power of persistence and purpose. “Success is not just about having a title or a position. For me success mean believing in yourself and using that confident to make a positive difference in other people lives. When you can help someone, inspire them, or change their life for the better – even in small way that is true success. It’s about making an impact that goes beyond yourself I put a lot of dedication and effort into what I do—and here I am today.”