Certified B Corp Rituals celebrated a red letter day yesterday (9 April) after officially inaugurating its Mind Oasis wellbeing concept at its new shop at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).

Situated at Lounge 1 at the apex of a high-trafficked location, the 141sq m store footprint housing the 40sq m Mind Oasis is a first for global travel retail following the concept’s success at downtown locations in Amsterdam, Almere, Maastricht, Oisterwijk, Antwerp, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Berlin – see footer for image gallery*.

TRBusiness was on location at Lounge 1 alongside selected trade media to witness a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by officials from the brand and airport, including Rituals Founder and CEO Raymond Cloosterman and Schiphol Airport Chief Commercial Officer Arthur Reijnhart.

Inside the store, which began trading on 21 March, travellers will discover a range of Rituals’ best-selling home, bath and body, skincare and cosmetics ranges complemented by its signature test and trial areas.

The impact brand’s refill station, which allows customers to pair favourite lines with matching refills, is also present adjacent to the tillpoint area.

Inside the Mind Oasis…

Couro Seck, Head of Concepting and Spokesperson at Rituals and a key figure in bringing the Mind Oasis concept to life, provided a detailed explanation of the concept while explaining the philosophy behind it.

Officials from the brand and airport, including Arthur Reijnhart, Chief Commercial Officer, Royal Schiphol Group (first row, fifth left) and Raymond Cloosterman, Founder and CEO, Rituals (first row, sixth left).

It is deeply rooted in Rituals’ mission to apply the brake to life’s 24-hour rush, encouraging people to take precious moments to rest and recharge by adopting a holistic approach that cares and supports wellbeing of the mind – as well as the body.

Seck used the example of professional athletes, who not only push their bodies to physical extremities on the pitch or track but, away from it, take time to heal and recover their minds.

Couro Seck, Mind Oasis Operational & Training Development Manager explained the benefits of Mind Oasis to travellers.

This approach is at odds for most people, whose daily lives and routines are subject to a volley of stimuli – from constant emails, social media interactions and TV watching – leaving little time to hit the ‘off’ switch.

Targeting both spontaneous foot traffic from transiting passengers passing through Lounge 1 and those that pre-book appointments in advance, the Mind Oasis invites travellers to enter into a deep sense of relaxation.

The Mind Oasis is designed to promote mindfulness and a meditative state of being to allow users to escape the daily hustle and bustle of life.

They can select from two treatments at the Schiphol Airport store: Hydro Massage or Brain Massage.

TRBusiness was fortunate to test the Hydro Massage in a 20-minute decompression session that took place on a warm waterbed utilising high-pressure water jets to relieve muscular aches and pains.

Lying flat under a hood, the user is able to calibrate the intensity of the water jets, collagen-boosting infrared lighting, haptic vibrations and scents.

Meanwhile, 4D sounds – from birds in the rainforests to waves gently lapping at the shoreline – accentuate the feeling of calmness and decompression within the portable sanctuary.

The Brain Massage (which TRBusiness did not test) employs light therapy and encourages breathing and brainwave entrainment techniques to promote a shift into the deeply relaxed so-called ‘Theta’ state, the golden passage between wakefulness and sleep.

Travellers can take a seat in the Zero-G chair, close their eyes and be whisked away by a calming tonic of 4D sound, haptic vibration and breathing exercises.

Both treatments are designed to be accessible to all – irrespective of whether the user has practiced mental relaxation techniques in the past.

Raymond Cloosterman, Founder & CEO of Rituals Cosmetics stated: “We are pleased to open our first Mind Oasis at Schiphol. This space offers travellers a peaceful environment to relax and momentarily escape the hustle and bustle.”

Regeneration of Lounge 1

The arrival of the Rituals’ Mind Oasis store comes amid a period of significant renewal of the wider Schiphol Airport commercial estate, including at Lounge 1, which as reported recently opened an additional 5,000sq m of space to Schengen Area destination passengers, bringing the total area to 24,000sq m.

Speaking to TRBusiness, Arthur Reijnhart, Chief Commercial Officer, Royal Schiphol Group, expressed his pleasure at the new opening, which he described as the culmination of a long-term collaboration with the Amsterdam-founded luxury personal care brand.

“We’ve seen them grow as a Dutch icon – from just a few stores into the fantastic company it is today,” he said. “The opening of this store is one in a series of openings that we have in the total redevelopment of Lounge 1, the biggest lounge in Schiphol.

“We’ve increased the size, modernised the shop offer and redirected flows. The number one task is to reduce stress levels of passengers.

“In terms of commercial sales [performance], it is too early to say after the first two weeks,” Reijnhart replied in response to a question from TRBusiness.

“What I can say is this is one of the most attractive spots with different flows coming together. You are pulled into the store in a natural way.

“It’s not only the quality of the products but it adds to the whole sense of quality of the airport, which is exactly what we want to achieve. I have no doubt this store will be very successful.”

‘Milestone’ DF contract preparations underway

As reported, Schiphol Airport is in a transition period as long-term duty free partner Gebr. Heinemann prepares to exit the concession as Lagardère Travel Retail prepares to begin a contract spanning approximately 20 shops on 1 May after emerging victorious in a competitive tender earlier this year.

The Paris-headquartered travel retailer will take a 70% share in the company that will run the business, with the remaining 30% stake being held by the airport.

“You will see the opening of the largest duty free store in Schiphol next door [adjacent to the Rituals’ Mind Oasis site] at 1,500sq m,” said Reijnhart. “We have 80 bars and restaurants at Schiphol that will all see significant improvement in terms of quality, better price levels and sustainability.”

Customers can peruse from popular lines such as The Ritual of Hammam, Ritual of Jing and Ritual of Ayurveda, as the brand galvanises its home, bath and body, skincare and cosmetics collections into the easily navigable space.

He identified an enhanced duty free, F&B and luxury/experiential commercial experience – of which Rituals plays a part – as levers for future growth at Schiphol.

Schiphol has undergone a period of intense investment in recent years, mainly to address a backlog of maintenance, repairs and remedial work required throughout its terminals to restore infrastructural assets to top-class standards.

Rituals’ refill format features instore.

“Quality is the name of the game,” added Reijnhart. “The signing of the Lagardère JV agreement is a huge milestone for us. We are bringing together P&C, confectionery, tobacco, sunglasses… all of the core categories into one entity and we will integrate the stores into much better experiences.

“This is a major change and you will see the first open in two months’ time. After that you will see, store by store, the stores being transformed into this new duty free look and feel.”

Elsewhere in Lounge 2, passengers will look forward to a new Louis Vuitton flagship unit set to open in a couple of months’ time.

“That won’t be the last; we are foreseeing multiple, high-quality locations there for luxury brands and the F&B offer will be lifted to something not seen before at Schiphol,” he said.

“We are also making drawings for Lounge 3 and Schiphol Plaza, all of that will be redeveloped. In the coming three to five years, you will see the complete lounge offer at Schiphol redefined from what it is today.”

Stay close to TRBusiness for an interview with Raymond Cloosterman, Founder and CEO, Rituals…

*Gallery images of Schiphol Mind Oasis courtesy of damon Rigter/nomadi.studio. Brain Massage and Hydro Massage pictures from Antwerp Mind Oasis.

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