Andrea Labonte: What makes a perfect hotel spa

What does the perfect wellness area look like?

The perfect wellness area amazes me and provides surprises. He takes me into a world of my own. It gives me the necessary framework for retreat and leisure. It seems like its own little microcosm that invites me to cozy cocooning, offers me silence and at the same time inspires me and gives me inspiration. For me, the perfect spa is a “locus amoenus”, a lovely place that enchants with pleasant silence and wonderful views. As soon as I entered, all of my senses were to be positively addressed and surprised. Beautiful architecture, a good scent, a subtle acoustic background that invites you to dream, a pleasant light, all of this contributes to the harmonious overall picture of the perfect wellness area. The perfect hotel spa takes me on a journey where life feels easy and pleasant. It is a protected place where I feel safe and can safely leave everyday life behind me for a while.

The perfect wellness area should definitely have wellness basics such as a slightly colder sports pool and a warmer relaxation pool. It is pleasant when a wellness hotel has both an indoor and an outdoor pool. It’s best to connect both pools via a swimming lock, so that I can swim outside even in winter without freezing. Relaxation pools are often offered in the form of a brine pool or a whirlpool. A herbal and brine sauna, a steam bath, infrared loungers and a cooling pool are also desirable.

Attractive and unique architecture can win the wellness visitor over to the hotel spa right from the start. Because it’s even more fun to relax when not only the view, but also the surroundings and the construction have a calming and grounding effect. The most beautiful wellness areas that I have been able to visit so far have always impressed me with their impressive architecture and a harmonious interior concept. The colors and materials that dominate the spa play a significant role. Lovingly designed indoor and outdoor relaxation areas are also part of the perfect wellness setting. Cozy nests, comfortable loungers and daybeds, ideally with an impressive view, help guests to slow down in a comfortable way. What is important to me in the relaxation areas is that privacy is guaranteed by a sufficient number of loungers and plenty of space.

Which noble add-ons enchant guests

In order to make the feel-good experience a real spa adventure, I would also like special spa highlights in the form of sauna infusions or steam bath peelings. Small live performances can also crown the wellness day. I was once a guest in a hotel spa where a drum player performed his pieces at the infinity rooftop pool in the evening as the sun was setting, thus ennobling the sunset moment.

Refreshments in the form of teas, juices and water, but also small healthy snacks such as fruit skewers are also a welcome add-on in the perfect wellness area. Some wellness hotels even score points with their own tea and herb pavilions. Here, tea creations tailored to the guest’s individual constitution are offered.

The perfect wellness area doesn’t have to be gigantic – small but fine hotel spas can also impress. However, a wellness area should definitely surprise me with its harmonious architecture, its interior concept, the views it offers, a coherent wellness infrastructure and sensual accents such as scent or music and help me to leave everyday life behind me and into one to immerse yourself in your own world of well-being.

When does a wellness area fail and when does it achieve a top grade?

A wellness area has failed for me if I feel uncomfortable there, be it because it is too loud, too crowded, too cool or too hot, not well ventilated, not clean or unimaginative and not lovingly designed.

It’s often the fine little details that make the difference and ensure that the guest feels comfortable. Candlelight, a flickering fireplace, attractive lighting, fresh flowers, a scent that fills the room, a small library that bibliophile guests can choose from for their leisure hours, all of this can contribute to the comfort of a spa. Beautiful pictures on the walls, aphorisms that make you think or other imaginative details can also make your stay in the spa special. There are no limits to the hoteliers’ imagination. Just like the view from the wellness area, which for me is also crucial for a perfect spa break.

Infinity pools that seem to spill into the vastness of the sky or ocean, as well as saunas and relaxation rooms with an impressive panorama, can provide lasting wow moments for guests. In general, the location of a spa plays a very important role for me. Wellness areas that are located in the dark basement of the hotel without a view due to space constraints have a hard time getting good reviews. The lack of opportunity to fortify yourself with refreshment and healthy snacks between wellness sessions also results in a point deduction. For me, an absolute no-go in a spa is the fight for free loungers and intimate retreat niches. Too few or overcrowded relaxation areas or quiet areas in which, in the worst case, people even make phone calls or have conversations, automatically lead to a worse rating in the wellness category at Wellness Heaven.

In addition to the spa infrastructure, what else is important for a successful wellness break?

As a wellness hotel tester, I always evaluate the activities program of a wellness hotel. The wellness area of ​​a spa hotel should not only contribute to physical but also mental relaxation. The concept of wellness no longer just encompasses passive “relaxing,” but should also provide guests with fitness-related and mental stimuli.

For example, does a wellness hotel offer yoga, meditation, guided breathing exercises, autogenic training, Qi Gong or mindfulness training? And what about the fitness infrastructure of a wellness hotel? Can guests complete an intensive cardio workout in the hotel gym and build their muscles in a targeted manner? Is the gym in the basement or in a light-flooded room with an attractive panorama? Are personal training courses offered? What level of technology does the equipment in the hotel’s fitness studio have? Does the activity potpourri of a wellness hotel also include outdoor activities such as guided hikes, e-bike tours or forest bathing?

For us, the spa hotels that do particularly well in the wellness category are those that, in addition to excellent spa facilities, also have a comprehensive seasonal activity program and that offer their guests physical and mental stimulation in addition to pure relaxation.

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