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Even brief, virtual nature experiences might be beneficial / Guidemiu/shutterstock
It’s well-documented that being in nature has a profound effect on wellbeing. Good news for destination and resort spas which have expansive grounds for guests to explore.
Now, a new study by researchers in the UK could help city spas and those with little outdoor space to tap into aspects of forest bathing too.
The research will investigate our response to digital and virtual experiences of nature and is part of a wider collaboration between the BBC and the University of Exeter called Soundscapes for Wellbeing. The purpose of the study is to find out how best to bring virtual experiences of nature to those who can’t get outside.
Led by psychologist and PhD researcher Alex Smalley, the study explores people’s responses to different digital nature environments created by composer Nainita Desai and sound recordist Chris Watson. It was originally designed with vulnerable people in long-term care or those restricted to clinical settings – most of whom can’t get outdoors and are deprived of nature’s benefits. Lockdown has since increased the number of people shut off from nature and so the urge is growing to investigate how these virtual experiences could be used as an alternative means to support wellbeing.
Speaking on BBC programme WinterWatch, Smalley called digital nature encounters “therapeutic tools in their own right” and gave two possible reasons to explain this. “Firstly, we evolved in natural environments, so we should have an innate biophilic preference for viewing them as well as spending time in them,” he said. “Secondly, there are these inherent qualities in nature – things that can capture our fascination and hold our attention – which can help those parts of our brains that might be stressed and tired to recover.”
He suggested that there may be certain aspects of nature that are more rewarding, such as images and sounds of water, but also alluded to the idea that even a brief moment could have an impact. “I’m really interested in fleeting experiences in nature, things like sunrises and sunsets, which come to define a person’s encounter.”
The study’s results could provide valuable insights and evidence for spa operators on how best to use digital nature applications to boost customer wellbeing, or confirm that they’re already on the right path. For example, offering immersive VR relaxation treatments using rich nature visuals such as Sensync, and incorporating recorded wildlife soundtracks in wet and thermal experiences. Anyone who’s attended the Global Wellness Summit can also attest to the mesmerising nature-based films of Louis Schwartzberg.
In light of COVID-19, operators could make use of digital nature in touchless experiences. Plus, spas in cities could use such offerings to enhance their attraction as calming sanctuaries from busy urban life. l
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
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...]
Even brief, virtual nature experiences might be beneficial / Guidemiu/shutterstock
It’s well-documented that being in nature has a profound effect on wellbeing. Good news for destination and resort spas which have expansive grounds for guests to explore.
Now, a new study by researchers in the UK could help city spas and those with little outdoor space to tap into aspects of forest bathing too.
The research will investigate our response to digital and virtual experiences of nature and is part of a wider collaboration between the BBC and the University of Exeter called Soundscapes for Wellbeing. The purpose of the study is to find out how best to bring virtual experiences of nature to those who can’t get outside.
Led by psychologist and PhD researcher Alex Smalley, the study explores people’s responses to different digital nature environments created by composer Nainita Desai and sound recordist Chris Watson. It was originally designed with vulnerable people in long-term care or those restricted to clinical settings – most of whom can’t get outdoors and are deprived of nature’s benefits. Lockdown has since increased the number of people shut off from nature and so the urge is growing to investigate how these virtual experiences could be used as an alternative means to support wellbeing.
Speaking on BBC programme WinterWatch, Smalley called digital nature encounters “therapeutic tools in their own right” and gave two possible reasons to explain this. “Firstly, we evolved in natural environments, so we should have an innate biophilic preference for viewing them as well as spending time in them,” he said. “Secondly, there are these inherent qualities in nature – things that can capture our fascination and hold our attention – which can help those parts of our brains that might be stressed and tired to recover.”
He suggested that there may be certain aspects of nature that are more rewarding, such as images and sounds of water, but also alluded to the idea that even a brief moment could have an impact. “I’m really interested in fleeting experiences in nature, things like sunrises and sunsets, which come to define a person’s encounter.”
The study’s results could provide valuable insights and evidence for spa operators on how best to use digital nature applications to boost customer wellbeing, or confirm that they’re already on the right path. For example, offering immersive VR relaxation treatments using rich nature visuals such as Sensync, and incorporating recorded wildlife soundtracks in wet and thermal experiences. Anyone who’s attended the Global Wellness Summit can also attest to the mesmerising nature-based films of Louis Schwartzberg.
In light of COVID-19, operators could make use of digital nature in touchless experiences. Plus, spas in cities could use such offerings to enhance their attraction as calming sanctuaries from busy urban life. l
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
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...]
