Fit for purpose

zoom

Dragonfly spa located in the BurJuman boasts Chinese antique aesthetics designed to create a sense of post-workout serenity.

As more people make fitness and wellbeing routine, the club spa concept provides the one-stop-shop that is just up the modern consumer's street.

Spa is becoming less of a luxury and more of a person's regular routine, according to spa consultant and general manager of Body & Soul Health Club Rohun Beven.

Beven, who manages three health clubs, including one which has an on-site spa, estimates that around 25 to 30% of the facility's turnover is generated from spa.

"People are now viewing wellness as a way of life; thinking more about how they look and what they eat. It's in the news a lot and therefore people take care of themselves more," he says.

"The spa is a very crucial element of the health club," supports director of operations at Hilton Abu Dhabi Marc Shumacher. The hotel has an on-site beach club, which includes a gym and spa open to hotel guests and the general public.

"The demand for gym and spa treatments is continuously growing throughout the world and especially in this region," says Shumacher. "At our health club and spa we've seen a continuous growth in the number of treatments."

One-stop shop

Both Beven and Shumacher say that one of the reasons the club spa can be successful is because not only are people looking to work out and then have a spa treatment, they're also looking for the convenience of having it all in one location.

"I think the trend is going towards treatments becoming a part of the lifestyle, especially after work, when people won't have much time but will come to a fitness class, followed by a massage to relax. There are also a lot of families coming at the weekend," says Shumacher.

This is an important market for the Hilton Abu Dhabi, which ensures high attendance seven days a week by offering something for each market segment.

Shumacher says that typically men, or the father, use the gym while the mother has a massage and the children play in the beach club facilities.

However, Beven points out that not every club spa is guaranteed to be successful. He stresses the importance of feasibility studies and location.

"As part of a club, a spa can make money because you don't need that much space for it, you've already got a reception desk and locker rooms that are operational and all of the facilities are there anyway. By adding treatment rooms and training staff a spa can certainly make a health club become more profitable depending on where it is; you've got to be very careful." Beven says that the location and demographics are more important than the club itself.

For example, he says that a club spa in an office environment is not ideal.

"There's no-one in the office on Friday and Saturday and people won't want to travel back to work because the spa's there and even after work customers would prefer to go home than hang around the office.

"You've got more chance of being financially successful in a residential setting because the family can go there and you're not restricting the market."

"A club with a large membership, in a residential area, where you can sell treatments to non-members is ideal," he says.

In terms of design, he says that the spa always has to be luxurious but it shouldn't be over the top because if your capital's too high you just don't get your money back. Similarly, the design of the club spa must be adapted so that you're sending the gym goers and spa goers in opposite directions.

"The spa is passive and the club is active so by design you have to separate the two," says Beven. "The two don't mix. People going to the spa want to relax; they want a quiet environment with soft music; they want to have a sleep. In the gym you want loud music, activities, hype, noisy aerobics classes, yelling and screaming."

Shumacher on the other hand says that the two do crossover and one of the benefits for club users is that you don't have to get changed  - you can walk through the facilities and the spa and club is all in one area.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM