The evolution of wellness equipment and technology means fully-automated self-service spas will enter the market, presenting a disruptive opportunity for investors and operators
AI-powered massage is the missing piece of the jigsaw / photo: AESCAPE
Each year the Spa Business team comes together to discuss everything we’ve seen and heard in our travels for our annual Spa Foresight predictions (see www.spaforesight.com). Many trends we’ve spotted over the past 15 years are coming to the fore – from brain optimisation and cellular health to social wellness clubs and immersive environments. As we gathered in January, self-service spas topped our list as a potential disruptor for 2025 and beyond.
While the wellness industry is embracing social wellness and connection-based experiences, ‘auto spas’ are a countertrend we’re anticipating. Such facilities will see consumers checking themselves in via a kiosk and turnstile and trying out any number of self-administered touchless therapies – from vibrating chairs and biohacking pods to floatation tanks and contrast bathing circuits. Not forgetting, of course, the missing piece of the jigsaw: AI-powered massage. ‘Robot therapists’ are now available in spas after years of development and we take a deep dive into the different kinds of equipment coming to market on p94.
Auto spas have the potential to redefine the future of operations, just like budget gyms have transformed the landscape of the health club industry globally. This approach caters to time-conscious consumers seeking efficiency, privacy and affordability.
Fully autonomous wellness centres present a strategic opportunity for investors and owners, enabling them to reduce overheads and offer flexible pricing structures, including pay-per-use, memberships or hourly rentals.
From an operational perspective, integrating automation could alleviate staffing shortages while maintaining revenue streams. Locations could expand beyond traditional luxury settings into urban hubs, co-working spaces and even airports, tapping into new markets.
The challenge lies in balancing self-service with customer experience. While some guests will value full autonomy, others will still desire human interaction – and, after all, our industry stands out for its people-centric, care-giving approach. The key to success will be a hybrid model that blends convenience with personalisation, ensuring technology enhances rather than replaces the core essence of the wellness sector.
For those willing to embrace evolution, autonomous spa solutions could future-proof businesses in an increasingly tech-driven market. The question for spa leaders is no longer if this trend will emerge – but how to capitalise on it.
photo: Jack Emmerson
Katie Barnes is the editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2025 issue 1
Editor's letter: Auto spas
Fully automated, self-service spas are set to enter the market, presenting a disruptive opportunity for investors and operators
Spa People: Christian Louboutin
The fashion designer teams up with his personal trainer to create a Brain Edit retreat at his hotel in Portugal
Spa People: Julien Alfred
Exercise, endurance and resilience are the focus of a programme being led by Olympic 100m winner Julien Alfred at BodyHoliday in St Lucia
News report: Emerging economies
Two fresh GWI reports highlight the potential of the wellness markets in the Maldives and Saudi Arabia
Interview: Paul Hawco
Katie Barnes talks to the man heading up wellbeing at Banyan Group as it prepares to open its 100th resort and reports a 16 per cent rise in revenue
Wellness design: Design of the times
Sixteen experts share their insights on how wellness design can be used to create more impactful and profitable spas in a new white paper by Accor
Opinion: High leverage learning
What three skills do people need to master to future-proof their spa careers? Jeremy McCarthy reports
Spa tourism: Hot on the trail
A famous pilgrimage route and natural hot springs are being combined in an innovative tourism package in Spain
Opinion: Beacons of light
As cities in the US start to hire chief wellness officers, Mia Kyricos reveals what this means for our sector
Sponsored: 111SKIN - Winning formulation
111SKIN’s spa/clinic concept is making waves globally – backed by a combination of medical expertise, intuitive partner support and potent products
Product focus: AI and robot massage
Spas around the world are starting to offer AI massage. We highlight the different types of equipment coming to market
Menu engineering: At your service
A dedicated brain health facility at Kamalaya and a menopause package by actor Naomi Watts feature in our programming pages this issue
Finishing touch: Big business
Companies investing in workers’ happiness outperform other portfolios in major global stock markets, according to new research
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
The Wellness
Founded in 2007, headquartered in Dubai and based in Hong Kong and Singapore, The Wellness is an int [more...]
Capsix
Founded in 2016 by Carole Eyssautier, PhD in AI, François Eyssautier, robotics engineer, and Stéphan [more...]
The evolution of wellness equipment and technology means fully-automated self-service spas will enter the market, presenting a disruptive opportunity for investors and operators
AI-powered massage is the missing piece of the jigsaw / photo: AESCAPE
Each year the Spa Business team comes together to discuss everything we’ve seen and heard in our travels for our annual Spa Foresight predictions (see www.spaforesight.com). Many trends we’ve spotted over the past 15 years are coming to the fore – from brain optimisation and cellular health to social wellness clubs and immersive environments. As we gathered in January, self-service spas topped our list as a potential disruptor for 2025 and beyond.
While the wellness industry is embracing social wellness and connection-based experiences, ‘auto spas’ are a countertrend we’re anticipating. Such facilities will see consumers checking themselves in via a kiosk and turnstile and trying out any number of self-administered touchless therapies – from vibrating chairs and biohacking pods to floatation tanks and contrast bathing circuits. Not forgetting, of course, the missing piece of the jigsaw: AI-powered massage. ‘Robot therapists’ are now available in spas after years of development and we take a deep dive into the different kinds of equipment coming to market on p94.
Auto spas have the potential to redefine the future of operations, just like budget gyms have transformed the landscape of the health club industry globally. This approach caters to time-conscious consumers seeking efficiency, privacy and affordability.
Fully autonomous wellness centres present a strategic opportunity for investors and owners, enabling them to reduce overheads and offer flexible pricing structures, including pay-per-use, memberships or hourly rentals.
From an operational perspective, integrating automation could alleviate staffing shortages while maintaining revenue streams. Locations could expand beyond traditional luxury settings into urban hubs, co-working spaces and even airports, tapping into new markets.
The challenge lies in balancing self-service with customer experience. While some guests will value full autonomy, others will still desire human interaction – and, after all, our industry stands out for its people-centric, care-giving approach. The key to success will be a hybrid model that blends convenience with personalisation, ensuring technology enhances rather than replaces the core essence of the wellness sector.
For those willing to embrace evolution, autonomous spa solutions could future-proof businesses in an increasingly tech-driven market. The question for spa leaders is no longer if this trend will emerge – but how to capitalise on it.
photo: Jack Emmerson
Katie Barnes is the editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2025 issue 1
Editor's letter: Auto spas
Fully automated, self-service spas are set to enter the market, presenting a disruptive opportunity for investors and operators
Spa People: Christian Louboutin
The fashion designer teams up with his personal trainer to create a Brain Edit retreat at his hotel in Portugal
Spa People: Julien Alfred
Exercise, endurance and resilience are the focus of a programme being led by Olympic 100m winner Julien Alfred at BodyHoliday in St Lucia
News report: Emerging economies
Two fresh GWI reports highlight the potential of the wellness markets in the Maldives and Saudi Arabia
Interview: Paul Hawco
Katie Barnes talks to the man heading up wellbeing at Banyan Group as it prepares to open its 100th resort and reports a 16 per cent rise in revenue
Wellness design: Design of the times
Sixteen experts share their insights on how wellness design can be used to create more impactful and profitable spas in a new white paper by Accor
Opinion: High leverage learning
What three skills do people need to master to future-proof their spa careers? Jeremy McCarthy reports
Spa tourism: Hot on the trail
A famous pilgrimage route and natural hot springs are being combined in an innovative tourism package in Spain
Opinion: Beacons of light
As cities in the US start to hire chief wellness officers, Mia Kyricos reveals what this means for our sector
Sponsored: 111SKIN - Winning formulation
111SKIN’s spa/clinic concept is making waves globally – backed by a combination of medical expertise, intuitive partner support and potent products
Product focus: AI and robot massage
Spas around the world are starting to offer AI massage. We highlight the different types of equipment coming to market
Menu engineering: At your service
A dedicated brain health facility at Kamalaya and a menopause package by actor Naomi Watts feature in our programming pages this issue
Finishing touch: Big business
Companies investing in workers’ happiness outperform other portfolios in major global stock markets, according to new research
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
The Wellness Founded in 2007, headquartered in Dubai and based in Hong Kong and Singapore, The Wellness is an int [more...]
