 |
 |
How do you choose which spas to list?
We list over 800 spas on The Good Spa Guide website, but what a "spa" is varies enormously from spa to spa.
All kinds of places call themselves a spa, because they know there's such demand for the spa experience. So, a spa can be everything from a traditional health farm in the countryside, to a high-street salon offering a bit of Reiki in a spare room at the back of the shop. If they call themselves a spa, we list them on the website, as readers would expect to see them there.
But, because there is such variation, we write independent reviews to manage your expectations. If we think that a spa is more of a health-club, or a hair salon, we'll say so. That way, you know what you're going to get. In every one of our reviews, you'll find a heading Why did you give the spa this rating? so that you can see specifically what we thought. We put every spa into one of four categories to help you choose what you want:
- Spa retreat: a place offering a complete spa-lifestyle, where you sleep, eat, drink, treat and breathe spa and everyone wanders around in robes
- Day spa: somewhere with water facilities such as pools and steam rooms, that provides a spa experience, where you can spend the whole day - and wear a robe, as well
- Hotel spa: a hotel that has a day spa or treatment rooms; we don't list hotels that just have swimming pools
- Treatment rooms: these specialise in beauty, well-being and holistic treatments, but have no water facilities
Bubble ratings
The bubbles indicate our overall impression, and give a general guide:
1 bubble = shocking ("Let me out!")
2 bubbles = poor ("Not doing that again")
3 bubbles = fine ("Nice, might go there again")
4 bubbles = great ("Mmm, take me back")
5 bubbles = fantastic ("Shut the door, I'm not leaving")
It's all about expectation and promise-fulfilment.
For example, we don't hold it against KuBu that it isn't Pennyhill Park. KuBu has no grounds or facilities but offers very high-quality treatments in a great atmosphere; Pennyhill Park is a hotel retreat with a newly built spa set in lush grounds with all the luxurious facilities and treatment you'd expect. But they both rate 5 bubbles because they do what they do so well.
Our mission is to help you find exactly the right spa for you. If you want a quick lunchtime massage, you're not going to be happy in a pricey lap of luxury. If you aim to find your inner self, you're unlikely to be able to do that in a hair salon, whereas a weekend at a dedicated spa retreat may be just the ticket. It's all about expectation and promise-fulfilment: we help you to understand what to expect, and a spa should fulfil its promises.
Let us know if there is a new spa we should list, and tell us about it when you get back.
If you'd like to write a reader review, simply find the page for the spa you've visited. You'll be able to leave your comments just underneath the spa's contact details.We'd love to hear how you got on.
See also:
|
|
|