Design Trends of Spa Websites
Inspired by a showcase on hotel site design over at Onextrapixel, this post will explore the design trends and features of well designed spa websites.
Hotels and spas tend to go together. As shown by some of the examples featured in this post, spas are often one of several amenities offered besides standard hotel rooms. As a result, the spa is often a micro-site within the hotel or resort page. While some of the trends to hotel design carry over (e.g. highly visual photography), the target audience is more specific than that of the average hotel.
We’ll start with a brief crash course in spas. To understand the goals of spa websites, you have to understand the background. Why do spas exist? The spa is an outlet for relaxation and escape from schedules. Business meetings and internet access take a backseat to massage tables and aroma therapy.
They come in several formats: day spas are (as the name suggests) a single day adventure, while destination spas are multiple days in a hotel-like environment. These are the two main “recreational” types, but it is also possible to have spas with medical staff for more involved procedures.
For the average person, spas are not an everyday event. A trip to a spa is a special treat. Help them feel luxurious before even setting foot in the door. This is where the website comes in.
Components of a Great Spa Design
Across the board, several main trends came up when researching spa’s websites for this post. Let’s start with the big idea:
You Want to be Here
There are massage parlors in malls and shopping outlets all over the world. Why should a person come here instead?
Environment matters, so sell the location! Would you rather read about an outdoor hot tub or see it in action? Pictures of the building and facilities help demonstrate a unique atmosphere that won’t be so easy to duplicate elsewhere. Consider the room in the picture above. How many words would you need to describe it with the same impact as the photo?
Keep Calm & Collected
These sites describe a luxury service. Page copy keeps this in mind by appealing to physical pleasures rather than business-like intelligence. Read any of the pages on sites listed below, and you’ll know in an instant that they want you to feel amazing. Take a look at a couple page excerpts:
A sanctuary from the pressures of everyday living, our dedicated aim is to purify and detoxify, promote well being, and leave you feeling totally at one with yourself. (Mayflower Inn Spa)
A world where you are unique and special. This spa in Melbourne will greet you with plush interiors with exquisite furnishings and welcoming hues of green and pink. Let soothing music fill you as you sip your aromatic herbal tea. (Calma Medispa)
Anxious to find one near you now? Thought so.
Subdued Color Palettes
Subdued and cool colors are associated with relaxation and feelings of calm. Expect to see shades of whites, blues, and other faded palettes. The comfort level from soft colors at the physical location is extended to the site too.
Successful spa websites are highly visual designs. Miles of descriptive text won’t give the same message of relation that a candlelit room does. Images that are considered “peaceful” (e.g. clouds) are commonly used to express this feeling of calm.
Shopping for Relaxation
Most of the researched spa sites have itemized lists of available services. Even though day spas are full experiences, customers are able to select a variety of activities based on their preference and budget. Since these prices are relatively fixed for each customer, it’s good practice to have common service prices available on the website.
Examples in Spa Site Design
Below are 15 spa sites that represent a wide range of current design trends. Click on an image to view the full site.
Overall Impressions
As it turns out, good spa website design is not easy to find. It’s interesting to see luxury spas with dated websites, especially because of the high class environment. Web designers with spa experience, you have your work cut out for you.
Biggest lesson learned from spa design trends? When in doubt, show someone in a towel. If you remember that, you’ll be perfectly fine.
What elements of these sites do you think make them most successful? Notice any other important trends? Do you know of any outstanding ones that weren’t mentioned here? Leave your thoughts and links in the comments below.
Discussion
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 PM
There are some excellent designs here! I’ve visited the websites of a couple spas that had horrible designs.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Cool, hotels & spas do work together in hand in hand. Like many industry out there, most of them are link directly or indirectly with one another.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:21 AM
I really liked this post. I would like to see more oddly specific showcases.
I am sure examples of great design are harder to find the more specific you get but I think it is a nice change of pace.
Good work!
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 AM
Some nice designs, will bookmark
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:37 AM
Really Awesome collection.Great post.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Interesting that where there a pictures of people, they are almost all of young, very attractive women. I wonder if this is really going to appeal to their target audience?
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Some of designs are nice!
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:24 AM
The photography is excellent in all these. I guess the site doesn’t matter as much as how enjoyable my massage and pedicure are..
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Awesome post loved, “When in doubt, show someone in a towel”, ha ha ha
Here is a brilliant South African one –
http://www.karkloofspa.com/
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Great post for inspiration…and relaxation.
Thanks
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 AM
@Patrick
I think definitely it would. Even if the target audience is other young women, it’s the same concept that helps sell glamour magazines. Living like attractive people is exciting.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Some really good examples!
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 PM
This is an awesome post. Thank you.
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:15 PM
Take a look at this:
http://www.spasana.lt/index.php?lang=2
November 24th, 2009 at 4:38 AM
Great showcase, some beautiful designs there!
November 24th, 2009 at 7:07 AM
i like i like a lot, gives me ideas…
November 24th, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Some of them of simply outstanding. Hats off to the designers!
November 24th, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Great showcase! It must have taken you ages to find these. We’re currently working on small changes to an incredibly old spa site with the plan to eventually convince the owner a complete revamp is entirely necessary. They really don’t appear to get it.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:24 AM
Soaky Spa in particular had all the right elements
November 25th, 2009 at 5:07 AM
The Soaky Spa website looks great but doesn’t work on safari. Un able to load images etc.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:14 AM
This is the most pathetic post I have seen in a while! You got up one morning and decided to write a post that should be considered spam with that much unuseful content! Then you finished the post, looked out the window, and the sun was still on its way up! That’s how long it took you, 10 min. The quality of the post is lower than ever because of only 3-4 lines being useful (the part about how they try to make spa site calm). But else than that, this sucks! Everyone can find 50 Spa sites and pick the 15 best!
December 1st, 2009 at 11:40 AM
@Servet
I’d encourage you to look at the post again. You’ll find that this was not “15 spa websites”, but rather a discussion of trends followed by a collection of examples. Not every grouping of related items is a half-assed list.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Nice sites, yet just because it is a trend doesn’t mean that these designs have legs, or will necessarily be good earners. Good website make money. Sure, they share exceptional images, fortunate locations and sleek designs however I see a void of personality in many of these examples. The fact is the Spa Bubble crashed in 2008, and without a more personalized approach, sexy is not necessarily going to equate to money for owners. What’s best… good looks or fiscal health? Question: What makes these examples unique in their message and psychological approach? Do any of these actually break from the pack and try something new? To me, it seems like a bunch of models, nice to look at but not much to say.
December 3rd, 2009 at 4:10 PM
I understand your point of trying to be more ‘experiential’ for spa sites. The biggest omission in this article, is the integration of knowing who your consumer target is — so, for a day spa like ours in the heart of LA, I believe we’re spot-on with http://www.LPRdayspa.com as we’re not a luxury spa, but believe we are the best day spa in Los Angeles!
December 9th, 2009 at 3:21 PM
We actually went for totally different angle when come to design our spa website. It is a “animated” Japanese painting with seamless details, which seems to capture the overall theme of our spa. Check it out – http://www.ikedaspa.com
December 10th, 2009 at 3:15 PM
Nice collection. Got some ideas on how to design a website for our customer.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:58 AM
Great Post!. This came in handy for me over the last few weeks. I’ve just recently designed a spa site.
http://www.urbanbodyspa.com.
Would love feedback on it.
Thanks Mike
BTW I love the Soaky Spa Design
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