Meet the Leading spas of canada Board of directors
Leading Spas of Canada’s Board of Directors draws from spa professionals across Canada
Chair: Angela DoCouto
As the Director of Riverstone Spa, Angela leverages her skills in marketing, sales, and customer service to cultivate relationships and deliver exceptional client satisfaction. She is passionate about wellness and devoted to creating memorable experiences.
Prior to her role in the health, wellness and spa industry, Angela was the Director of Sales for all properties in the Sparrow Hotels group. She was responsible for creating & achieving sales goals and objectives, while increasing profitability through effective sales strategies, business planning and client relationships.
Angela graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a degree in Business Administration and achieved her diploma in Marketing from Red River College. She is an active member of her community, enjoys volunteering at a variety of charitable events, and spending time with her family, exploring all that Manitoba has to offer.
Vice President: Katherine Asmono
With over 25 years devoted to the skin care industry, people development, and business management, Katherine co-founded and launched the award-winning Canadian brand Eltraderm Skin Care with the vision of revolutionizing the skin care industry and taking the Eltraderm Brand beyond industry standards by delivering on product performance and optimizing professional treatments to achieve the best results.
Member: Colleen Nunes
Colleen Nunes is an internationally qualified Aesthetician, Holistic Therapist, and the Director of The L Spa & Wellness Centre in Grande Prairie, AB.
Colleen was born and raised in South Africa, where she obtained her CIDESCO International Diploma of Cosmetology and ITEC Diploma in Health & Skincare, including complementary therapy ITEC diplomas . She relocated to Grande Prairie, Canada, in 2008 where she has been the Spa Director of The L Spa and Wellness Centre for the past 15 years.
Colleen has trained extensively in holistic therapies ranging from Spa Treatments, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Hot Stone Massage, On-Site Massage. and Diet & Nutrition for Complementary Therapies. She is a North American School of Podology Master Pedicurist, and obtained her Oncology Esthetics Foundation Training through Oncology Training International.
She is very passionate about the Canadian spa industry and the supporting organizations including Leading Spas of Canada. Colleen believes the Quality Assurance Assessment program is fundamental in elevating the spa industry as a whole, ensuring consistent and exemplary service deliver by qualified professionals.
Member: Kerry Werner
Kerry’s career in wellness began as an Alberta RMT in 1998, practicing in a chiropractic clinic where she focused on MVA and TMJ treatments as well as offering regular Massage, Aromatherapy and Manual Lymphatic Drainage. In 2001 an opportunity arose in the Caribbean working on a private island resort, which Kerry had to explore. This introduction to the hospitality field was all encompassing and inspiring, leading her to work in luxury resort spas for the next 6 years in the British Virgin Islands and moving up through trainer and managerial roles. Moving back to Canada in 2007, Kerry assisted in the opening of a luxury day spa as the Assistant Director in Alberta. 2009 saw a return to massage therapy full time as Kerry missed the hands-on connection of working with guests. During the next few years her massage skills were rounded out with certifications in Reflexology, Cranial Sacral Therapy as well as becoming a yoga instructor and adjustor. In 2016, fate brought Kerry back to the Caribbean for a spa leadership role in St. Lucia, rekindling her passion for spa operations and team leadership. Returning to Canada in 2018, Kerry was in Spa Management roles working in British Columbia for 4 years. Now in Toronto, Kerry is thrilled to have been part of the Stillwater Spa re-opening team in June 2022. As Director of Spa at the Park Hyatt Toronto, it is Kerry’s passion to inspire both her team and guests and educate them on taking control of their wellness journey. Kerry is excited to be joining the Board of Directors of Leading Spas of Canada to advance and advocate for us as well as inspire all of the wonderful people who work in this rewarding industry.
Member: Chris Ryall
Chris has been an enthusiastic advocate for spa and wellness for more than 30 years while visiting hundreds of spas in more than 90 countries on six continents. Chris began his career in television after graduating from a three-year Radio/TV broadcasting program at Centennial College. Following his TV career Chris worked for foreign tourism boards before running his own tourism marketing/PR company with client list of tourism boards (foreign and in Canada), tour companies and resort clients from around the world.
Following his desire to learn more about the spa industry Chris enrolled in a one-year in-class Spa & Wellness Operations Management program at Algonquin College in Ottawa and graduated with honours. Chris has written about spa and wellness for many print and online publications both in Canada and the U.S. including a regular contributor to Spa Inc., Canada’s spa industry publication. Chris has previously sat on the judge’s panel for the Asia Spa Awards and SpaFinder 360 Wellness Travel Awards and has sat on the judging panel for the Canadian Spa & Wellness Awards since its inception in 2015. Chris is a proponent for making spas and wellness more inclusive for all genders, generations, ethnic backgrounds, and income levels while focusing on mental and physical health benefits.
Member: Lily Ofir
Lily Ofir is a certified wellness practitioner and educator with over 20 years of international experience in the health, spa, and fitness industries. Her work has taken her across the Cayman Islands, Belgium, Israel, Uganda, and North America, where she has trained professionals, consulted on spa development, and introduced innovative, natural-based treatments. She pioneered the introduction and development of Thai Stem Massage in Canada, teaching it nationwide and abroad, establishing it as a recognized modality in the wellness field. Lily is also a certified instructor in Hot Stone, and Lava Shell Massage, and leads rehabilitation fitness and yoga classes.
Passionate about empowerment and education, Lily has led humanitarian efforts in Uganda, offering wellness training to women and supporting self-sustaining community programs. Her warm and business-savvy teaching style blends practical skill-building with a strong emphasis on self-care, hygiene, safety, professionalism, and mentorship. As a trusted leader and spa consultant, Lily continues to inspire the next generation of wellness professionals through her work, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to holistic health.
Member: Antonella Calandra
Antonella started her career in the industry on a global level working closely with senior management teams within destination resorts such as Four Seasons Hotel Tunis and Ritz Carlton, Paris. She was then recruited by Fairmont Hotels to launch Willowstream Spas across their luxury hotel portfolio. While developing the Willowstream brand she was Spa Director in Bermuda and then Sonoma, California. Her strategic business and financial planning skills lead her to the position of Regional Business Director for Stogryn Premier Resources, national distributor of multiple professional beauty brands. Antonella recently joined Spaformation as a Spa Business Coach and Consultant. Her extensive background in the spa industry combined with her passion for business and team development are instrumental in creating unique solutions for businesses across the spa, medi-spa and wellness industry.