Barr + Wray has long been known for excellence in water leisure engineering. Design director
Graeme Banks explains how spa design also became a natural fit in the company’s portfolio
Barr + Wray’s spa design for the Grand Hyatt Colombo in Sri Lanka
You’ve been a leader in the water and aqua-leisure engineering business for almost 60 years. When did you add spa design to your wide range of services? We decided to add spa interior design to our services around three years ago, primarily due to clients requesting a one-stop shop when it comes to spa design. We’ve always offered the technical design aspects of the spa, so it seemed a logical step forward to offer our clients a full design package.
What’s your philosophy when it comes to spa design? To never stand still and always try to innovate. We constantly get asked to create something new and unique.
What in your opinion makes the perfect spa environment? Making sure that the spa has the perfect journey in relation to the surroundings, theme, culture and architecture. The spa also needs to have the major fundamentals including wet area, relaxation and treatment rooms.
What do you see as the biggest challenges of spa design, especially when you’re working in different cultures? Some of the biggest challenges we have are mainly due to where the spa is located in relation to its surroundings and architecture. This can have a big impact on the journey, views, access and movement, etc. Different cultures do pose their own unique challenges, but this can always be resolved by good design.
What can they expect from your spa design process? Our design process is unique in the fact that we offer both technical design and interior design thus enabling a more integrated package. With every client, we always engage, evaluate, design and deliver.
What projects are you currently working on? We’ve recently finished design projects in Hong Kong, the UK, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Qatar. 2018 is already looking busy for us with more projects within Europe, Middle East and Asia, so watch this space.
What excites you about the wellness market today, and do you have any predictions for the future of spa design? I think everyone is now more socially aware of their own wellbeing and because of this there’s so much variety and choice in the spa industry which can only be a good thing for us all.
For the future of spa design, I think we’ll see two things happening. Firstly, technology will play a bigger part to give our guests a truly immersive experience; and secondly, spas will become more family oriented and not just the domain of singles and couples. So expect also to see mini kids spas appearing in the future!
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
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...]
Barr + Wray has long been known for excellence in water leisure engineering. Design director
Graeme Banks explains how spa design also became a natural fit in the company’s portfolio
Barr + Wray’s spa design for the Grand Hyatt Colombo in Sri Lanka
You’ve been a leader in the water and aqua-leisure engineering business for almost 60 years. When did you add spa design to your wide range of services? We decided to add spa interior design to our services around three years ago, primarily due to clients requesting a one-stop shop when it comes to spa design. We’ve always offered the technical design aspects of the spa, so it seemed a logical step forward to offer our clients a full design package.
What’s your philosophy when it comes to spa design? To never stand still and always try to innovate. We constantly get asked to create something new and unique.
What in your opinion makes the perfect spa environment? Making sure that the spa has the perfect journey in relation to the surroundings, theme, culture and architecture. The spa also needs to have the major fundamentals including wet area, relaxation and treatment rooms.
What do you see as the biggest challenges of spa design, especially when you’re working in different cultures? Some of the biggest challenges we have are mainly due to where the spa is located in relation to its surroundings and architecture. This can have a big impact on the journey, views, access and movement, etc. Different cultures do pose their own unique challenges, but this can always be resolved by good design.
What can they expect from your spa design process? Our design process is unique in the fact that we offer both technical design and interior design thus enabling a more integrated package. With every client, we always engage, evaluate, design and deliver.
What projects are you currently working on? We’ve recently finished design projects in Hong Kong, the UK, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Qatar. 2018 is already looking busy for us with more projects within Europe, Middle East and Asia, so watch this space.
What excites you about the wellness market today, and do you have any predictions for the future of spa design? I think everyone is now more socially aware of their own wellbeing and because of this there’s so much variety and choice in the spa industry which can only be a good thing for us all.
For the future of spa design, I think we’ll see two things happening. Firstly, technology will play a bigger part to give our guests a truly immersive experience; and secondly, spas will become more family oriented and not just the domain of singles and couples. So expect also to see mini kids spas appearing in the future!
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
Bel Hotel Oléron Thalasso and Spa, MGallery Collection has opened on the French island Île
d'Oléron off the country’s western coast with a 27-treatment-room spa.
Manipulating the gut microbiome could become a powerful tool for preserving brain health and
resilience as people age, according to research led by Professor Paola Tognini, a neuroscientist
at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy.
Jessica Sloyan, a wellness operations and training expert, has established an independent
private training academy to provide professional qualifications for practitioners looking to offer
immersive wellness experiences.
The International Spa Association (ISPA) has published its full 2026 US Spa Industry Study,
providing further insights into the region’s total US$1 billion (€855 million, £780 million)
industry revenue increase from 2024 to 2025.
Ameyalli, the 78-acre wellbeing resort and residential community in Midway in Utah, US, has
broken ground on phase two of the hot spring development – the Ameyalli Resort and Spa –
which is due to open in 2028.
TLee Spas and Wellness has revealed the design concept for a high-tech spa with body
mapping scanners to improve public health, for AI company Midjourney.
Gran Hotel Taoro in northern Tenerife, Spain, has completed the final phase of its three-year
renovation with the debut of its Sandára Wellness Centre.
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the spa business with more than 650 locations across
the US and Canada, has appointed franchise expert Carrie Walsh as CEO as the company plans
to expand.
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
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...]
