An evolving wellness market is positively glowing, reports Ashleigh Bissett…
Fuelled by a growing trend to relieve stress, lose weight, look good and take a more proactive approach towards health, the UK’s spa market is buoyant, with more of us using spas than ever before. According to Mintel, the spa and wellness industry grew by eight per cent in 2016 and is on track to follow suit this year too. With new spas popping up across the country, and older spas ploughing money into upgrades and refurbishments, the UK’s spa companies are in an enviable position and are poised to deliver. “The UK wellness sector is growing as more people look to invest in their physical and mental health,” reveals Erin Lee, Managing Director at Dröm UK. “People are searching for ways to manage and reduce stress in their increasingly busy lives, along with a need to look and feel good. This has resulted in the rapid growth of day spas, hotel spas and residential retreats.”
A market leader in the design of saunas, steam rooms and spas, Dröm UK have seen an increase in orders for both commercial and residential spa installations year on year. Says Erin: “Saunas and steam rooms are still the main stapleof private residential projects. However there is a huge growth in more bespoke thermal rooms incorporating shaped loungers, heated loungers, stunning lighting features, different timber colours, ice rooms, experience showers and horizontal showers.” Jamie Adams, Managing Director of Golden Coast agrees: “Studies in recent years have identified that more of us are prioritising our health and wellbeing. We’re seeing this reflected online, where there is great deal of interest in sauna and steam. Alongside this, more and more of us are having opportunities for wellness experiences, perhaps while at a day spa, on holiday or th
eir local leisure centre.” He adds: “This has created an opportunity for the industry to help homeowners bring this year-round experience into their everyday lives. But, they need to know about it.”
According to Jamie, while sauna sales have grown steadily, commercial installations far outweigh domestic ones – at least where the water leisure trade is involved. There is a concern that it is bathroom installers, rather than our industry, winning these sales, as part of general bathroom updates. Jamie adds: “Physically beneficial and exceptionally relaxing, the popularity of steam rooms and saunas is clearly justified. And with easy-to-install units – customisable to suit nearly any application – demand for domestic and commercial installation shows no sign of slowing.” Masters of their craft, Bristol-based Bos Leisure has earned an unrivalled reputation for the delivery of health and wellness projects. Working with leading names like Harvia, Anapos and Hygromatik, the Bos team shop around for the best quality products on the market. “Our trademark is attention to detail and offering a joined-up approach with unrivalled continuity across pools and wellness through from concept, design, build and after service,” says Bos Leisure Managing Director, Martin Ursell. Specialising in boutique hotel, Bos has seen the market evolve over its three decades of dedicated service. “The sector is undoubtedly more sophisticated now,” comments Martin. “We used to be given an order for sauna andsteam and they were happy to have a fully functioning facility. “The market and its customers are so much more sophisticated now,” he continues. “They now want to go on a spa experience journey through themed experiences, starting with something cool and move up to hottest with a variety of treatments from ice to salt aromas. “Of course that means the prices have gone up too and the budgets for wellness projects,” Martin adds. The Bos Leisure team look to the much more mature German markets for inspiration, working with Anapos to come up with consistently innovative designs. Says Martin: “Germany really innovate, spending millions of Euros on research and development, and are a constant inspirational influence.”
Breakthroughs in glass technology have opened up a host of design possibilities with the reproduction of images from corporate logos to specific photographs, as Martin explains: “If the hotel has a nice wild flower meadow, we can take photograph and print it on to glass. “Tiles are badly impacted by dirty grout, are harder to clean and prone to accidental damage while glass is so much more user-friendly and offer a wealth of design ideas.” Well-known for its swimming and vitality pools, Guncast recently strengthened its position in the wellness sector with the announcement of its partnership with premium sauna and steam brand KLAFS in May. The partnership with KLAFS allows for the design, supply,installation and service, of the complete KLAFS brand wellness suite for the whole of the UK. “We have certainly seen an increase in sales of wellness products year on year since around 2015,” reveals Andy Carr, Design and Commercial Director at Guncast Swimming Pools. “Popular in residential wellness projects is the standard sauna and steam room, as tradition dictates. However, as with the commercial hotel and spa sector, given a better understanding of wellness and the options and benefits available, we are now seeing more individual, personalised installations tailored to the client’s needs and preference.” Guncast offers a number of sauna and steam room variations including the KLAFS Sanarium with SaunaPure, which provides five climate zones in one sauna and infrared which offers focused heat treatment for relaxation and pain relief. In terms of current workload, Guncast is working on a number of both residential and commercial wellness projects. These include a standalone combined steam room and Onsen multi-heat experience cabin for a residential property, as well as complete wellness suite for an apartment complex, comprising six thermal heat experience rooms, two feature experience shower rooms and relaxation areas. “With the introduction and constant development of new technology and industry awareness, we see the market continuing to move towards a better understanding of the benefits and options available from a wellness and heat experience suite,” says Andy. “We also see the industry becoming even more aligned than it already is with the health, fitness, medical, rehabilitation and recovery requirements associated with a healthy lifestyle, from an at home occasional use to professional sport perspective.” 
Spa Vision have offices in the UK and Australia and work with clients across the globe on both residential and commercial spa projects. “Spa and wellness is an ever growing sector with new and innovative ideas coming from many different wellness providers,” comments Colin Cameron, Director at Spa Vision. “Spa is seen as an essential element within four and five star hotel properties and new hotel developments and new trends comes the need for existing facilities to look at refurbishment or additions to their existing thermal experiences.” Says Colin: “In terms of commercial spas, the development of outdoor spaces remains a popular choice, especially when you can include a sauna or vitality pool. “The ability to enjoy the intense heat of a sauna then have ansaunas and loungers and ice rooms are becoming more common in commercial projects along with ‘hidden’ sauna heaters in traditional saunas,” she says. “The hidden heaters have the benefit of longevity in a commercial setting as water isn’t being constantly thrown onto the stones, making them more cost effective in the long run. Salt rooms and infrared saunas are relatively inexpensive to incorporate but can add extra value to spa day offerings with their many health benefits.” Erin adds: “It is important for spas to keep evolving as wellness is a growing trend and competition is fierce. “As spas and gyms start offering more experiences, they start trying to cut costs by getting non-professionals to build their pools and thermal rooms. “They use the wrong tiles, grout and adhesives which lead to problems further down the line when they are more difficult to fix, resulting in a false economy.”exhilarating cold shower and finish with a relaxing vitality pool experience in the outdoors offers great health benefits along with outdoor views and experiences if the location allows it.”
Dröm UK recently completed a project at the prestigious Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey. The project involved designing, manufacturing, supplying, installing and commissioning new thermal wellbeing areas within the Clubhouse. This included three sauna rooms and three steam rooms. Dröm UK worked closely with Garenne Interiors and Thorp Design to establish the design brief and specification for the project. Upon approval of the designs, Dröm UK completed the project management and installation of all elements to the exceptionally high levels of finish required for such a highprofile establishment. Dröm UK’s Managing Director Erin Lee explains that commercial spas are under constant pressure to compete with each other by offering bigger and better facilities with new and exciting experiences to stay relevant. “Additional wellness features such as salt rooms, in
frared saunas and loungers and ice rooms are becoming more common in commercial projects along with ‘hidden’ sauna heaters in traditional saunas,” she says. “The hidden heaters have the benefit of longevity in a commercial setting as water isn’t being constantly thrown onto the stones, making them more cost effective in the long run. Salt rooms and infrared saunas are relatively inexpensive to incorporate but can add extra value to spa day offerings with their many health benefits.” Erin adds: “It is important for spas to keep evolving as wellness is a growing trend and competition is fierce. “As spas and gyms start offering more experiences, they start trying to cut costs by getting non-professionals to build their pools and thermal rooms. “They use the wrong tiles, grout and adhesives which lead to problems further down the line when they are more difficult to fix, resulting in a false economy.”
