Editorial team
Meet the writers behind Spalist
Spalist's editorial team is small and independent. The guides, comparisons and buying advice on Spalist are researched, written and signed by the people listed below.
Leila Haddad
Senior Wellness Editor
Dubai-based wellness journalist with eight years covering MENA spa and beauty. Trained spa therapist; speaks Arabic, French and English. Writes Spalist's hammam, couples and ladies-only spa guides.
Amira Noor
Senior Contributor — Abu Dhabi & Sharjah
Long-time Abu Dhabi resident specialising in ladies-only spa culture across the Northern Emirates. Worked as a licensed esthetician for six years before transitioning to editorial.
Dr. Rohan Pillai
Consulting Expert — Ayurveda & Holistic
BAMS-qualified Ayurvedic physician practising in Dubai since 2015. Consults on Spalist's coverage of Ayurvedic centres, traditional treatments and home-service licensing.
Maya Fernandes
Beauty & Skincare Editor
Former Sephora skincare trainer turned editor. Writes Spalist's facial and HydraFacial guides. Bridal-beauty specialist.
How the Spalist editorial team works
Spalist is run by a small editorial team — five named contributors and a Spalist Editorial Team byline for collective pieces — that pairs specialist knowledge of UAE wellness with a hard rule against pay-for-coverage. Listing details come from each venue's public Google Business profile; Spalist does not visit or inspect venues, and owners can claim their listing to confirm its details. The /top listicles are ranked by a published formula — Google rating weighted by review volume — and none of the editorial decisions, from which spas top those lists to which guides feature a venue first, are influenced by who's paid for a Featured placement.
Coverage by emirate
Leila Haddad leads Dubai coverage (Marina, JBR, Downtown, Palm, Bur Dubai and the long-tail neighbourhoods). Amira Noor covers the Northern Emirates from her Abu Dhabi base, with particular depth in Sharjah ladies-only venues. Dr. Pillai writes the Ayurveda and traditional-medicine coverage across all seven emirates, drawn from his BAMS background. Maya Fernandes handles facials, HydraFacial and bridal prep across the Marina–DIFC–Downtown clinic corridor.
How corrections work
Spa owners and readers who find inaccuracies in a published profile can WhatsApp the editorial team. We aim to review corrections within 24 hours: most are confirmed and pushed to the published listing, some are declined with reasoning sent back, and disputes over hours, pricing or licensure are checked against the venue's Google Business profile or confirmed directly with the owner. How we handle corrections is set out in our editorial standards page.
How we're funded
Spalist is funded by optional owner plans — Owner-verified at AED 99/month and Featured at AED 500/month. We do not take commission on bookings, do not accept paid placements inside guide articles, and do not run sponsored editorial. Featured is a paid placement that only affects card visibility (Featured cards appear above non-Featured cards within the same listing); it does not change the ranking on /top or guide pages, and Owner-verified only means the owner has confirmed the listing's details.
Conflict-of-interest disclosure
Editorial team members disclose any personal or professional relationship with a covered venue in the byline of that specific review or guide. Maya Fernandes's product-brand affinities (from her Sephora trainer past) are disclosed wherever those brands appear in her coverage. Dr. Pillai recuses himself from any venue where he has a clinical referral relationship.