European Spa: SPA STYLE

Showcasing stylish equipment and leading-edge design and technology for your spa

Edited by Wendy Golledge

Salt Chamber: Salt FX Pro Halogenerator

The multipurpose salt therapy concept from Salt Chamber uses a Salt FX Pro Halogenerator that grinds and disperses pure-grade sodium chloride into micron-sized dry salt aerosol particles. These benefit users by being inhaled into the respiratory system and absorbed by the skin.

The company incorporates Himalayan salt into its chambers as a décor element to create a signature wellness experience for guests. While the salt décor provides ambience, the respiratory and skin benefits come from the dry salt particles dispersed into the room.

“Salt Chamber is an innovator in the salt décor design process. We started using Himalayan salt, not only for its beneficial qualities but for its amazing natural colours and hues,” says the brand’s founder and CEO, Leo Tonkin.

“Salt therapy is a natural way to create distinct wellness experiences in a relaxing and nurturing environment,” adds Allan Share, president of the American Spa Industry Association.

“In my travels to wellness facilities, salt therapy has grown into one of the most requested treatments by guests of all demographics.”

www.saltchamberinc.com

Oakworks: SoVi Vibroacoustic System

Oakworks has entered the vibroacoustic market with the SoVi Vibroacoustic System. Available on all Oakworks’ Masters Collection treatment tables and a number of Signature range tables, the SoVi is designed to deliver the latest forms of healing, to relax the body, reduce stress and enhance productivity.

Multiple vibration options are enhanced by audio – music, guided meditations and advanced binaural beats – played through headphones or speakers built into the the padded top of the table. The speakers drive an integrated amplifier that powers four transducers embedded into the bed to deliver vibrations to the body.

“The SoVi is a great addition to our range that can be enjoyed with or without therapist input,” says Susan Auld, co-founder and director at Spa Vision. “It can be incorporated with the Curva Lounger or other Oakworks’ treatment tables to enhance the treatment experience and compliment healing modalities.”

www.massagetables.com | www.spavision.com

Ak47 Design: Zero Keramik

With spa gardens remaining a key trend heading into the new year, suppliers are creating ever more ingenious outdoor fireplace solutions.

The Zero Keramik wood-burning fire pit is a simple yet striking contemporary design that also provides wood storage capacity. A unique garden feature created by Italian designers Ak47 Design, Zero Keramik is supplied with a powder-coated steel cover and a porcelain stoneware top. A dedicated stainless steel grill kit is supplied that can be used as a barbecue.

Speaking exclusively to European Spa, Beverley Bayes, creative director of Sparcstudio, says: “The smell of wood-burning smoke from an open fire in a spa garden space provides an amazing opportunity for heightened sensory experiences. There is a joy to be had from escaping an air-conditioned environment and enjoying cold air. Even in the winter, firepits and blankets to snuggle in are all key parts of the wellbeing experience.”

www.ak47design.com/naturally-design | www.sparcstudio.co.uk

Recharge Health: FlexBeam

The world’s first targeted red-light therapy device, FlexBeam is a wearable accessory that delivers the healing properties of red-light directly to where it is most needed.

FlexBeam mimics a warm spectrum of sunshine to increase blood flow and oxygenation, stimulate cell regeneration, trigger the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response and boost cellular energy.

Co-founder and clinical director of Recharge Health, Dr Zulia Frost, says: “FlexBeam can target specific areas of the body to recharge each cell with energy and activate blood flow. It relaxes muscular spasms immediately. Because it generates red and near-infrared light, it helps the body make melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, known as the ultimate antioxidant.”

FlexBeam allows therapists to target the key parts of the body requiring healing or recovery, instead of just suppressing symptoms. For those who are fit, it can strengthen the body for more prolonged physical activity, reducing the potential for soreness afterwards.

Dr Zulia Frost

“Red light specifically triggers the mitochondria, the energy generators of cells, to produce more adenosine triphosphate and nitric oxide, both involved in the body’s recovery process,” says Dr Frost. “The design fits the body’s natural contours for maximum wearability and efficiency. It allows light to penetrate deep into difficult-to-reach areas of the body, such as knee and shoulder joints, which is impossible with flat light panels. It’s a bright new way to relieve, repair and recover the body.”

For spas in particular, Dr Frost says FlexBeam is a versatile addition to treatments. “The modern spa world offers guests all the solutions – a place to recover from intense work, to relax and get blissful time, a place to sooth muscle pains, address dropping energy and fix sleep issues. FlexBeam is a portable recovery device that enables spas to bolster their effectiveness in all of these areas.

“Potent red and near-infrared light reaches deep into the body to deliver essential energy, stimulate local circulation and collagen production, assisting natural healing and speeding up your recovery.”

www.rechargehealth.com

Fashionizer Spa: Eco Smooth

Spa uniform specialist Fashionizer Spa is creating ‘green’ glamour with its Eco Smooth range. An extension of the company’s Cotton Performance fabric, Eco Smooth combines organic cotton (60%) with the durability of Newlife PET (37%) and lycra (3%) to create glamorous unforms with minimal environmental impact.

Newlife PET is a high-performance textile derived from recycled plastic bottles, without chemicals, to create a fabric similar to silk and cotton. It complements the organic cotton element of Eco Smooth with antibacterial, moisture controlling and fast-drying properties, resulting in a textile that is lightweight, comfortable and practical to launder.

In addition, Silverplus – an anti-bacterial eco-friendly finish, is applied to prevent odour build-up. A soil release treatment can also be introduced to improve washing at lower temperatures. Eco Smooth is available in Aurora Spa Tunic (above), Ursa Spa Shirt and Sarin Spa Trousers.

www.fashionizerspa.com

Therabody: SmartGoggles and Lounger

Using TheraSound technology, the zero-gravity Therabody Lounger from percussive therapy specialist Therabody utilises vibroacoustic therapy to harness the benefits of sound and vibration.

SoundHearts – speakers embedded in the lounger – produce tactile sound therapy that can be both heard and felt by the body. These are strategically positioned throughout the lounger for a simultaneous full-body treatment that helps induce relaxation, reduce stress, decrease muscle tension and pain, and improve mobility.

The brand’s SmartGoggles use SmartSense technology, to ease facial tension, relieve eye strain, decrease headaches and relax the body and mind for sleep.

In SmartRelax mode an integrated sensor measures the wearer’s heart rate, while Focus and Sleep modes use a combination of heat, vibration, and massage to help with concentration and rest. TheraMind is multi-sensory sound therapy that can be used to enhance the SmartGoggles.

www.therabody.com

Escaping to peacefulness with the Orbit Float system

Float tanks are becoming more popular for customers preferring hands-free treatments. They also provide a way for spas to generate additional revenue without the need for increased staffing.

Medically proven to reduce stress, float therapy allows the brain easier access to mindful and meditative states by removing external stimuli, decreasing cortisol levels and increasing the release of dopamine and endorphins.

“Float tanks are filled with a highly concentrated solution of Epsom Salt water, heated to the same temperature as the human body,” explains Bob Agnew, co-founder and director of Orbit Float. “The salt allows you to reach a state near to zero gravity. It provides a complete disconnection from the outside world in a lightless, soundless environment. Epsom Salt also contains high concentrations of magnesium, which is absorbed through the skin and is excellent for improving the immune system and general health.”

Photo-catalytic UV is used to sanitise all the solution in between each session, and users enter the room to see an empty pod, which only takes a few minutes to fill up while they are getting undressed and showering.

“From a spa perspective, float tanks require almost no staffing and generate repeat business as well as significant margins because they are very energy efficient,” adds Agnew.

The Orbit Float offers programmable lighting and HD audio. A large access door and low threshold makes it easy for everyone to enter, while built in handrails and non-slip surfaces add to the safety features.

It was designed to be easy to operate with minimal training – testing of pH, hydrogen peroxide and salt levels is done automatically – and the unit is internet aware so the Orbit Float support team can dial into the control system to assist operators.

“The highly buoyant environment created by the Epsom Salts, which is denser than the Dead Sea, ensures users experience a sensation of weightlessness without any effort,” says Agnew. “People report not being able to tell where their body starts and the water ends!

“Floating like this takes the load off the spine and other muscles, and can help improve quality of life for sufferers of chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis.”

www.orbit-float.com

Benholm: Portable living walls

Every spa needs to provide spaces where guests can be nourished and feel relaxed, and live plants can offer direct contact with nature, helping to provide health and wellbeing benefits.

Benholm Group’s innovative portable living walls are fan-assisted to help boost the air-cleaning qualities of the plants they house. The portable units also come with their own illumination, which helps the plants to thrive and adds greater visual impact.

The walls can be wheeled around and linked together, or placed back-to-back for double-sided visibility.

“Our living walls are available in black or white and can be branded with a spa’s own graphics,” says Adrian Byne, director at Benholm Group. “Maintenance of the plants is assisted by a quiet and efficient app-controlled irrigation and lighting system.

“A portable living wall is an innovative solution for spas wanting to add a new dimension to their interior design, while nourishing guests in nature.”

www.benholm.com

SpaFlo: Glass-front stainless steel hot tub

The ideal complement to outdoor treatment areas, SpaFlo’s bespoke stainless steel hot tubs allow wet areas to take centre stage and spa gardens to stand out from the crowd. Premiered in the show garden by Lush at Lavershot Barns in Windlesham, Surrey (right), SpaFlo’s stainless steel hot tub has a glass frontage, massage jets and underwater lights.

All SpaFlo pools are free-standing and self-supporting, allowing for multiple integrations including being buried in the ground, half-sunken or completely above ground.

Richard Gowland, founder and MD at SpaFlo says: “Our in-house designers use stainless steel to create stunning bespoke products that satisfy the most demanding high-end brief. The demand for stainless steel means that we’ve set-up a Special Projects Division to help our trade customers achieve a sleek and seamless installation.”

www.spaflo.co.uk