Director of spa & wellness at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Kelly Gasspari-Fleming leads with passion, innovation, and a deep commitment to guest experience. Under her leadership, the Waldorf Astoria Spa was recently recognized with one of the industry’s highest honors—Best Hotel Spa in North America by the World Spa Awards. A proud member of the International Spa Association (ISPA) board of directors and the Hilton Spas Advisory Council, Gasspari-Fleming is dedicated to shaping the future of the spa and wellness industry. With years of expertise and a proven record of excellence, she continues to inspire her team and elevate standards of care, wellness, and hospitality. Driven by her belief in the transformative power of wellness, Kelly is both a visionary leader and a passionate advocate for creating experiences that enrich lives—one guest at a time.
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness is an inner state of being—a place within that is woven closely to mindfulness—it brings peace, passion, fulfillment, joy, mental clarity and inspiration. It shows up in many forms, shifting from day to day: the strength to meditate through a stressful time, the endorphins found in leaving everything on a spin bike after a long day, or the grace to embrace contrasting moments for the growth they bring. Wellness is both a strong mind and a will to live fully. It’s the understanding that where you are is enough, and the courage to give your all when you need to push the extra mile. It is the way you start your morning, the company you keep, and the challenge of pushing yourself to run five miles instead of three. Too often, wellness is mistaken as purely physical. I believe, it’s also about nurturing your soul—whether through self-care, stillness, or even a glass of full-bodied cabernet at the end of the day, shared with someone you love, in the comfort of a quiet place where you can simply be.
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
Meditation, 5am workouts, daily infrared sauna sessions, yoga, sleep stories, journaling, ginger shots, lots of matcha, therapeutic massages, forest bathing, calendar blocking for mindful moments, intermittent fasting, hormone therapy, and traveling with my husband.
Is there a specific fitness activity that you love and why?
Hiking aka nature bathing. Spending summers growing up in the north woods gave me a different perspective on how to disconnect and appreciate mother nature in all forms. As an adult it’s harder to get back up north regularly, but fortunately our house is located in north Chicago off of the north branch trail and forest preserve where we can walk out of our front door and be in nature. Observing animals and smelling the forest is incredibly grounding.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
My husband has mastered his chef skills since my schedule is bananas, but one of our favorite nights of the week is taco Tuesday where I get to prepare the actual tacos. He does prep everything. We go all in on the freshness, grilled chicken seasoned with a sugar- and salt-free seasoning, carb smart chipotle tortillas, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, fresh avocado, shaved red onion, and chipotle aioli.
What is your favorite healthy beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and do you have any insider tips for preparing it?
I have both. Non-alcoholic is a daily prebiotic fiber powder with vital proteins collagen. I use this to break my fast every day, with 20 grams of fiber and 40 grams of protein. Alcoholic is reposado with a fresh slice of a cara cara orange. There’s no sugar, so there’s no crash and never a hangover.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
Overcoming anxiety through meditation. I was hospitalized three times for panic attacks in my 20a and was prescribed medication and therapy. I found meditation and was able to forgo medication and therapy while also building a better foundation for my future in wellness.
What person in wellness do you most admire and why?
Cord Coen is someone who turned tragedy into transformation, healing himself through yoga, meditation, and herbal remedies. He has been a true pillar in my own healing journey, guiding me toward meditation at a time when I couldn’t even figure out how to breathe. Cord has supported me through every challenge, both personally and professionally, and has consistently encouraged my growth as a leader in wellness.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
“Breath and be a light within the soul of this universe,” which sums up Dr. Wayne Dyer’s teachings.
What do you think is the most exciting wellness innovation you have recently discovered?
The Bryte mattress, along with its integrated wellness programming, redefining the way we experience rest. With sleep being so essential to overall wellbeing, Bryte has mastered the art of guiding you into deep, restorative sleep as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
The old saying: Everything in moderation has a lot of power to it. As long as you stay on that course, you stay balanced, healthy, and happy.
What do you think is the most overused word or words in wellness?
Ironically, the word wellness. Everything has a tag of wellness post-Covid, and I think we need to dial it back. Wellness is a state of being, and to achieve wellness, you need to find your core desire of wellbeing. It’s really that simple.
Do you have a secret health or wellness tip you would like to share?
Find the silver lining in everything. It promotes positive thinking and motivates you to always see the beauty in each moment. An example of this is my commute every morning. It sometimes takes me over an hour to drive nine miles to work, but I get to drive on the lakeshore and watch the sun rise. It’s an amazing way to start the day. It always reminds me of a higher power and how to pause to appreciate the bigger things around us.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
Cruising, you can completely disconnect from the real world and the ocean is its own meditation series. We always get a cabin on the back of the ship to watch the wake and just enjoy the peace and tranquility of the water. The bonus is a bird’s-eye view of the sunrise and sunset every day.
Is there a particular wellness company or brand that truly impresses you with their efforts and why?
It is very hard to pick just one, but I do love how innovative our equipment companies are getting with integrating the latest technologies to enhance our overall treatment experiences, whether touchless or with a provider.
What is your favorite self-care routine?
Morning meditation sessions with Jay Shetty in my infrared sauna.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
Meditation and breathwork.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
Consistency with my workouts. I am amazing at committing to something and going all in, but then I get a great idea to change it up, and it usually throws me off course.
What wellness-related books or authors do you recommend, and why?
I love Mel Robbins. The “Let Them” theory is life changing. I also love Gabby Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith because the universe really does as long as we get out of our own way. A few of my other favorites are Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, M.D., and Calley Means; Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, and Life Force: How New Breakthroughs In Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love by Tony Robbins. I also use a five-minute gratitude journal every day.
How do you celebrate small victories?
Pausing to absorb the moment and usually noting it in my journal.
What brings you joy?
A few to note would be traveling with my husband, hiking with our rescue dogs, enjoying a mountain top whether with waffles or just the view, bonfires with my Mom, celebrating my team, listening to great podcasts, networking with fellow industry friends, attending board meetings for ISPA and our annual conference, a long yoga session, growing basil, being around animals, floating in my pool, and discovering life hacks.
