Our Story
How much wisdom can two spa visionaries bring home after decades spent learning from Bali’s healers, Hong Kong’s high-rises, and the world’s most immersive wellness cultures?
For Kim and Cary Collier, wellness has never been a trend. It’s a lifelong calling shaped by their early years across Southeast Asia, where they sparked a global shift toward culturally rooted, nature-immersive spa experiences. From the rainforests of Java to the coastlines of Bali to the luxury towers of Hong Kong, they learned that true hospitality begins with honoring people, place, and heritage. Their journey carried them through hand-drawn plans faxed overseas, hauling early desktop computers through airports in the ’90s, and collaborating with elders, healers, architects, and artisans long before “wellness” became an industry.
Now based in Whitefish, Montana, the Colliers co-lead CollierConcepts with the same philosophy that shaped their beginnings: design for longevity, respect local culture, elevate human care, and create spaces that help people feel more alive.
Co-Founder, Wellness Designer
& Project Planner
Cary Collier
Cary Collier is a globally respected spa designer and one of the original thought leaders of the modern wellness landscape. For nearly 40 years he has shaped spas throughout the world from his studio in Whitefish, Montana, where he balances high-level design work with the natural rhythms of the surrounding forest, mountains, and wildlife.
Raised in the Texas panhandle and once a cowboy, Cary entered the spa and wellness industry in the late 1980s, a time when design drawings were completed by hand and mailed or faxed across continents. In 1990 he traveled to Southeast Asia carrying a desktop computer, printer, and fax machine as his luggage, and that journey marked the beginning of a global career that would influence the future of spa design.
His early work took him to Hong Kong, Java, and Bali. While living in Southeast Asia he joined the first creative team to conceptualize a fully integrated indoor and outdoor spa experience. This vision became reality at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay in Bali, where treatment rooms, outdoor showers, gardens, and relaxation spaces were designed as a unified sanctuary. The project set a new standard for hospitality and established a design philosophy rooted in preserving cultural identity and honoring the spirit of place.
Throughout his career, Cary has been recognized for innovative thinking and a willingness to reimagine the boundaries of wellness spaces. He helped introduce the Nordic and bathhouse model to the United States and led the creation of multi-sensory hydrothermal experiences across luxury properties. More recently, he guided the development of the first Event Sauna and Aufguss experience in the United States at Awana Spa at Resorts World in Las Vegas.
Cary describes his approach as one guided by “vimp,” a word he coined with friends in college to describe the energy or vibe that moves through a space. Vimp influences every design decision and is central to how he envisions guest flow, sensory impact, and overall experience.
Today he is focused on what he calls “sensory sanctuaries and legacy spaces,” which are environments intentionally crafted for longevity, environmental responsibility, cultural respect, and multi-generational enjoyment.
Cary lives in Northwest Montana, where he practices the wellness principles he teaches and designs. Both daughters have careers in the health and beauty industry, and together with Kim, he is proud to be part of a “spa family.”
CollierConcepts reflects the shared values, global experience, and deep passion for wellness that have shaped his life’s work.
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Cary’s design process often begins with simple, intuitive sketches that lay the foundation for space planning and concept development. This particular drawing offers a whimsical glimpse into a wellness-filled life, complete with the happily married duo and their beloved cat, Luna.
Kim Collier
Co-Founder, Wellness Experience Planner, Spa Practitioner, Educator
Kim Collier is a globally recognized spa and wellness visionary with more than 25 years shaping the future of holistic hospitality. As Co-Founder of CollierConcepts, she brings deep expertise in wellness programming, product development, and experiential design informed by nature, culture, and thoughtful human care.
Kim’s leadership journey has taken her through Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, Russia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. She has served as Spa Director and Consultant for luxury brands including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Regent, InterContinental, Hyatt, Marriott, Destination Hotels and Resorts, and Joie de Vivre.
A pioneer in wellness product innovation, Kim founded JAMU Organic Spa Rituals while living in Bali. She created a botanical line inspired by Indonesian healing traditions and the regional plant medicine practices she spent years observing and honoring. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, O The Oprah Magazine, Organic Spa, and other leading publications.
Kim is a USA Certified Massage Therapist, an NCBTMB Instructor, and an Australian-trained Esthetician. She is also completing her Cannabis Professional Certification. Condé Nast recognized her as a “Top 25 Trendsetter,” and she continues to influence the global spa industry through keynote speaking, CE education, treatment and menu creation, and sensory-driven experiential design.
Her areas of expertise include product and protocol development, training and education systems, treatment and menu design, amenity and retail curation, and luxury service excellence. Above all, she is passionate about partnering with hospitality teams to elevate guest well-being and strengthen both human and operational potential.
Kim lives in Whitefish, Montana, where she finds inspiration in the mountains and joy in family life with her husband and business partner, Cary Collier, and their two daughters.
Project Design & Technical Consultant
Brian Lombardi
Brian has worked with CollierConcepts as a project consultant since early 2004 and has excelled in spa design through his firm grasp of function and technical services. Though Brian’s prior ten-year work experience was in management, he currently collaborates in the programming and design phases of CollierConcepts’ design division, working with the architects and engineers of projects regarding the intricacies of spa design. Brian has extensive experience working on Four Seasons projects and has been intimately involved in all phases of project planning for several Four Seasons projects worldwide. Fluent in English and conversational in Spanish after living 10 years in Mexico, Brian resides in Montana.
Human & Environmental Wellness Are Inseparable
