Attitudes towards wellness and sustainability were the most surprising / photo: Ragdale Hall
The Good Spa Guide (GSG), a publication and website which reviews and rates spas and treatments in the UK, has revealed the findings from its latest consumer survey called the State of Spa Report 2023.
Based on feedback from 8,827 respondents across the country (almost 90 per cent of whom were female), the survey highlights the behaviour and opinions of spa-goers.
What matters most? So what attracts people in the UK to spas in the first place? When booking a spa, thermal rooms are deemed the most important factor (58 per cent), followed by the right treatment selection (13 per cent), relaxation rooms (10 per cent), outdoor spa space (10 per cent) and a pool (6 per cent).
Forty-five per cent of people state they prefer to arrive at a time that suits them rather than have the spa dictate one, while 53 per cent say they’re happy for the spa to allocate it.
Wellness and sustainability Across all age groups, the majority of consumers (47 per cent) indicated that wellness options – such as holistic treatments and mindfulness classes – aren’t a main priority when booking spa trips (see Graph 1). Only 4 per cent of respondents say they “wouldn’t book a spa unless there are wellness options”.
GSG asked people how much sustainability matters to them when booking time at a spa. Surprisingly, only 42 per cent say that it matters “a little - it’s nice to have but I don’t actively look at sustainability”. And a mere 5 per cent say it matters so much they “wouldn’t consider booking a spa unless it had great eco-credentials”.
Consumer confidence Thirty per cent of respondents say they still consider COVID-19 safety measures when visiting a spa.
Encouragingly, more than two-thirds of people (70 per cent) are confident a spa will treat them well in any situation.
However, 18 per cent are worried about going to a spa because they don’t feel body confident. A further 9 per cent are concerned because of other reasons such as pregnancy, disabilities, cancer and major illness, as well as gender and sexuality.
At what cost? Respondents were asked whether they would spend less, more or about the same when booking a spa day in the current economic climate (see Graph 2).
Sixty-eight per cent say they’d spend the same and 26 per cent say they’d spend less. Meanwhile, only 4 per cent say they’re not going to spas at the moment and the remaining 2 per cent say they would spend more.
GSG asked respondents the same question about a spa break and found a similar response. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) would spend the same on a spa break, 29 per cent say they’d spend less, 4 per cent say they’d spend more and 5 per cent say they’re not going to spas right now.
“The most surprising findings from this report come from the wellness and sustainability sections,” GSG director Caitlin Dalton tells Spa Business. “Both are key to the spa industry but aren’t so keenly felt by spa-goers with most consumers saying they’re nice to have, but not part of their booking decisions.”
She concludes: “However, it’s very heartening to hear in a time of financial instability that two-thirds of people still expect to pay the same or more for their spa time.”
Best of British
This year’s GSG Award winners, as voted for by more than 400,000 UK consumers, were revealed in July. Accolades went to the following facilities:
Best Destination Spa: Ragdale Hall Spa
Best Spa for Wellness: Champneys Tring
Best Spa for the Eco-conscious: Rudding Park Spa
Best Spa for a Countryside Getaway: Hoar Cross Hall
Best Spa Garden: Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa
Best Spa for Guest Experience: Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall
Best Hotel Spa: The Woodland Spa
Best Day Spa: Ribby Hall Village
Best City Spa: Hope Street Hotel Spa
Best Boutique Spa: Stanley House Hotel & Spa
photo: GSG
Caitlin Dalton, director, Good Spa Guide
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
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News report: Eastern promise
Japan’s spa industry is valued at US$4.2 billion and is part of the world's third highest-performing wellness economy
Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
Promotion: Lemi: Built to last
Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
Attitudes towards wellness and sustainability were the most surprising / photo: Ragdale Hall
The Good Spa Guide (GSG), a publication and website which reviews and rates spas and treatments in the UK, has revealed the findings from its latest consumer survey called the State of Spa Report 2023.
Based on feedback from 8,827 respondents across the country (almost 90 per cent of whom were female), the survey highlights the behaviour and opinions of spa-goers.
What matters most? So what attracts people in the UK to spas in the first place? When booking a spa, thermal rooms are deemed the most important factor (58 per cent), followed by the right treatment selection (13 per cent), relaxation rooms (10 per cent), outdoor spa space (10 per cent) and a pool (6 per cent).
Forty-five per cent of people state they prefer to arrive at a time that suits them rather than have the spa dictate one, while 53 per cent say they’re happy for the spa to allocate it.
Wellness and sustainability Across all age groups, the majority of consumers (47 per cent) indicated that wellness options – such as holistic treatments and mindfulness classes – aren’t a main priority when booking spa trips (see Graph 1). Only 4 per cent of respondents say they “wouldn’t book a spa unless there are wellness options”.
GSG asked people how much sustainability matters to them when booking time at a spa. Surprisingly, only 42 per cent say that it matters “a little - it’s nice to have but I don’t actively look at sustainability”. And a mere 5 per cent say it matters so much they “wouldn’t consider booking a spa unless it had great eco-credentials”.
Consumer confidence Thirty per cent of respondents say they still consider COVID-19 safety measures when visiting a spa.
Encouragingly, more than two-thirds of people (70 per cent) are confident a spa will treat them well in any situation.
However, 18 per cent are worried about going to a spa because they don’t feel body confident. A further 9 per cent are concerned because of other reasons such as pregnancy, disabilities, cancer and major illness, as well as gender and sexuality.
At what cost? Respondents were asked whether they would spend less, more or about the same when booking a spa day in the current economic climate (see Graph 2).
Sixty-eight per cent say they’d spend the same and 26 per cent say they’d spend less. Meanwhile, only 4 per cent say they’re not going to spas at the moment and the remaining 2 per cent say they would spend more.
GSG asked respondents the same question about a spa break and found a similar response. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) would spend the same on a spa break, 29 per cent say they’d spend less, 4 per cent say they’d spend more and 5 per cent say they’re not going to spas right now.
“The most surprising findings from this report come from the wellness and sustainability sections,” GSG director Caitlin Dalton tells Spa Business. “Both are key to the spa industry but aren’t so keenly felt by spa-goers with most consumers saying they’re nice to have, but not part of their booking decisions.”
She concludes: “However, it’s very heartening to hear in a time of financial instability that two-thirds of people still expect to pay the same or more for their spa time.”
Best of British
This year’s GSG Award winners, as voted for by more than 400,000 UK consumers, were revealed in July. Accolades went to the following facilities:
Best Destination Spa: Ragdale Hall Spa
Best Spa for Wellness: Champneys Tring
Best Spa for the Eco-conscious: Rudding Park Spa
Best Spa for a Countryside Getaway: Hoar Cross Hall
Best Spa Garden: Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa
Best Spa for Guest Experience: Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall
Best Hotel Spa: The Woodland Spa
Best Day Spa: Ribby Hall Village
Best City Spa: Hope Street Hotel Spa
Best Boutique Spa: Stanley House Hotel & Spa
photo: GSG
Caitlin Dalton, director, Good Spa Guide
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
Klafs and Studio F. A. Porsche have combined their design and wellness expertise to create an oasis for total-body relaxation
News report: Eastern promise
Japan’s spa industry is valued at US$4.2 billion and is part of the world's third highest-performing wellness economy
Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
Promotion: Lemi: Built to last
Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
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.
