The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland has appointed Stephan Wagner as director of spa & wellbeing. Wagner brings over 20 years of international spa experience to the leading medical health and wellness resort.

Prior to joining Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Wagner managed the spa at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai for almost six years. He also studied spa management at the Chiva-Som Academy in Thailand, and holds a Hospitality Management Certificate from Cornell University in collaboration with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The Thermal Spa at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has always been at the top of Wagner's wish list of places to work. "The resort's long history of the healing thermal water has fascinated me for a long time," said Wagner. "I started my journey through the world of spas in well-known Bavarian thermal baths. That makes it all the more special for me to return to the world of thermal water after some 25 years."

Marco R. Zanolari, general manager of the Grand Hotels said: "We have gained an internationally renowned spa expert with Stephan Wagner, and our Thermal Spa will benefit greatly from his experience and expertise."

In addition to bringing his expertise to Bad Ragaz, Wagner is planning on introducing new and innovative ideas to the resort's Thermal Spa. In celebration of Grand Resort Bad Ragaz's 150th anniversary, the spa menu will undergo a refresh, and will be reintroduced before the opening of the newly renovated Grand Hotel Quellenhof in July 2019.

The theme of mindfulness will regain focus within the spa, and there will be an increased synergy between the Medical Center experts and the spa.

"We will be creating something extraordinary. I don't want to give too much away at this stage, but wellness fans should keep us in mind for this summer," said Wagner.

Wagner first graduated with a major in physiotherapy, and then worked as a personal trainer and trained to be a teacher of restorative yin yoga. In 2012, he was the first person to be awarded the title of Spa Manager of the Year presented by the German Wellness Association and the Messe Düsseldorf (Congress Center), just one of the many accolades he and his spa team gained in the last few years under his leadership.

Since the beginning of 2019, Wagner has become the official Swiss Ambassador for Global Wellness Day, which takes place annually on the second Saturday of June.