Leading industry pros share their top tips for incorporating sustainable spa practices.
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Leading industry pros share their top tips for incorporating sustainable spa practices.
What tips do you have for implementing more eco-friendly practices in spas and wellness centers?
Charné le Roux, sustainability expert and GSN Planet Board Member: There are a few practices that can bring green within reach of us all: Use less energy for heating and cooling by insulating geysers, water pipes, ceilings and floors. Cover pools and install insulating blinds when you refurbish. Also, opt for quick drying eco linen made from sustainably sourced fabrics.
Use less water by recycling gray water from basins and showers directly to your WC cisterns or gardens. You can also harvest rainwater from your roof. Bring back communal bathing facilities! Bathing as a collective act has its roots in many diverse classic cultures for its ability to enhance relaxation, self- expression, social interaction and bonding, and even political debate. Creating hydro treatments for groups naturally brings about a reduction in water consumption.
It’s also important to connect with, build and enhance your local communities. Arrange wisdom days to celebrate elders and share skills with fellow community members or tenants. Form a relationship with a local handy person who can fix appliances, fittings and equipment, rather than simply replacing broken equipment. Participate in a circular economy and source products that are durable, have interchangeable parts (like different brush heads that fit on a single handle), have replaceable components and can be recycled.
You should try to go truly paperless. QR codes and mobile/contact-free payment systems are a mere tap away. Engage with your suppliers to reduce packaging or request that they remove their packaging. Serve food and beverages from your spa café that are nourishing, seasonal and tasty, and are produced sustainably. Reflect “local” in your spa, from products to therapies to art. Choose treatment products that feed the skin, are free from harmful chemicals and are manufactured ethically. And then, don’t forget to share your sustainability successes with guests and use their support to build a lasting green culture.
Related: 5 Tips to Incorporate Sustainability Initiatives Into Your Business
Kate Morrison, director of wellness & sustainability, Ojai Valley Inn: At Spa Ojai, we are committed to adding at least one new green initiative each year. With the help of our knowledgeable and passionate spa team, in past years we've moved to waterless pedicures; committed to being free of single-use plastics; transitioned to luxury, clean-ingredient shower amenities; and revised our hiking program in collaboration with a local land conservancy to support the wild spaces that surround us. This year, we will continue to move in a greener direction by implementing a paperless payroll system and partnering with Force of Nature non-toxic cleaning products.
Christina Cabrera, spa director, Spa La Quinta: Connect with your vendors and ask what sustainable efforts their company practices. Choose to work with partners who share the same goal for sustainability and challenge them to increase their efforts each year.
Crystal Poe-Cabatbat, director of spa, Kohanaiki: By opting for energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, selecting natural skin care products that are friendly to both the skin and planet, minimizing laundry usage, and reducing waste, spas and wellness centers not only enhance guests’ experiences, but can leave a lighter footprint on our Earth. As an advocate for eco-friendly practices, it is important to find the balance between wellness and environmental stewardship.
Molly Flora, director of spa and fitness, The Keswick Hall Spa: We try our best to reduce the amount of paper that we use, opting for digital communication and reporting. We use eco-friendly disinfectants throughout the spa to keep our areas clean and healthy for our guests and team members. When possible, if our professional products come in glass containers, we will reuse them for custom blends and products.
