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Dear SmartPlanet, Can a spa ever really be green, what with all the water heating and chemical lotions? If there is such a thing as an 'eco spa', where can I find it? Margaret, Southampton, UK
Spas can indeed be a drain on natural resources. So while it might be difficult to find a genuinely green spa because of the extra energy needed for all those bubbles, it's worth finding out how spas can reduce their environmental footprint.
The Titanic Spa (take a look at our review here) in West Yorkshire is one of the first spas in the UK to go green. Housed in a restored textile mill, the building itself has lots of sustainable features which greatly reduce or offset its energy consumption. Take the photovoltaic panels, for example. These generate the building's electricity supply. And the combined heat and power (CHP) unit uses sustainably sourced wood chippings to power the heating.
The spa has even tapped into the geological riches of the area by creating its own private borehole 100 metres below the earth's surface. This provides vast quantities of pure Yorkshire water that is subsequently filtered and pumped back into the spa. Even better is the fact that the swimming pool is chlorine-free, so you can say goodbye to that post-swim chemical smell.
Spas are increasingly using chemical-free lotions and treatments. The SenSpa at Carey's Manor Hotel in Hampshire uses natural organic products and essential oils with healing herbs and flowers to accompany Thai massages. The walls are also chemical-free using natural paints and finishes.
Ard Nahoo in County Leitim, Ireland offers an all-round eco well-being experience. The new eco cabins are built using Donegal cedar cladding and hemp insulation, with no petrol chemicals and minimal concrete. You can choose to be pampered with a variety of natural healthcare treatments, or get closer to nature in one of many workshop sessions.
For a truly natural swimming experience, Garten Art is pioneering the way with its swimming ponds. Although yet to catch on in the spa industry, the idea is to use the natural purifying properties of plants and micro-organisms to produce clear, clean and healthy swimming water. This means no more chemicals or unnaturally blue pools.
As a customer, don't forget you can play a part by leaving the car at home. At SenSpa, they'll even give you a ten per cent discount off your spa day if you arrive by public transport -- easy to do when the railway station isn't too far away.
Do you have a green shopping dilemma? Want an eco debate settled? Or want to know what a environmental buzzword really means? Email us on green@smartplanet.com and we'll do out best to help out in an upcoming Ask SmartPlanet.
25 June 2008 02:41pm
I think this is a really useful piece - I just wanted to add that there are in fact a handful of spas that offer the 'swimming pond' concept. I'm a spa therapist myself and I've read about a couple recently in our industry's trade mag, Professional Beauty. One is the ArtSpa in the cotswolds and the other is Foxhills in Surrey. Both of these have really good eco credentials on the whole too. Hope readers find this helpful!
25 June 2008 03:31pm
Thanks anon -- good to hear about ArtSpa and Foxhills, they're new ones to me. I'll look em up.
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