The Treatment Room

To think about preparing a treatment room, means considering the important factors that create it: its structure, design, decorative elements and most importantly, to offer guests wellness, beauty and relaxation. This relates to five elements.

Every detail is important: connecting with guests from their arrival is key to complement the experience by using soft lighting, soothing colors and natural plants. It creates a first image of tranquility and sweet expectation for the eye.

Include decorative elements: through touch, create a sense of disconnection from everyday life. Cozy and comfortable elements, organic fabrics, individual and couple spaces, indicate that all details and the guest’s needs were considered.

Create happiness and relaxation: offer music options to help regulate emotions, preparing guests to create a permanent memory of their spa visit. Include healing sounds, nature or spa music with mantras.

Incorporate aromatic elements: diffusers that contrast well with the decor is pleasant to the senses. Create an unforgettable connection through aroma, even more so when the aroma is personalized and tells a story of its synergy and the benefits it provides.

Customize with local elements: complementing a good spa service with personalized amenities and native flavors is something they will only find if they return to your spa.

By Arabelle del Rosario Bautista
Spa & Wellness Director
Meliá Hotels & Resorts
www.melia.com

The ideal treatment room is the one that best suits our business, has been built with the perspective of providing the best services to guests, with the conviction that guests will leave wanting to return, to recommend the spa, and most importantly, with the satisfaction of having received more than they imagined.

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind:

The philosophy or concept of the spa will mark the identity of the entire project and its services. Therefore, it will also define the setting and equipment required.

Capture the five senses: once the guest enters the treatment room, it must captivate as many of their senses as possible, so they are poised to enjoy a unique experience. Comfort and privacy must be guaranteed, while offering the therapist the ease of providing different types of services.

Space is a luxury: the treatment room must be at least 96 square feet, to accommodate all the equipment and allow space for therapists to comfortably provide all services.

Hygiene is paramount: many times those who are designing a spa don’t know the treatment protocols and fail to incorporate facilities in the treatment room, such as sinks or showers, that are essential for treatments like mud wraps, chocolate therapy or wraps.

Expensive is not synonymous with quality: a treatment room must make the guest comfortable, providing a sensation that the room is spacious and clean; whether or not it’s decorated with luxurious equipment and materials. The music, aroma, chromotherapy, textures, ecofriendly high quality materials and well trained staff will be your best allies to achieve success!

By Teresita Van Strate
TVS Asesorias Técnicas
www.facebook.com/TvsAsesoriasTecnicas

Surely, many spas are still struggling to regain their numbers and client base lost during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, competition in spa and wellness destinations has increased; however, we are certain that people are more aware of the importance of holistic health and have made it a priority.

The challenge is to create differentiators that make our property eligible for travelers.

A well-designed treatment menu is extremely important, but when it perfectly complements the treatment room, this is ‘the next level’.

The ideal treatment room, no matter its size, requires five essential components:

Calm: a space free of auditory and visual noise (less is more), and a responsible use of color that promotes calm through sight.

Comfort: include a dressing room, bathroom, shower, amenities, rest area, silent and adjustable beds, adequate temperature, auditory experience and even better if music is used therapeutically.

Reconnection: to reconnect guests with their senses:
• Smell, the aroma that initiates each experience and will create a memory.
• Hearing, use sounds to stimulate the brain and sharpen the senses, not just for entertainment.
• Touch, include linens and accessories that are soft to the skin, and ensure every space is comfortable, without any distractors.
• Taste, provide snacks or a drink to finalize the experience.

Focus on the guest: the star of this story is the guest, so spaces must be designed with them in mind. Provide the greatest number of facilities and practicality for the therapist.

Luxury has many definitions, however; ensuring calm, comfort, reconnection and focus on the guests are included in the treatment room, is the luxury that wellness travelers appreciate nowadays, offering calm, serenity and reconnection.

“Creating the ideal treatment room is not just a matter of space or budget, it is a matter of imagination, design and intention.”