More and more people are looking for unforgettable experiences when they travel. People are no longer simply looking for a place to sleep, but a place that offers a dream experience and leaves beautiful memories. Because of this, and because of the style and sophistication that distinguishes them and their respect for the environment, they are very popular with young customers, couples and the international jet-set.

What does the customer look for in this location? What are the characteristics? Which investment?
Let’s delve into that in this article.

What a Boutique SPA is

A Boutique Spa is an ‘exceptional’ place in terms of its location, concept, design, and the treatment protocol it offers. It is a place devoted to offering a totally customised and ‘tailor-made’ experience, just like a haute couture boutique that takes all the clients’ expectations and makes them a reality.
Clearly this is a special place that focuses on offering targeted, exclusive, and limited spa services and treatments to guarantee high quality standards and be consistent with the chosen spa concept.

What are the characteristics of a Boutique SPA

LeBoutique Spas are luxury environments, characterised by distinctive design, unique furnishings, refined atmospheres and, sometimes, located in very attractive locations.

LThe aim is to propose an experience that combines luxury, wellness, landscape, art, culture, and tradition. The term ’boutique’ indicates something small, intimate, exclusive, so Boutique Spas are not large, usually ranging from 250 to 750 square metres.

The concept behind it must be characterised by a strong personality, a clear brand identity. This must be communicated through targeted communication strategies capable of speaking to its target audience.

Unique design, enriched by exceptional pieces of furniture, refined atmospheres, and high-quality finishes. The presence of high craftsmanship certainly increases its prestige.

The atmosphere must be intimate and comfortable and able to pamper all the senses: the lights and colours must be well studied, the music as well, the entire spa circuit should be characterised by precise olfactory notes that help characterise the place and remain impressed in the memory.

Services must be highly customised, to meet the needs and habits of customers, even anticipating them before they manifest themselves. Signature treatments and high-end cosmetics are a must!

The entire team must be constantly trained to maintain a high quality of service, to be aligned with the concept: everyone must speak the language of the brand.

Stunning locations and ‘wow’ environments

Boutique Spas are often found within Boutique Hotels. Structures that have sprung up in truly enchanting locations, far from the destinations of mass tourism and precisely for this reason most appreciated by their clients.
Environments designed and created to allow customers to make the most of their stay both in discovering interesting places and in regenerating and taking care of themselves. Here the wellness programme is of a very high standard, as is the attention to design, art, restoration, and enhancement of historic or charming hotel environments.

High-end wellness and unusual proposal

The professionals who look after guests’ wellbeing in the Boutique Spas are of the highest rank, just as carefully selected and innovative are the activities and treatments: they range from metabolic medicine sessions to treatments with local spices, from open-air gyms for ‘wild fitness’ to yoga sessions surrounded by palm trees, from Irish meditation to treatments with mud and local herbs. Care in the design of the Spa menu is very important.

How to design a Boutique SPA

The ‘wow’ effect that the customer finds in a Boutique SPA is not the result of chance.

Every aspect is thought out, designed, verified and realised with the utmost attention to detail and care for the environment, the needs of investors and the trends appreciated by customers.
We asked Régis Boudon-Doris, Founder and CEO of bbspa_Group.

He explains: “Today more than ever working on a Boutique SPA project is an exciting and demanding challenge. It is exciting because you have to be daring, innovative, but at the same time you have to combine the concept with respect for the surrounding environment, art and culture. It is demanding because the balance between invested capital, end result and productivity must always be guaranteed. All this with the needs of today’s increasingly informed, demanding customers in mind. The energy to be spent on the retention of customers is ever greater”.

What are the investment costs to implement it

To build a Boutique SPA we have to assume a cost per square metre starting from 4,000€, then according to the spa concept and its Business Plan we define the specific budget for each structure

Some examples of Boutique Spas

“Among the latest projects that have already been completed that best sum up all these distinctive traits, we cannot fail to mention LA SPA Helvetia & Bristol in Florence and the Ambassade Biologique Recherche in Rome”,says Régis Boudon-Doris.

L'articolo Boutique SPA: top-class wellness for a “WOW” effect proviene da bbspa_Group.

Undoubtedly united by the idea of having a private and exclusive space in which to pamper oneself and unwind, Private Spas and Spa Suites generally feature elegance, sophistication and a touch of technology that allows all the senses to be involved in a unique wellness experience.

An offer that is now more popular than ever in hotels and in wellness and spa centres. Many companies in the field are promoting specially designed products and services, which aim to satisfy a demanding clientele from the business and luxury world, but also ‘Family and Friends’.

What is a Spa Suite

It is a hotel suite in which a wellness and well-being area has been designed inside. The Spa Suite rooms are very exclusive and equipped to provide a unique experience of wellness and intimacy, allowing you to go from the bed to the wellness area without leaving the room: the spa is inside, in the utmost privacy and intimacy.

These mini spas can be equipped with a sauna, steam bath or Jacuzzi, depending on their size, which can range from 30 to 100 square metres, embodying technology, innovation, design and meticulous project planning.

What the Spa Suite experience includes

The cost of the suite already includes the use of the spa inside, while any massages and treatments requested by the customer will be counted as extras. Generally, inside the suite we can find a steam bath for scrubs, a sauna, a shower and 2 massage beds for couples.

When to give a night in a Spa Suite

A favorite gift for couples, one or more nights in a Spa Suite can be a romantic idea to celebrate a honeymoon, a romantic weekend, or to surprise your partner not only on Valentine’s Day but whenever elegance, intimacy and privacy are desired.

What is a Private Spa

The term Private Spa, identifies a privatised use of a spa circuit for a defined time and number of people. It is usually requested by a public that wishes to have and personalise the spa experience in a reserved space, designed for couples or small groups of people.

It is a new concept of relaxation, much more intimate and authentic, typical of a target that is attentive to the refinement of environments, technological innovation and is looking for “signature” treatments, comfort and exclusivity.

What is the ideal circuit to take in a Private Spa

Generally, the main areas are the welcome area, the treatments and massage area, the humid and/or the hot area, sauna, hammam, the water area with swimming-pool and its Jacuzzi, sensory showers tunnel and relaxation areas with a small buffet.

The ideal circuit starts with purifying treatments such as scrub or soaping and then move on to the hot/humid area or to the water areas, such as Jacuzzi, sensory showers or snow showers. You can continue with a massage and then finish, in complete relaxation in the comfort zone.

On what occasions to book a Private Spa

These are perfect settings for celebrating special occasions with a group of friends or relatives, such as anniversaries, birthdays, hen parties, or for organizing alternative team building experiences or corporate events.

Private Spas at home: how to design them

There is a growing demand for the design of Private Spas for private homes, shaped around the individual wishes of the family and the social life of the owners. In this case, it is a real spa for exclusively private use, which becomes a hideaway to escape from the working day or to organize parties with friends.

Needless to say, in each case it is necessary to rely on experts capable of optimising space and investment and implementing a unique wellness experience, because in some realities, even these become true Spas with a wide range of services.

By Elisabetta Farneti

L'articolo SPA Suite e Private SPA: differences and features proviene da bbspa_Group.