Pop-up Spas are Trending in Wellness

With our growing ability to become more flexible and innovative in the face of COVID restrictions, wonderful trends have begun to blossom. My current favorite is a movement in Wellness, that if brought to your resort, is sure to leave your guests with a unique and memorable experience. The Pop-Up Spa is a means to elevate your offerings, rejuvenate your owners, and get people talking about their vacation with you.

Why Spa? Do we have to ask the question?

The spa experience dates back to the Romans who used thermal hot springs to help them recover their wounds and battle tired muscles. The power and benefits of the hot springs experience continue to bring recovery, rejuvenation, and health to those who partake today in the modern and more accessible — hot tub. Time spent in the hot tub has been proven to increase cardiovascular health, reduce aches and pains, relieve anxiety and stress, and promote better sleep. I don’t know about you, but that’s exactly what I need when I go on vacation!

As you soak in a hot tub, the effect of buoyancy decreases stress on your muscles and joints. The hot water immersion causes muscles and the rest of the body to relax. This relaxed state is what aids in the reduction of pain and stress. As the body relaxes, so does the mind and this is the recipe for a great night of sleep. At the same time, it does your heart and cardiovascular system real well. Submerging in water puts gentle, even pressure on the body and this pressure makes the heart work harder like a cardiac workout (which is why it is always recommended to consult with a doctor before taking a dip). Your skin is also in for a treat, as pores open to the hot water, they release toxins. The Hot Spa experience is an incredible way to take care of yourself, especially on holiday.

Related: Improve your Resort with Illumination

Take me out!

Identify some outdoor space at your resort and reimagine it as a transformative space. You know the benefits of the hot tub experience, but there are even more pros to setting it up outdoors. The outdoor spa becomes multi-sensory with the sounds of nature, smells of the season, and a view only your unique resort has to offer.

And from a practical standpoint, installation is easier outdoors. You can be more flexible and creative with how you build or treat the foundation and you will still need required electrical, but the overall cost will be far less than an indoor complete build-out and installation. In the wonderful world of the outdoors, ventilation and humidity are not a worry thanks to natural breezes. Drainage is also far easier and can be achieved with a hose and the natural drainage of your site.

Spa Pod Party!

The “Spa Pod” is what takes your run-of-the-mill outdoor spa to the next level – creating the social event of the century! The Spa Pod takes note of our increased desire for social distancing with friends and family within the safety of your designated “pod.” Our “pod” members are typically the ones we take with us on vacation and those we feel best relaxing within the spa. As a resort owner, your work is to please multiple “pods” at the same time…so why not do just that with a Spa Pod Party. Given the right amount of space, you can set up multiple spa tubs in one location! This way you serve multiple guests with an exclusive, private, AND social event guaranteed to put them in a great state of mind and body.

Private Pop-Up Spa

Perhaps the Spa Pod Party isn’t the right fit for your resort, but you are excited about bringing the benefits of spa to your resort guests. Make it a private event with one tub and a tent. The right tent with great lighting can create an ambiance that will give your guests a greater sense of exclusivity. Tenting the spa creates a kind of protective enclosure with all the same benefits of being outdoors. Canvas tents, inflatable bubble tents, geodesic domes, and even a classic canopy can create an experience they will be talking about for years to come.

With some creativity and attention to detail, the average amenity can become the very thing that sets your resort apart. Whether you go for the Spa Pod Party or the Private Pop-Up, social media will be abuzz with rave reviews from happy guests – promoting your resort to their many jealous friends wishing for what you have to offer. What’s more, both can be revenue generators with increasing levels of service attached.

Margit Whitlock is Principal and Creative Director for Architecture and Interior Design at Architectural Concepts Inc., a San Diego, CA-based Architectural and Interior Design Firm specializing in hospitality design. Ms. Whitlock is an accomplished speaker with engagements at multiple ARDA conventions, HD Boutique show as well as being frequently published in magazines such as Developments, Resort Trades, Hotel Business, Hiatus, Vacation Industry Review and Resort Management and Operations.