The UK has the sixth largest spa market in the world with over 3000 spas (1) and the sector is projected to grow in the future. Whilst spa goers might be motivated to visit a spa to relax, de-stress or have an array of rejuvenating treatments, a visit to the spa retail boutique is generally considered part of the overall guest experience.
As any spa owner will acknowledge, retail sales is (or should be) an important element of the business and when retail areas or touchpoints are perfectly integrated and well designed, they can contribute significant and profitable revenue streams.
Designing for a spa is, of course, quite different from designing for high street retail. The environment is much more relaxed as is the guest attire, and guests are more likely to linger for longer and make repeat visits over the duration of their stay. For Ragdale Hall, the desire to increase guest engagement through more pop-up treatments and demonstrations required the spa’s product shop to double in size. The need to feature a large range of partner brands, led us to create a flexible and stock-intensive space with a distinctive signature look.
At the Champneys Tring Resort, our challenge was to design a new enlarged spa shop that would combine two previously distinct shopping areas into a single retail area at the heart of the spa. To organise the wide variety of merchandise and price points we zoned the store with subtle changes in lighting, surface finishes and display density.
(1) Data provided by the Global Wellness Institute