The best UK spas know that creating a luxury spa experience isn’t just about the services offered at the spa. The experience begins the moment a potential client visits their website.
When it comes to spa website design, a seamless, elegant and intuitive online presence can make all the difference in attracting new and returning clientele.
The team at KIJO have put together 6 user experience (UX) tips for luxury spa websites to help make them stand out in the wellness therapy industry. These tips will help it compete with the best UK spas and their websites, and aid in converting visitors into loyal customers too.
Related Read: KIJO’s Favourite Luxury Spa Website Designs That Will Inspire Yours
UX stands for user experience and, in website design, refers to all aspects of the user’s interaction and experience of a website. The experience should be meaningful, engaging, brand-informed, seamless, functional and usable.
When you think of a luxury spa, you’ll probably think of words like “relaxing” “clean” and “elegant”. This should be emulated in your luxury spa website design.
You want the first impression of your website to reflect the luxury and tranquillity of your spa. A minimalist layout avoids clutter and helps highlight the most important elements of a luxury spa. These, more often than not, are the service offerings and contact information.
So, try to use a clean and sophisticated design with high-quality images, good use of white/negative space, and a harmonious colour palette to create a calming online atmosphere. This will help bolster a good user experience for your luxury spa website.
Your luxury spa website should be easy to navigate, allowing users to find information quickly and effortlessly. Use a clear and intuitive menu structure, with well-defined categories for services, pricing and booking options.
We’d recommend implementing a “sticky” navigation bar that remains visible as users scroll. This can make it easier for users to access different sections of your website.
Related Read: 5 Mega Menu Examples To Inspire, Innovate & Transform Your Website Design
The best UK spas lead with stunning visuals on their websites to show their incredible wellness therapy services and treatment spaces. That’s because they know their luxury spa clients are often drawn by the allure of their indulgent treatments and facilities. So, invest in and use professional, high-quality images and videos to showcase your key services, giving visitors a taste of the experience they can expect. This will contribute enormously to a heightened user experience.
KIJO Pro Tip: Just remember that high-end visuals tend to equate to large file sizes. So, you’ll want to compress your images to an optimal size so they don’t slow your website down. However, when you do so, ensure the premium imagery isn’t compromised in its quality.
If you want to compete with the best of the best UK spas, include virtual tours or video walkthroughs of your facilities to provide an immersive preview of your spa too.
At KIJO, we built the 3D experience for London’s prestigious ESPA Life at Corinthia Hotel spa. Why not explore it, and see for yourself how much it makes you want to visit: ESPA Life at Corinithia’s 3D Experience, built by KIJO.
Related Read: The ESPA Life at Corinthia 3D Experience Design by KIJO Case Study
A complicated booking process can deter potential clients and make for a poor user experience. Ensure your online booking system is simple, intuitive and efficient. Make sure the system allows users to easily select wellness therapy services, choose preferred dates and times, and make secure payments.
You may also want to consider the option of offering a guest checkout option to speed up the process for first-time visitors. This means they’re not obliged to make an account with you in the first instance in order to book and visit.
Personalisation can significantly enhance the user experience, and isn’t a spa experience one of the most personal experiences of all? Spas are intimate spaces, so personalising your user’s online experience not only emulates the sacred intimacy of a spa, but also makes a user feel more connected to your brand.
You can use customer data and analyse a user’s browsing behaviour to offer tailored recommendations and special offers to them. Personalised greetings and service suggestions can make clients feel valued and understood too.
Loyalty programs that reward repeat customers with exclusive discounts and promotions can be a great boost to a returning user experience as well. So, these are also something to consider offering.
The best UK spas clearly describe each service offering they have on their websites. These details include the specific treatment’s benefits, anything exclusive or special about the treatment, its duration and cost. Use engaging and evocative language to convey the luxurious nature of your wellness therapy treatments. Providing this information helps set expectations and assists clients in making informed decisions whilst also bolstering an enhanced user experience.
KIJO Pro Tip: Include customer reviews and testimonials to add credibility and social proof to your service descriptions too. This helps build further trust in your brand and service offerings for users.
It goes without saying that all modern websites should be prioritising mobile responsive design and accessibility. It’s imperative for a good user experience.
It not only benefits the overall UX of your website, but contributes to your ranking on search engines like Google. With 96.3% of global users accessing the internet via a mobile phone now (Statista, April 2024), it’s a no brainer. Your luxury spa website has to be responsively designed in order to compete with the best UK spas and overall spa market.
Read up on KIJO’s 10 Guidelines for Responsive Website Design and ensure your spa website design is up to scratch.
When it comes to accessibility, follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure your website meets the optimum accessibility requirements too.
The best UK spas are prioritising UX in their spa website designs from the off. This is helping their websites get seen, interacted with for longer periods, and ultimately converting website visitors into clients.
If you think your luxury spa’s website design could do with an expert eye regarding its UX, contact the KIJO team today. We’d be delighted to help.
