From cryotherapy to blood analysis, hoteliers reveal how fitness and science-backed wellness are reshaping the modern spa break
A hotel break no longer means a long lunch, a massage and an afternoon by the pool. Increasingly guests are looking for a variety of fitness experiences and health-boosting spa treatments in a personalised programme, backed up by science.
Padel and pickleball courts, reformer Pilates studios and cryotherapy chambers are among the investments being made by hoteliers seeking to offer a range of treatments to attract this growing market.
Joanna Barnett, general manager of Fairmont Windsor Park, explains why the investment is being made. She says: “[Fitness and wellbeing] are more at the forefront now than I’ve ever experienced. Before, your restaurant and bar may have been at the forefront of a hotel’s offering, now it’s spa, wellness and fitness. It has really rocketed.
“We are constantly investing in new equipment, but it’s also important to make sure there’s an education piece alongside that, as people do want science-backed results. They want to come out and see a positive impact and result.”
Nick Jacobs, director of spa and wellness at Beaverbrook in Surrey, says: “I think for the first time people are making decisions on where to stay based on health, fitness and wellness – 10 years ago that wouldn’t have been the case. It’s a growing market across leisure and corporate [bookings].”
Activities such as padel and pickleball have seen a particular boom and both Barnett and Jacobs say there is a wider trend in socialising through an activity, rather than over a drink.
Barnett says: “There’s been a shift in the way people socialise. Whereas previously you might have met friends for a drink, now you go and play padel or do an activity. There’s been a mindset change.”
Jacobs adds: “I believe we’re becoming less materialistic and more driven by having meaningful experiences. That feeds into what is nice about padel and pickleball. They can be played by all abilities and have that social element, it’s the enjoyment of interacting and playing in a competitive environment.”
Beyond the courts, operators say guests are looking to build itineraries that enhance their wellbeing across mind and body, whether they’re looking at a day booking in the spa or a longer stay.
Jacobs says Beaverbrook takes a holistic approach, offering fitness activities alongside a wellness programme that includes nature hikes, yoga, sound baths, tea ceremonies, red light therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As well as this it holds specialist retreats with renowned practitioners such as Tibetan Bön lama, Geshe YongDong Losar.
He stresses that guests are increasingly looking for a personalised package of treatments. Accordingly, the spa team at Beaverbrook analyse their guests’ needs and create an itinerary that will make a tangible and evidence-based difference to their wellbeing.
He says the team typically put together packages based on both mind and movement, aiming to promote factors such as stress management and sleep quality.
In building packages, the team work with guests to analyse their fitness, even offering blood sample analysis, an area that Jacobs would like to pursue further in the future. He explains that he would like to offer guests the opportunity to examine their nutrient levels and have their liver scanned, with the results then used to identify deficiencies and adapt training to improve recovery, health and wellbeing.
He explains: “Looking forward, I’d like to go further into personalisation and be able to offer more. What we work on is the synergy of getting all these practitioners to be working behind the scenes to optimally advise you on where you want to go in a very holistic way.”
This personalisation built on analysis is evident at Fairmont Windsor Park, where the team has put together a ‘body reset’ programme, which includes skin analysis, an InBody scan, personal training session, cryotherapy and a detox massage.
Barnett says: “People really are looking for science-backed treatments. The awareness of health and wellbeing is at the forefront of people’s consideration of where to spend and what they do. It’s a much higher priority [than it was] in terms of what people are willing to spend their disposable income on.”
Wellness tourism has been cited as the fastest growing sector of the UK accommodation market. Research by Grand View Horizon states the sector was worth £14.6b in 2025 and predicts this will grow to £25.7b by 2035.
Attracting a share of this growing market is a key driver for operators, and Barnett stresses the need to offer experiences that set you apart. She explains: “It’s making sure our facilities are really on trend and up to date and that we offer something different. For example, we offer aerial yoga now. I can take part in a normal yoga session at my local gym, but that’s something I maybe can’t do there.
“[When looking at where to invest] we listen to our members, so as well as having cryotherapy we’re now looking to put in an ice bath as there’s huge demand at the moment. The big thing is listening to what our guests want.”
For both Fairmont and Beaverbrook, fitness and wellness facilities have become marketing tools, building membership as well as guest bookings, but Barnett explains that the challenge can be transforming spa bookings into hotel stays.
She explains: “The challenge is to add that bedroom rate on to the end of day spa use. The important thing with that is how we package it up and how we give the customer value.
“Our overnight spa packages are super popular and we try to offer discounted rates if people go onto the body reset programme. The other really important thing is to make sure our reservations team have the awareness of what they’re selling. Our spa team are very well informed but we need to make sure that our reservations teams and front-of-house teams understand the products really well, because it can be quite complicated.”
While fitness and wellness are clearly differentiation points that can be hugely appealing to guests prioritising their wellbeing when deciding where to spend, Barnett says at its most effective this needs to be built into a complete offering. For instance, the hotel is developing its children’s entertainment facilities to give parents greater opportunities to enjoy the spa in the knowledge their youngsters are being entertained.
She adds: “You’re not just a hotelier anymore, you’re offering full-scale service from wellbeing to leisure to family entertainer. Our customers expect that now.”