{"id":11201,"date":"2025-10-29T14:07:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/christel-yapobi-tano-co-founder-of-kente-sky-spa\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T16:09:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:09:30","slug":"christel-yapobi-tano-co-founder-of-kente-sky-spa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/christel-yapobi-tano-co-founder-of-kente-sky-spa\/","title":{"rendered":"Christel Yapobi-Tano, co-founder of Kente Sky Spa"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<p><iframe id=\"ausha-RUhQ\" style=\"border: none; width: 100%; height: 220px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.ausha.co\/?showId=qxYJmIJ4O3gr&amp;color=%23000000&amp;multishow=false&amp;playlist=false&amp;dark=false&amp;t=0&amp;podcastId=a70N6fL4zK74&amp;v=3&amp;playerId=ausha-RUhQ\" name=\"Ausha Podcast Player\" height=\"220\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/player.ausha.co\/ausha-player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>100% Made in Africa authenticity at the heart of well-being in Abidjan<\/h2>\n<p>Christel Yapobi-Tano is the founder of Kente Sky Spa, a wellness center that is causing a sensation in Abidjan. After studying in Canada and working in a communications agency, she made her dream come true: to offer a sanctuary of authentic relaxation, entirely dedicated to African products and know-how. <\/p>\n<h3>Doing business in Abidjan<\/h3>\n<p>With a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from HEC Montr\u00e9al, Christel Yapobi-Tano always intended to return to C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire. If the return didn&#8217;t turn out as expected, it was the catalyst for a decade of passionate entrepreneurship. After gaining agency experience, the idea for Kente Sky Spa matured, fueled by the conviction that the African market deserved high-end wellness offerings based on local products.  <\/p>\n<p>Her commitment doesn&#8217;t stop there: she is also Director of the Abidjan School of Crafts and Beauty Editor for <em>Elle C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire<\/em>, roles that testify to her deep involvement in the creative and lifestyle sector.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11192\" src=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-6.jpg\" alt=\"Kente Sky Spa\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-6.jpg 819w, https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-6-480x600.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 819px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>A unique positioning: 100% African and 100% natural<\/h3>\n<p>Kente Sky Spa stands out for its strict adherence to &#8220;Made in Africa&#8221;. Christel Yapobi-Tano insists on the exclusive use of natural products from African sources, to ensure total traceability and promote the continent&#8217;s excellence: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;My positioning is simple: it&#8217;s 100% African, 100% natural. I only use products made by African women&#8230; These are raw products, with no additives.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This approach creates a unique sensory experience, from decoration (using traditional Kente fabrics) to skincare. This strong commitment has created a community of loyal customers, mostly African women and women from the diaspora, who seek authenticity and a return to their roots. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11196\" src=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-5.jpg\" alt=\"Kente Sky Spa in Abidjan\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-5.jpg 819w, https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3-5-480x600.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 819px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>The power of word-of-mouth<\/h3>\n<p>The interview reveals the challenges faced in establishing the credibility of a spa using only local products in the face of competition often geared towards Western brands. The founder explains that the key has been to create a place where customers can feel listened to and trusted. <\/p>\n<p>In the face of initial mistrust, his strategy was based on the <strong>consistent quality of his treatments<\/strong> and the <strong>power of word-of-mouth<\/strong>. A loyal clientele has built up over time, recognizing the value of African oils, butters and clays. <\/p>\n<p>The spa is particularly busy in December and January, a time of festivities and rest, proving that African men and women are increasingly willing to invest in local well-being.<\/p>\n<h3>A feminist vision and a social impact<\/h3>\n<p>Kente Sky Spa is more than just a place to relax. It functions as an empowerment platform, employing only women. Christel Yapobi-Tano sees the spa as a place of sisterhood and opportunity, where women can develop professionally.  <\/p>\n<p>His vision for the future is clear:<br \/>\n&#8220;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>My dearest dream is to set up a franchise, a network of spas in Abidjan hotels&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>By encouraging African consumption and promoting women&#8217;s expertise, Christel Yapobi-Tano, through Kente Sky Spa, is perfectly in tune with the fashion and lifestyle dynamic promoted by Africa Fashion Tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After her studies in Canada and a career in communications, Christel Yapobi-Tano made the bold choice to return to C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire. Here, she founded Kente Sky Spa, a wellness center that has made a name for itself in Abidjan through its radical commitment to 100% African and natural luxury treatments. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news","category-podcast-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11208,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11201\/revisions\/11208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}