Phenil Luxury Wellness: Engineering Safer, More Integrated Hydrotherapy Experiences

His experience also extends to more than 50 Pool and SPA Safety Audits undertaken as a third-party auditor, including assignments for an in­ternational clientele. These include prominent hos­pitality and leisure properties such as St. Regis Mal­dives, Le Méridien Bhutan, ITC Hotels and Mahindra Resorts, strengthening PHENIL’s understanding of safety practices across diverse operating environ­ments.

Gajanan’s approach to building PHENIL has also been shaped by a simple but enduring philosophy: “Prefer Agreements Over Arguments. Deliver Value That Exceeds Price. Be upfront with customers always!" This philosophy underpins the company’s emphasis on transparent customer relationships, value creation and remaining closely involved with clients throughout the lifecycle of a project.

Where Luxury Meets Personalised Wellness

For PHENIL, hydrotherapy is not limited to a single piece of equipment. The company approaches wellness spaces as integrated environments where heat, cooling, water, sound, aroma and lighting can work together to create a more immersive experience.

This philosophy is reflected in its recent solutions. At a private residence, the company brought together an electrical sauna, infrared sauna and salt wall to create a multi-layered wellness environment. Its experience showers can similarly integrate aroma, music, temperature variations and differing water pressures.

“The company is also responding to changing expectations around pool hygiene by incorporating solutions such as salt chlorination and ionisation. In steam and sauna environments, mood lighting, audio and environmental elements are considered alongside temperature to create spaces designed around relaxation rather than simply equipment functionality”, says Gajanan M Bhide, Director and CEO. This emphasis on integration extends to residential wellness, where high-net-worth homeowners are increasingly incorporating dedicated wellness facilities into their homes.

Safety as a Core Design Principle

Safety is one of PHENIL’s strongest differentiators. The company was among the early adopters in India of anti-suction entrapment technology for swimming pools, introducing the feature at ITC Grand Central, Parel, in 2004. It has also developed a three-tier emergency system that combines equipment cut-off, audio alerts and signalling to building management, security or engineering teams.

Its installations incorporate additional safety measures, including the use of 12-volt AC systems for switches and thermostats in relevant areas, while sauna frameworks are treated with fire-retardant paint and internal cabling uses heat-resistant cables.

“The thinking is straightforward: a luxury wellness environment should not require a trade-off between aesthetics and safety. My experience as a third-party Pool and Spa Safety Auditor, including audits for international hospitality properties, has enabled PHENIL to assess installations not merely from a design perspective but through the lens of operational reliability, user protection and long-term performance”, highlights Gajanan M Bhide.

Expanding the Wellness Engineering Ecosystem

PHENIL’s next phase of growth is centred on strengthening the service infrastructure that supports its installations. The company is setting up a service centre in Bengaluru and plans franchise arrangements in Delhi and Kolkata, alongside its existing setup in Mumbai. It is also looking at warehouses in major metropolitan markets to improve spare-parts availability and response times.

“The company plans to strengthen its technical workforce and collaborate with technology partners to remain aligned with emerging wellness and luxury trends. Its roadmap also extends beyond hospitality and high-end projects into the domestic consumer market. Over the next 12 to 18 months, PHENIL plans to establish a manufacturing facility and develop solutions suited to residential applications, including enhanced showers and home steam facilities”, elaborates Gajanan M Bhide.

International expansion is another part of the roadmap. Having completed three export installations, the company is currently executing a high-end project in Seychelles and exploring partnerships across the Middle East and Africa.

As PHENIL looks ahead, Gajanan acknowledges that the company’s journey has been shaped not only by engineering expertise and customer trust, but also by the people who have supported him along the way. He expresses gratitude to his Guru, Dr. Babasaheb Gupte, for his enduring guidance, as well as to his mother, wife, family, friends and well-wishers, and every past and present member of PHENIL who has contributed to the company’s evolution.

Grounded in a philosophy of choosing agreement over argument, delivering value beyond price and remaining upfront with customers, PHENIL continues to pursue this evolution through technology, safety, service and long-term performance.