The COVID pandemic placed health and wellbeing at the forefront of people’s minds serving as a reminder of the benefits of nature and fresh air. With public restrictions and health concerns prompting a surge in outdoor wellness activities, hotels and spa complexes capitalised making creative use of outside space to enable social distancing. And the market has continued to evolve. Spa gardens have become a central part of any commercial spa development or refurbishment as the recognised health benefits of nature on mental health and wellbeing have been embraced by the wellness industry.
This growing desire for outdoor spa offerings and nature-infused wellness experiences has become central to how people choose where they stay, how they spend their time, and which brands earn their loyalty. It isn’t just an aesthetic preference; it represents a structural shift in how guests now associate luxury with wellness, and, ultimately, how they spend on it.
So, Why Invest in a Spa Garden?
With numerous spa garden projects under our belt and a thorough understanding of their delivery from both a construction and investment perspective, we’ve put together this post to share our insights and expertise into why so many of the UK’s top leisure clubs and spa hotels are now extending beyond the confines of the building to incorporate an outdoors spa experience.
Maximise Space
Outdoor space isn’t always in abundance, but even modest square footage can feel expansive and luxurious with thoughtful, creative space planning. And many spa hotels and commercial spas are seeking innovative ways to maximise their property’s potential converting existing gardens, grounds, underused spaces and outside terraces into usable, stylish wellness retreats.
Expand Service Offerings
Spa gardens not only present an opportunity to broaden appeal and improve guest experience but offer a scalable way to adapt, expand and increase the attractiveness of the service offering, and deliver the greatest long-term return.
Boost Revenue
Wellness isn’t an add-on anymore; it’s a strategy for long-term success, a pillar of the guest experience and a core revenue driver. Guests are willing to pay a premium for luxurious and restorative wellness experiences. And a commercial spa garden strategically designed to capture and retain guest activity can be a revenue engine. The extra space of an outdoor spa retreat can boost revenue and return on investments in several ways including: increased capacity, premium service offerings, new clients, membership retention, increased dwell time, additional revenue through private hire and group bookings and secondary spend opportunities.
Stand Out From The Competition
With users looking for hotels that go above and beyond to deliver exceptional health and wellbeing experiences, investing in top-notch spa amenities such as a spa garden not only enhances the overall guest experience but can set your facility apart in a competitive market.
A spa garden can help to carve a niche for a property or a brand, influence how a business is perceived and experienced, lead to growth in its visibility, increase customer engagement and brand loyalty and even reposition the brand within the market.
Year Round Demand
Seasonality presents a significant challenge, but an outdoor spa provides true year-round appeal and is a big part of the growing popularity of the spa garden.
Users can enjoy the space and al-fresco spa experience year-round regardless of seasonal weather conditions. This can create consistent demand, generate a substantial boost in revenue and ensure the business maintains its competitiveness.
Elements of a Successful Spa Garden
The Great Outdoors with the Comforts of Indoors
A successful commercial spa garden build goes beyond simply installing a hot tub or moving a few sun loungers outside. It’s about blurring the line between indoor and outdoor spaces – combining the wellness elements of a spa and the calming restorative properties of the outdoors.
The key to this is blending nature, luxury and architecture, integration with the surrounding environment, and creating bespoke wellness spaces that are as relaxing as they are rejuvenating. It requires an understanding of how spaces are best used and accessed, and how a spa garden can elevate a user’s outdoor wellness routine and enhance the overall spa experience.
Clever design, space planning, natural materials, intelligent landscaping, lighting and expansive exterior views all enhance the sense of tranquililty and connection to nature, transforming even modest square footage into calm, light-filled spaces that feel open, airy, and inviting throughout the year. Even in urban settings, outdoor spaces can feel like private luxury escapes.
Thermal Journeys
Creating an immersive thermal journey that enables users to effortlessly move between heat and cold treatments and embrace the benefits of contrast therapy is defining the design and flow of many spa garden builds. By integrating hydrotherapy pools, saunas, steam rooms, plunge pools, experience showers, heated loungers and fire pits, users can enjoy a restorative retreat in an outdoor setting throughout the year.
Social Spaces
Where guests previously opted for privacy or individual treatments, the desire for human connection and shared experiences is now the central focus of a spa setting. This rise in shared wellness experiences has been reflected in spa garden design. Social spaces and shared treatment areas have become a key element of a spa garden offering, catering to couples or small groups of friends who wish to enjoy the spa journey or an experience together. VIP or group treatment suites, pods, private cabanas, and dedicated social hubs allow groups to enjoy their shared wellness journey without impacting other guests who want to relax in the peace of traditional quiet spa environments.
Wrapping Up
The shift to connect spa guests with the outside world is a major wellness trend that shows no sign of abating. Spa gardens have now become a permanent fixture in wellness design. And as hotels, spa and wellness businesses continue to emphasise wellness throughout their operations, the creation of an outdoor spa environment with the right solutions presents an exciting opportunity to expand service offerings, attract new clients, maximise space, carve a niche and generate a substantial boost in year-round revenue.
At Topline, we specialise in designing and building bespoke outdoor spa gardens for commercial settings. A spa garden presents new operational opportunities and a more complete customer experience but requires careful planning and collaboration to ensure success. We work with clients, spa designers, architects and landscape designers offering expertise, technical knowledge, practical advice, insights and inspiration to leverage outdoor spaces to their fullest potential and creating wellness sanctuaries that deliver long-term commercial value from the off. Get in touch to find out how we can help transform your outdoor space into a spa garden.
