The scope of spa facilities are the key driver for visits the survey shows / photo: Alexander House
Location and price are important factors when choosing a spa for UK consumers, but the overriding drive is the scope of facilities that are on offer. This was just one of the findings revealed in the 2015 Good Spa Guide Survey (see Chart 1) details of which were released in February.
The Good Spa Guide is a UK consumer-facing magazine, book and website which reviews around 100 spas a year. The survey was based on the answers of 563 of its users – people who are serious about spas and make up to four visits a year. So what else did they have to say?
Views on wellness In the survey, nearly 75 per cent of people said they’d try an alternative therapy such as mindful meditation or shiatsu during a spa day, compared to 25 per cent who said they wouldn’t. These findings are interesting as they indicate that spa-goers are ready and waiting for something more than a massage and they’re bang on the wellness trend, according to Daphne Metland, managing director of the Good Spa Guide. She says: “For consumers, wellness is a really simple concept – maybe too simple if they’re just after alternative therapies – but they understand it, want it and expect it.
“But I think the spa industry hasn’t grasped it yet. There are so many different opinions about wellness that it’s confusing. The sector needs just one simple message about wellness because people are reading about it and want to spend their money on it.”
Hands-only or machine-led? Having a facial which is machine-led is something that UK spa-goers feel unsure about compared to a hands-only one. Eighty per cent of the survey respondents have never had a machine-based facial and, what’s more, 78 per cent would be unwilling to try one.
“There’s an education task here,” says Metland. “When the Good Spa Guide spies go to spas we always ask therapists ‘what does this machine do?’ and more often than not they can’t tell us. Owners and operators need to educate therapists to convey the advantages of machines and they also need to educate consumers about them more.” She suggests offering written information, demonstrations and special offers for a first try.
Off peak business It’s very unusual that a spa will be busy seven days of the week, but there’s more scope to boost week-day custom than you’d expect according to the survey results. Ninety-five per cent of respondents said they’d actually be willing to take a day off work to visit a spa.
Metland says: “If your spa is not busy in the week, you have to ask yourself why. These men and women are willing to take a holiday and you need to ask why they’re not booking into your spa.
“Are your week-day packages too expensive? What are you offering to make it worth taking a day off? They’re making a sacrifice to come mid-week, so maybe you can enhance their spa day. But they’re all willing to do it, which is a good sign.”
Therapist expertise People who take time out to go to a spa expect to have a good treatment and Good Spa Guide Survey results show consumers are happy to go the extra mile to ensure this happens. Approximately 45 per cent of customers would choose to book a senior therapist over a newly-qualified one given the option. Similarly, 50 per cent of spa-goers also said they’d pay more for an experienced practitioner.
“It’s intriguing – when I go to the dentist, I know who’s going to look at my teeth; when I go to the hairdresser, I know who’s going to do my hair because I book the person. Any other treatment I book, in any other field, I book the person,” says Metland. “However, when I go to a spa, I only book a massage or a facial – I don’t book the individual. And this suggests to me that we should be promoting our therapists, telling consumers about what they’ve done, what their education is, what their experience is, what their speciality is and actually differentiating your staff. Spas who keep their therapists hidden are missing a trick. You enter a spa, sit down, someone comes out and says ‘oh hello, I’m Lucy, I’m your therapist’ – that’s all you know about them.”
She concludes that highlighting your therapists and their skills with pictures and information on websites is a no-brainer as it’s something which consumers want and – importantly – are prepared to pay more for. “What difference would it make to your bottom line if 50 per cent of your guests paid 10 per cent more for their treatments?”
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The scope of spa facilities are the key driver for visits the survey shows / photo: Alexander House
Location and price are important factors when choosing a spa for UK consumers, but the overriding drive is the scope of facilities that are on offer. This was just one of the findings revealed in the 2015 Good Spa Guide Survey (see Chart 1) details of which were released in February.
The Good Spa Guide is a UK consumer-facing magazine, book and website which reviews around 100 spas a year. The survey was based on the answers of 563 of its users – people who are serious about spas and make up to four visits a year. So what else did they have to say?
Views on wellness In the survey, nearly 75 per cent of people said they’d try an alternative therapy such as mindful meditation or shiatsu during a spa day, compared to 25 per cent who said they wouldn’t. These findings are interesting as they indicate that spa-goers are ready and waiting for something more than a massage and they’re bang on the wellness trend, according to Daphne Metland, managing director of the Good Spa Guide. She says: “For consumers, wellness is a really simple concept – maybe too simple if they’re just after alternative therapies – but they understand it, want it and expect it.
“But I think the spa industry hasn’t grasped it yet. There are so many different opinions about wellness that it’s confusing. The sector needs just one simple message about wellness because people are reading about it and want to spend their money on it.”
Hands-only or machine-led? Having a facial which is machine-led is something that UK spa-goers feel unsure about compared to a hands-only one. Eighty per cent of the survey respondents have never had a machine-based facial and, what’s more, 78 per cent would be unwilling to try one.
“There’s an education task here,” says Metland. “When the Good Spa Guide spies go to spas we always ask therapists ‘what does this machine do?’ and more often than not they can’t tell us. Owners and operators need to educate therapists to convey the advantages of machines and they also need to educate consumers about them more.” She suggests offering written information, demonstrations and special offers for a first try.
Off peak business It’s very unusual that a spa will be busy seven days of the week, but there’s more scope to boost week-day custom than you’d expect according to the survey results. Ninety-five per cent of respondents said they’d actually be willing to take a day off work to visit a spa.
Metland says: “If your spa is not busy in the week, you have to ask yourself why. These men and women are willing to take a holiday and you need to ask why they’re not booking into your spa.
“Are your week-day packages too expensive? What are you offering to make it worth taking a day off? They’re making a sacrifice to come mid-week, so maybe you can enhance their spa day. But they’re all willing to do it, which is a good sign.”
Therapist expertise People who take time out to go to a spa expect to have a good treatment and Good Spa Guide Survey results show consumers are happy to go the extra mile to ensure this happens. Approximately 45 per cent of customers would choose to book a senior therapist over a newly-qualified one given the option. Similarly, 50 per cent of spa-goers also said they’d pay more for an experienced practitioner.
“It’s intriguing – when I go to the dentist, I know who’s going to look at my teeth; when I go to the hairdresser, I know who’s going to do my hair because I book the person. Any other treatment I book, in any other field, I book the person,” says Metland. “However, when I go to a spa, I only book a massage or a facial – I don’t book the individual. And this suggests to me that we should be promoting our therapists, telling consumers about what they’ve done, what their education is, what their experience is, what their speciality is and actually differentiating your staff. Spas who keep their therapists hidden are missing a trick. You enter a spa, sit down, someone comes out and says ‘oh hello, I’m Lucy, I’m your therapist’ – that’s all you know about them.”
She concludes that highlighting your therapists and their skills with pictures and information on websites is a no-brainer as it’s something which consumers want and – importantly – are prepared to pay more for. “What difference would it make to your bottom line if 50 per cent of your guests paid 10 per cent more for their treatments?”
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...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
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