Is the Spa Industry Designing for Experience or Instagram?

I spend a lot of time visiting spas at different stages of development, from early design meetings through to completion and operation. One thing that has changed noticeably over the years is the importance placed on how a spa looks in photographs.

A striking image can create enormous interest in a hotel or resort. It can attract attention, communicate a sense of luxury and give a project an identity before a guest ever arrives.

But there is a question worth asking: are we designing the spa for the guest, or for the camera?

There is nothing wrong with beautiful design. I believe a spa should have character, and the architecture, materials and lighting should contribute to the overall experience. The problem comes when visual impact starts to take priority over how the facility actually functions.

A thermal area is a good example. A sauna may look spectacular, but what matters to the guest is whether the temperature is comfortable, whether there is enough space, whether the heat is distributed properly and whether the experience feels connected to the rest of the thermal journey.

The same applies to steam rooms, experience showers, cold experiences and vitality pools. They need to look good, but they also need to perform.

After more than 40 years working in hydrothermal design and spa projects, I have learnt that many of the most important decisions are the ones a guest will never consciously notice.

Good air movement. Correct water temperatures. Sensible circulation. Appropriate capacity. Reliable equipment. Easy maintenance access. Proper energy management.

These are not particularly photogenic subjects, but they determine whether a facility can operate successfully day after day.

There is also a wider issue with designing around trends. Social media can encourage us to chase something new and visually distinctive because it photographs well. That can be useful from a marketing perspective, but wellness should not become a competition to create the most unusual-looking room.

People come to a spa for a reason. They want to relax, recover, spend time with someone, switch off or simply feel better.

The design needs to support that purpose.

This is where I think the industry has an opportunity to become more thoughtful. Instead of asking what the next Instagrammable feature should be, we should be asking how the entire experience works together.

How does a guest move through the space? Where do they pause? What happens between heat and cold? Where can they recover? How does the environment change throughout the journey?

These considerations also have to work for the operator.

A spa is a business as well as a guest experience. Energy consumption, maintenance, staffing, water treatment, equipment access and long-term reliability all have financial consequences.

At ASPA, we bring these considerations into the design process because our role extends beyond creating a concept. We work across design, hydrothermal engineering, specialised equipment, turnkey delivery, maintenance and operations. That gives us a practical view of what happens after the photographs have been taken and the opening event is over.

Of course, I want our projects to look exceptional. Luxury hospitality demands it.

But I would rather see a beautiful spa that works brilliantly than a beautiful spa that only works in photographs.

Perhaps the real measure of good spa design is not how impressive it looks when you first see it.

It is how quickly you forget about the design once you are inside, because everything simply feels right.

That is the experience worth designing for.