From beauty-school training to specialist work within prestigious hotels and resorts, Jacoline Wentzel’s journey reflects the growing ambition of African wellness.
Jacoline Wentzel’s story began with an understanding of the person receiving a treatment. Today, her work extends to the spaces, equipment and intricate planning that make that experience possible.
Her introduction to the industry came in 1994, when she began studying at Isa Carstens Academy in Stellenbosch. Spa management with Steiner International followed, alongside sales and marketing experience with professional skincare businesses, before she established The Spa Warehouse in 2005.
Twenty-one years later, The Spa Warehouse tells a story of professional evolution within an industry that has expanded dramatically – and within a continent developing its own distinctive wellness destinations.
A business shaped by its clients
The original idea was to bring professional spa products, furniture and equipment together through one business. As Wentzel explains in her published journal, clients increasingly sought guidance beyond supply, creating demand for a more extensive consulting role.
Her approach brings the treatment experience into conversations with architects, interior designers, owners and operational teams. A visually striking room must also accommodate equipment, support the therapist’s movements and function within the property’s infrastructure and budget.
Growing alongside a global industry
The Spa Warehouse entered an established but substantially smaller international market.
Today, spas operate within a trillion global wellness economy, encompassing 11 sectors from physical activity to wellness tourism and real estate.
For a South African business working across Africa and Mauritius, this provides meaningful context: the company’s development has taken place within a substantial regional market connected to international hospitality.
A portfolio built through collaboration
The Spa Warehouse’s portfolio spans island resorts, coastal hotels and distinguished Winelands retreats. Its procurement work includes One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius and properties within The Royal Portfolio, including The Silo, Royal Malewane and Birkenhead House.
Recent and current projects include Morea House in Camps Bay, InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town, Erinvale, The EDITION, Delaire Graff, Leeu Estates and Sterrekopje. Each appointment carries its own brief, from specialist equipment supply to broader consulting and procurement.
Terre Paisible Medical Rejuvenation & Spa in Franschhoek illustrates the depth of that involvement. An initial meeting at the wine estate became a three-year collaboration, with Jacoline Wentzel working alongside managing director Shirley van Wyk and a specialist team to guide the spa from inception to completion. The Spa Warehouse also supplied LEMI treatment equipment and the African Cashmere product range.
Since opening in October 2024, Terre Paisible has earned 11 awards aswell as international recognition, including honours at the World Luxury Spa Awards. These achievements celebrate the destination and the collective expertise behind its development, with Wentzel’s contribution forming part of that shared success.
The next generation of wellness
The Global Wellness Summit’s 2026 trends report identifies emerging directions in women’s longevity, neurowellness and skin longevity, alongside resistance to excessive health optimisation. These are expert assessments of the sector’s direction, highlighting the importance of both scientific development and personal experience.
For Wentzel, these developments return to familiar professional questions: whether an offering suits the intended guest, what the property can support and how its team will deliver it.
Twenty-one years of experience provides perspective: the judgment to recognise which innovations belong, the expertise to make them work and the relationships to bring ambitious projects to life. That is the foundation from which Jacoline Wentzel approaches the next generation of spa and wellness.
Media and project enquiries
info@thespawarehouse.co.za
