Aruba: Hands-On Aloe Scrub-Making Circle for Teams

Hands-On Aloe Scrub-Making Circle, Aruba

Context

Aruba is nicknamed “the Island of Aloes” for good reason. Aloe vera was introduced in the 19th century and, by the early 20th, vast plantations covered much of the island; for a time, Aruba was the world’s largest exporter of aloe products. One widely cited historical summary notes that aloe was introduced around 1840, industrialized in the late 1800s, and, according to some estimates, spread so widely that “two‑thirds of the island” was planted in aloe, contributing to its place in Aruba’s story; local museum and archive materials present this as an approximate, period‑specific figure and differ on exact coverage. *

That legacy is still visible today at Royal Aruba Aloe, founded in 1890 and continuously operating in Hato, Oranjestad, with aloe’s expansion shaped by colonial‑era trade and labor systems, followed by refinery‑era shifts and a late‑20th‑century pivot toward cosmetics and tourism. The firm cultivates, hand‑fillets, formulates, and manufactures on one site, a rarity in the global aloe industry. In 2021, His Majesty the King of the Netherlands conferred the Royal Predicate on the company, underscoring its historic significance within the Kingdom. Visitors and local groups can step through that heritage on a free, multilingual factory-and-museum tour that runs daily; in Aruba the local language is Papiamento (often spelled Papiamentu elsewhere). * *

In recent years, Aruba’s tourism and hospitality sector has reframed aloe as a wellness‑and‑connection motif, a shift within a tourism‑led economy in which benefits can skew toward established firms unless programs deliberately include and compensate independent makers and culture‑bearers. June’s “Aloe Wellness Month Aruba,” coordinated by the Aruba Tourism Authority, bundles island‑wide activities, from guided nature sessions to DIY aloe workshops, while many hotels and spas weave aloe into guest programming and retail partnerships the rest of the year. This evolving canvas has supported a hands‑on ritual that hospitality teams and some local employers in Aruba adopt for bonding—short, sensory “make‑your‑own aloe scrub” circles rooted in the island’s oldest industry—while uptake varies across organizations. *

Meet the Company/Cultural Tradition

Royal Aruba Aloe sits at the center of this practice, and any use of brand names, program titles, or images should be with written permission and proper credit to the company and the Aruba Aloe Museum. Established by Cornelis Eman in 1890, the company still grows and hand‑cuts aloe in Hato and runs an on‑site museum documenting tools, techniques, and local history. In 2021 the company received the Royal Predicate, a mark of distinction conferred by the Dutch monarch. Beyond tours, the company now hosts compact, guided workshops that translate heritage into a tactile team experience; where available, include a short quote from an Aruban guide, filletadora, or museum curator (with consent) to foreground local voices. * *

Two formats matter for teams. First, Aruba Aloe’s bookable “Aloe Scrub Making Experience” is explicitly structured for small groups (minimum four, maximum ten), led by a guide who demonstrates aloe cutting and then coaches participants through blending a body scrub using a house recipe. The session runs about 30–45 minutes, which is easy to insert into a workday off‑site or an on‑property training block. *

Second, during Aloe Wellness Month, and often beyond, Aruban hotels bring this ritual in‑house. For example, Hilton Aruba has scheduled a complimentary “Make Your Own Aloe Scrub with the on‑site Aloe Master,” while Hyatt’s ZoiA Spa has offered “Create your own body scrub” as part of its aloe programming, offered here as illustrative examples rather than an exhaustive list. These are authentic local translations: the plant is grown on property or sourced island‑wide, the method echoes the factory, and the format encourages quick, cheerful collaboration. * *

The Ritual

Minute	Scene	What Happens	Purpose
0–5	Bon bini & setup	Guide welcomes in Papiamento (Bon bini means “welcome”) and English; brief hygiene and sensitivity check with non‑latex gloves, an optional patch test, seated and accessible stations, and a clear opt‑in with an equivalent alternative activity.	Signal inclusion and safety.
5–10	Aloe fillet demo	Live demonstration of hand‑cutting and gel extraction handled only by trained staff; quick heritage note tying sábila (Aloe vera) to Aruba’s identity.	Embodied link to place.
10–20	Sensory picks	Teams explore textures and scents, selecting salt/sugar grain and optionally adding fragrance elements per the house recipe, with an unscented base as the default.	Shared choices build autonomy and rapport.
20–35	Mix & label	Each person blends a scrub, jars it, and adds a simple label with name/date.	Co‑making = co‑ownership; tangible takeaway.
35–40	“Win of the week”	One‑line appreciations while washing hands with an explicit pass option; no speeches, no slides.	Micro‑recognition without turning into a meeting.
40–45	Close & photo	Offer an opt‑in group photo beside the aloe display, provide no‑photo badges, and reset materials for the next group.	Memory anchor; tidy closure.

Notes: Aruba Aloe’s DIY workshop supports 4–10 people in ~30–45 minutes; larger teams can rotate in pods or run parallel stations with a DMC partner, and participation and photography are opt‑in with an equivalent alternative such as a heritage mini‑tour or a non‑contact labeling station. *

Why It Works

This workshop translates a piece of local heritage into a low‑stakes, hands‑on task that many people can opt into. Small studies suggest that about 45 minutes of art‑making can be associated with reductions in salivary cortisol for many participants, regardless of prior skill level. A scrub workshop is not “art” in the gallery sense, but it is creative, tactile making in a supportive setting that may tap similar stress‑reduction dynamics for many, not all, participants. Lower arousal states can support calmer focus when returning to complex work, and the logic chain here is: Inputs (Aloe heritage; guided craft; small pods) → Ritual elements (demo; sensory choice; co‑mixing; micro‑recognition; tangible token) → Mechanisms (autonomy and relatedness; light synchrony; place attachment; attention restoration) → Proximal outcomes (lower arousal; positive affect; micro‑trust) → Distal outcomes (belonging; smoother coordination). *

Socially, shared craft has been linked to changes in oxytocin during participatory making in some studies, which may relate to feelings of trust and pro‑social behavior without implying causation. Even small, synchronized steps, such as selecting a grain, stirring, and jarring, produce mild coordination that nudges connection. In small group studies, participatory art activities have been associated with increases in salivary oxytocin after the session, which is one possible pathway for why these micro‑rituals can feel warming and cohesive. *

Finally, the activity is closely associated with Aruba for many residents and visitors and is offered here as a secular, commercial workshop inspired by heritage rather than a sacred rite. Participants are not just “doing a workshop”; they are engaging with a technique that many island families and workers have practiced in certain periods, alongside many other Aruban traditions. That place‑based meaning gives the souvenir jar added resonance as a memory token—“we made this together, here”—which helps rituals stick, and it sits alongside everyday household uses of sábila in Aruba for sun exposure and minor skin care shared by some families. * *

Outcomes & Impact

On the supply side, Aruba Aloe scaled its guided experiences after the success of the “Aloe Yourself to be Happy” program, initially rolled out hourly at a flagship boutique, then extended beyond its original run due to demand. That cadence (short, frequent slots) is ideal for cross‑shift crews and mixed departments who can pop in by pod. * *

On the adopter side, major Aruban resorts have woven DIY aloe scrub sessions into their wellness calendars, with Hilton Aruba explicitly advertising a “Make Your Own Aloe Scrub with the on‑site Aloe Master,” and Hyatt’s ZoiA Spa inviting guests to “Create your own body scrub.” While framed for visitors, these formats function equally well for staff learning days, leadership cohorts, or interdepartmental mixers because they are short, inclusive, and non‑athletic. * *

At a human level, participants often report benefits from a calm, creative pause—such as a reset in mood, quick wins via jar‑in‑hand results, and easy conversation that does not default to work—while recognizing that experiences vary. These reported outcomes are consistent with peer‑reviewed findings that making together is associated with reduced stress and feelings of bonding for many participants, small shifts that, repeated over time, may contribute to smoother collaboration. * *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Anchor in place	Heritage rituals feel authentic and memorable	Partner with a local maker or material iconic to your region
Hands > slides	Tactile creation calms and bonds faster than talk	Prioritize short, hands‑on activities over presentations, keep it to 30–45 minutes, and minimize talk.
Small pods	Intimacy drives participation	Cap at ~10 per station; rotate larger groups
Safety first	Inclusive wellness avoids exclusions	Offer non‑latex gloves, an unscented base by default with opt‑in scents, patch tests, and accessible seating or adaptive tools.
Leave a trace	Tangible tokens extend the effect	Date‑stamp jars; encourage a quick photo wall or intranet post

Implementation Playbook

Choose a local partner. In Aruba, book Royal Aruba Aloe’s DIY Scrub Experience (4–10 people, 30–45 minutes) or arrange an on‑site variant with your venue, align to one of your top three priorities (e.g., cross‑team collaboration or onboarding speed), assign clear owners (facilitator, comms, data/privacy), and budget approximately $10–$25 per person for materials plus paid time; for non‑traveling teams, pilot a low‑cost on‑site analog using locally sourced materials. *
Set cadence. Run a 6–8 week pilot with 2–4 teams and 2–3 repeats, schedule across shifts and time zones on paid time, respect prayer and holiday calendars, include remote staff via an equivalent alternative, specify target teams and exclusions (e.g., exclude peak production windows), and define thresholds and stop rules (for example, ≥70% opt‑in, +0.3/5 on belonging, halt if any safety incident, <40% opt‑in, or negative safety pulse), supported by a one‑page comms plan that links to strategy, credits origins, and states voluntariness and privacy.
Prepare inclusivity. Make participation voluntary with a socially safe opt‑out, provide non‑latex gloves, set an unscented base as default with opt‑in scents, publish ingredients and allergy signage in advance, ensure seated and accessible stations with adaptive tools, designate a scent‑free zone, and offer equivalent alternatives such as a heritage mini‑tour or non‑contact labeling.
Script the beats. Use a one‑page run sheet covering welcome and opt‑outs, safety brief, blade handling by trained staff only, non‑slip mats and spill kit, demo, sensory selection, mixing, optional one‑line appreciations with pass option, optional photo, 10‑minute turnover, and facilitator guidance to limit leader airtime.
Mind the science. Frame it cautiously and measure lightly: use a brief pre/post/follow‑up pulse (e.g., 3‑item belonging, 4‑item psychological safety short, 2‑item calm/affect), track opt‑in and attendance, and observe a behavioral proxy such as cross‑team Slack replies, with anonymized data stored securely for up to 60 days, and set baselines and targets (for example, +15% cross‑team replies over baseline). *
Capture the story. Label jars with first names and date; only share a recap or photos with explicit opt‑in consent, provide no‑photo badges, include clear captions (date, place, activity), avoid staging or inauthentic dress, review storage and comms with Legal/HR, restrict access, and set a 90‑day retention limit for media.
Scale via DMC if needed. For multi‑site groups or incentives, coordinate stations through a local DMC experienced in team activities, credit Aruban origins and partners, secure permissions for any brand names or techniques, compensate culture‑bearers, avoid sacred or medical claims, and do not label offerings as “Aruban aloe” outside Aruba unless working with Aruban partners and ingredients. *

Common Pitfalls

Letting it drift into a meeting (too much talk kills the mood).
Ignoring sensitivities (no patch tests or fragrance‑free options).
Over‑engineering (hour‑plus agendas erode energy; keep it light and quick).
Gendering the activity (position as wellness/heritage, not a “spa for some”).

Reflection & Call to Action

The best rituals are specific to a place yet simple enough to repeat. Aruba’s aloe heritage offers exactly that: a short, sensory workshop where colleagues co‑create something useful, learn a slice of local history, and walk away calmer than they arrived. If your team is meeting on the island, schedule a pod this month; if you are elsewhere, adapt the format with a local material, credit Aruban origins and Royal Aruba Aloe when relevant, partner with and compensate local experts, and avoid using Aruban brand names or symbols without written permission.

Start small. One station, ten jars, forty‑five minutes. Encourage quiet focus during making. You may find that durable bonds form not in boardrooms but around a shared bowl, a wooden spatula, and a plant long used in Aruba for everyday skin care.