Hilton has launched a global spa treatment membership, The Spa Club, which offers local residents a discounted spa treatment each month at the Hilton nearest them, as well as additional perks and discounts.

The programme will be available at around 30 Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Curio, Doubletree and Embassy Suites spas globally by the end of this year.

“As wellness becomes less occasional and more habitual for our customers, Hilton wants to be there with an enticing offer,” Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness, Hilton Worldwide, told Spa Opportunities. “...The Spa Club targets the growing number of global customers seeking wellness through generously priced treatments and ongoing engagement with local spas.”

Hilton pointed to a 2014 Edelman American Well-Being Study, which found that 58 per cent of the respondents feel they are unable to achieve an ideal state of well-being due to financial concerns.

For a 12-month commitment, The Spa Club programme will offer consumers one 50- to 60-minute massage each month, as well as access to the hotel’s spa facilities and fitness centre on the day of the treatment, complimentary hotel parking, discounts on retail items, and at least a 5 per cent discount on any additional spa treatments. Properties can also select their own benefits, such as discounts at restaurants or other facilities.

Prices for the 12-month membership reflect at least a 30 per cent discount to the price of a massage or facial, while a six-month commitment is priced at at least a 20 per cent discount. There is no initiation or maintenance fee.

"We have spas that have and will exceed those minimum pricing thresholds," said Crabbe.

For instance, Hilton Short Hills, in New Jersey, has priced its Spa Club membership at $79 a month, which reflects a 40 per cent discount on the usual price of a massage. Crabbe said the programme at Short Hills, though just recently launched, is doing very well, with more than 150 members.

“We will encourage (locations) to be as generous as they can to attract the right volume,” said Crabbe.

Crabbe said The Spa Club programme also helps Hilton solve the spa industry’s age-old challenge of light midweek room and resource utilisation.

“We look forward to welcoming new members to Spa Club locations around the world,” said Crabbe. “We’re proud to be the first in the industry to offer a flexible, affordable programme in response to profound recent cultural interest towards healthier, more balanced living.”

Hilton also recently refreshed its eforea spa brand, allowing locations to have greater flexibility in their spa menus and adding in three new Journey Enhancements – mini treatments based on elements of ancient global healing techniques.

Spa Business first wrote about spa memberships as a trend back in 2009.