Happy Birthday to Cary Collier: Designing Wellness, Building Legacy

“…These experiences taught me lessons that still guide me today: respect culture, be patient, solve problems, cherish family, and lead with kindness. When we lived in an isolated mountain tropical rainforest, the lessons were patience, teaching, and humility. In Bali, we learned to embrace the beautiful and creative Balinese culture and their love for family. The Balinese had no word for 'stress.' I stopped using the word. Having a family is precious. Kindness feels good for everyone." — Cary Collier

Today we are celebrating the birthday of someone who means the absolute world to us: our dad, husband, business partner, mentor, and friend, Cary Collier.

As a family business, we spend a lot of time talking about spas, wellness, design, and the future of the industry. But today, we want to talk about our family's Texas cowboy turned global spa visionary.

Raised in the Texas Panhandle, Cary was a cowboy long before he became a spa designer. And these days, Cary designs spas and wellness destinations around the world from his office in Whitefish, Montana. It's not unusual for him to be on a conference call discussing a project halfway across the globe while deer wander through the backyard and the peaks of Glacier National Park peek through the trees outside his window.

But, to start, let’s rewind a bit to where the story began.

Long before Cary became known for designing world-class spas and wellness destinations, his career was already taking shape through a series of unexpected adventures. His introduction to wellness started as the owner and instructor of an aerobic studio called “The Waist Basket,” followed by work as a personal trainer and instructor at The Spa at The Crescent in Dallas where he met his future wife and business partner, Kim. Together, they would go on to help shape an industry that was still finding its footing.

From there, his path continued to evolve.

When Cary began consulting in 1988, there was no cloud storage, no Zoom, and certainly no wellness industry as we know it today. Drawings were delivered via courier or fax, old school edits made by hand, and revisions returned to client for review, a process that took weeks now takes hours. He became the youngest and first male Managing Director of The Greenhouse, a pioneering destination spa for women, before he and Kim made the life-changing decision to move to Hong Kong.

In 1990, he boarded a plane to Southeast Asia with carry-on luggage consisting of a desktop computer, printer, and fax machine, so he could join Kim, as they began working abroad. That willingness to embrace new ideas and places before anyone else saw the opportunity would become a defining characteristic throughout his career.

What followed was a remarkable chapter that took them across Asia, from Hong Kong to a tropical rainforest in Java, Indonesia where Cary served as Managing Director, and Kim as Spa Director, of Javana Spa in Indonesia, and eventually they landed in Bali.

Living and working abroad exposed Cary to new cultures, new ways of thinking, and new perspectives on hospitality and planning wellness. In Bali especially, he found inspiration in the island's creativity, spirituality, connection to family, and deep respect for the natural world. Those experiences would become the foundation for the philosophy that has guided his work ever since and ultimately inspired the launch of Collier & Collier Spas (DBA: CollierConcepts) consulting and design career.

One of Cary's most influential projects was helping create the spa experience at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay. At the time, the idea of treatment rooms opening into private outdoor gardens, showers, pools, and lush natural spaces was groundbreaking. Today, indoor-outdoor spa design feels intuitive, but someone had to imagine it first.

What made that project especially meaningful was the commitment to honoring Balinese culture. Kim and Cary immersed themselves in local traditions, materials, music, rituals, craftsmanship, language and storytelling. They helped create everything from treatment experiences and furnishings to uniforms and spa environments that authentically connected to Bali.

Looking back, that experience became the foundation of Collier’s philosophy: great wellness design begins with respect for culture, for people, and for the environment.

Over nearly four decades, Cary has contributed to more than 300 spa and wellness projects across 35 countries. Along the way, he has helped introduce ideas that have transformed the industry. He was among the first to bring outdoor wellness experiences into luxury hospitality, introducing Nordic bathing and bathhouse concepts to hotel spas in the United States, and helped bring the first Event Sauna (Aufguss) experience in America to life at Awana Spa at Resorts World Las Vegas.

One thing we've always admired about our Cary is that he approaches every project with genuine curiosity and humility. Whether he's working on a large international resort or helping guide a smaller independent project, his focus remains the same: creating spaces that improve people's lives.

Throughout decades of industry changes, economic shifts, and evolving wellness trends, Cary has always kept an open mind and heart, and never stopped learning.

Today, Cary is focused on what he calls "Creating Sensory Sanctuaries and Legacy Spaces;" places intentionally designed for generations to enjoy and thrive. Spaces that tread lightly on the environment while making a lasting impact on the people who experience them. Places that help us reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

In many ways, that vision reflects how he lives his own life.

He genuinely walks the wellness walk. He values movement, consistency, community, laughter, and finding ways to increase what he calls "vimp," a word he and his college friends invented decades ago to describe energy, spirit, and vibe. If you've spent any time around Cary, you know exactly what “vimp” means.

Cary and Kim are also the reason our family became what we lovingly call a "Spa Family."

Together, Cary and Kim built a life centered around creativity, wellness, adventure, and service. Their passion inspired both of their daughters to pursue careers in the health and beauty industry, and their influence can be felt throughout everything we do at CollierConcepts today.

As impressive as Cary's professional accomplishments are, what makes us most proud is who he is when the workday ends.

He's funny. He's kind. He's endlessly curious. He gives everything his full attention. He can make a room laugh, ease tension during stressful moments, and somehow always find a reason to be optimistic. He has worked incredibly hard throughout his life while still making time for family, friends, celebrations, travel, fly fishing, hikes, skiing, reading, connecting with the community, and all of the little moments that matter most.

To us, that's his greatest achievement.

Dad, thank you for showing us what it looks like to follow your dreams with courage, to treat people with kindness, and to approach every chapter of life with curiosity, heart and “vimp”.

Thank you for your dedication to building a career that has helped shape an industry, but even more importantly, thank you for being such a loving and supportive dad and husband.

Happy Birthday, Cary.

We are endlessly proud of you, grateful for you, and excited to see what you create next.

Notes from the family:

Kim Collier: “We have lived a lifetime of adventures together. From the first hotel spa and membership club in the USA (Rosewood Hotels, Spa at The Crescent), to getting married in Hong Kong, to working in the rainforest of Java, Indonesia (Javana Spa, South East Asia's first destination spa!) to Bali, Indonesia (thank you Four Seasons Resorts for giving this spa couple a chance), and now Montana. Grateful for you, our family and this life, Cary Collier, you inspire me and many, I Love You Forever."

Cierra Collier: “I am so lucky to have been born into this family! I got to be part of my parents adventures in Bali, witnessed the miracle of life after my baby sister was born and have been admiring my parents ever since. They’ve always found time to make special moments for our family even when life gets busy and crazy. We are all so proud of my dad’s commitment to his career and family. He works so hard. He has overcome so many challenges as the industry evolves, he keeps innovating and moving forward. While still making time for us to connect. He is the sweetest man. Funny, earnest, kind and loving, all the things a daughter hopes for in her dad. Can't imagine my world without dad in it. I'm going to savor every moment we have together and then hopefully someone can figure out how to make you live forever.”

Asia Collier: “My dad puts love, care, and intention into everything he does. I've never seen him take shortcuts or do anything halfway, whether it's his work, his relationships, or being an incredible dad to my sister and me, and husband to my mom. I’ve seen firsthand the passion he brought to his work all throughout my life. I always admired not only what he was creating, but the way he connected with people. Both of my parents taught me what it means to follow your dreams, and my dad has always led by example.

He continues to amaze me with his work ethic, his creativity, and his ability to make people laugh and feel connected and cared for. No matter what challenges or changes life has thrown his way, he has met them with an open mind, an open heart, and always stayed true to himself and his “why”. To have spent so many years in the spa and wellness industry and still wake up every day with the same enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion is something I deeply admire.

I feel incredibly grateful to have been raised by someone who is equal parts goofy, intelligent, hardworking, and genuinely kind. He is a true role model, and I thank the universe every day for making him my dad.”