Editorial team
Meet the writers behind Spalist
Spalist's editorial team is small, independent, and writes only from first-hand experience. Every featured listing has been visited by a member of the team 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. Has visited every featured Spalist listing personally.
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. Reviews every facial and HydraFacial listing on Spalist personally. 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 first-hand spa coverage with a hard rule against pay-for-coverage. Every spa Leila, Amira, Maya or Dr. Pillai recommends has been visited in person; every featured listing is independently re-verified on a rolling 90-day cycle by a team member or by a senior outside contractor briefed against the same checklist. None of the editorial decisions — what makes the Editor's Pick badge, which spas top the /top listicles, 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 who find inaccuracies in a published profile can WhatsApp the editorial team. Corrections are reviewed within 24 hours and either confirmed and pushed to the published listing (most), declined with reasoning sent back (occasional), or escalated for re-verification (rare — usually when the dispute is over hours, pricing or licensure). The full record of inbound corrections and how each was handled is summarised in our editorial standards page.
How we're funded
Spalist is funded by venue listing fees — Basic 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 placement only affects card visibility (Featured cards appear above non-Featured cards within the same listing); it does not change editorial ranking on /top or guide pages, and it does not influence the Editor's Pick badge.
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.