Who isn’t feeling the confusion around spa, wellness and now longevity? Even seasoned professionals are questioning what these terms truly mean today. Are we investing in equipment because our guests want it, or because we’re all afraid of being left behind?
Marketplace confusion
When I started in this industry 40 years ago, things were simple. We were therapists working in beauty departments. Then 'spa' arrived. A few beauty rooms, a sauna, a steamroom, a pool and a small gym suddenly qualified a property as having a spa. The experience was equally basic: beauty treatments, a quick dip, five minutes in the sauna and a run on a treadmill. It was enough – for that era.
Today, the stakes are higher, the market is noisier and the consumer is more informed. But with that evolution has come uncertainty. The terminology has expanded faster than our understanding. Spa, wellness, medical wellness, longevity, biohacking, immersive, regeneration… It’s no wonder the industry is confused – and if we’re not confused, our guests and staff certainly are.
What the industry needs now is clarity, honesty and commercial intelligence
This raises the question: what do guests actually want to experience while staying with you?
Are we adding facilities and chasing labels simply to keep up with trends? Too often, concepts are bolted on without strategy, without integration and without an understanding of what creates value for the guest or the business.
Take sleep programmes – they’re everywhere and while sleep is undeniably important, perhaps we’re narrowing our focus too much. Instead of replicating the same concepts as every other hotel, should we be concentrating more on the experiences guests can actively engage in? Experiences that bring people, couples and families together. Experiences that inspire curiosity, stimulate creativity and offer moments of genuine connection and community.
Experience design
Wellbeing isn’t only about slowing down. It’s equally about feeling alive: through ritual, play, nature, movement, culture and shared moments. When we design opportunities for guests to participate, not just receive, the experience becomes far more memorable and meaningful.
We’ve spent years examining global behaviour, market data and the shift in guest priorities. The result is clear: wellness is no longer a department – it’s a project-wide positioning strategy. It touches food, fitness, sleep, design, scent, sound, nature, rituals and even the way people move through space. Spa and wellness doesn’t live behind a door anymore. It is woven into the DNA of the entire asset.
And yet, the market is still filled with 'spas' that are little more than treatment rooms with a pool, passed off as wellness. Is a recalibration needed: a clearer definition of what qualifies as spa, what qualifies as wellness and what truly earns the right to be called longevity?
What the industry needs now is clarity, honesty and commercial intelligence. We need to build concepts that are meaningful, relevant and commercially viable. They should be supported by immersive design thinking and offer truly engaging guest experiences.
Otherwise, it won’t just be the industry feeling the confusion; our guests will, too.
*NB: bbspa is a registered trademark of BBSpa Group
