VILASA

15/10/2026

Meeting Forbes Standards isn’t necessarily about doing more.

It’s about doing what you already do, exceptionally well.

More and more five-star hotel spas are aligning their guest experience with Forbes Standards, and it’s something that’s coming up increasingly in my conversations with Spa Directors.

But what I find interesting is how much of it comes down to what happens inside the treatment room.

The quality of the consultation. How confidently a therapist adapts a treatment. The consistency of the experience. And whether the guest leaves feeling genuinely understood, rather than simply having received a lovely facial.

This is where I believe skincare brand choice has a much bigger role to play than we sometimes give it credit for.

A brand should do more than provide beautiful products and treatment protocols. It should give therapists the tools, techniques and confidence to deliver that level of service, consistently.

We’ve explored this in more detail in our latest VILASA. The Spa Product House resource, The Spa Director’s Guide to Meeting Standards, including what inspectors look for and how the right skincare partnership can support those expectations.

Find the link in my comments 🙌

28/09/2026

The best kind of busy 😎

Last week took us to the newly opened Spa at Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere.

A chance to meet with the team, explore the new spa and see one of the latest additions to the UK luxury spa scene first-hand.

Safe to say, it’s rather beautiful. 🤍

26/09/2026

We’re incredibly excited to see Anne Semonin launch at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid ✨

A wonderful new addition to the brand’s portfolio of luxury spa partners, and huge congratulations to the Anne Semonin Officiel team.

What we love about this partnership is how naturally the Anne Semonin approach fits into this level of luxury hospitality.

Guests want treatments that feel as though they have been created for them, not simply selected from a menu.

With Anne Semonin, that personalisation starts with a skin diagnosis and ends in a custom Beauty Prescription. The therapist selects and blends products according to what the guest’s skin actually needs that day, creating a treatment that is genuinely bespoke.

It’s an approach the brand has been perfecting for over 40 years, but one that feels more relevant than ever as guest expectations around personalisation continue to grow.

For a luxury hotel spa, those details matter. They make the treatment feel considered, individual and memorable, while giving therapists something very different to work with.

So lovely to see Anne Semonin continuing to find its home in exceptional spas around the world. 🇫🇷🇪🇸

If you’re a UK spa and would like to discover Anne Semonin, experience the treatments for yourself and hear how we support our spa partners, we’d love to have a conversation.

14/09/2026

I’ve been lucky enough to see some incredible hammam spaces recently and spend time with spa teams looking at how they can make the rituals they offer feel more authentic and considered.

However beautiful the space is, the ritual itself needs to be every bit as memorable.

So, what makes a really good hammam experience?

▪️ Respect the ritual. A traditional hammam has a natural sequence: heat and steam prepare the skin, black soap deeply cleanses, the kessa removes dead skin, followed by purification and nourishment. It’s that layering that makes it feel completely different to a conventional body treatment.

▪️ Expectations have changed. Today’s luxury spa guest is well travelled and may have experienced hammams in some of the world’s best spas. Traditional Moroccan ingredients such as argan, honey, orange blossom and rose come into their own in the warmth of the hammam, helping to cleanse, soften and nourish the skin while adding to the experience of the ritual.

▪️ Think about the therapist experience too. Spending a long time working in heat and steam is very different to delivering a treatment in a treatment room. The ritual needs to be beautiful for the guest, but practical and comfortable for therapists to deliver throughout the day.

▪️ Make the hammam work harder for the spa. It doesn’t have to be one treatment. A shorter introduction, a self-led ritual and longer journeys that move from the hammam into a facial or massage can create different price points, treatment lengths and reasons for guests to experience the hammam.

I’d love to hear how spa teams are approaching their hammam experiences.

23/08/2026

Meet us at the Hammam. 🧡

Warm steam. Orange blossom. Rich textures. Precious Moroccan ingredients.

There’s something quite special about the hammam. A ritual that turns cleansing and exfoliation into a complete sensory experience.
skincare takes inspiration from traditional Moroccan beauty rituals and reimagines them for the modern luxury spa, with treatments designed to transport guests somewhere else entirely.

Because sometimes, the treatments guests remember most are the ones they feel long after they leave.

Bring the ritual of the hammam to your spa.

03/08/2026

One of the most rewarding parts of what we do at VILASA. is spending time with our spa partners.

Last week we visited SubRosa Spa at The Grand, York working with the newest therapists as they completed their marocMaroc training.

marocMaroc Skincare has now been part of the spa for almost a year, and continuing to support new team members is just as important as the initial launch. Every therapist should feel confident in the treatment rituals, understand the products and experience the brand for themselves.

For us, these days are about far more than training. They’re an opportunity to share ideas, answer questions, learn from each other and make sure every guest enjoys the same exceptional experience, whoever welcomes them into the treatment room.

These visits are one of our favourite parts of what we do at VILASA. Bringing globally recognised luxury spa brands to the UK and Ireland, and watching them grow through passionate spa partners and talented therapists, is incredibly rewarding.

22/07/2026

A sun-kissed glow with skincare benefits. Now that’s a combination. 👌

Anne Semonin Glow is Infused with tomato seed oil, apricot, acerola extract and orange water, this lightweight complexion enhancer leaves skin with a beautifully natural, healthy-looking radiance while caring for it at the same time.

Wear it alone or blend a few drops with your favourite body moisturiser for luminous skin.

No shimmer. No self tan. Just effortless glow.

14/07/2026

A week on from Paris and I’m still thinking about the new Nos Huiles rituals from marocMaroc Skincare 🇫🇷

Beautiful textures, warm oils, Moroccan fragrance to allow the mind to travel and treatments that encourage you to slow down and switch off.

The best spa experiences don’t end when you leave the treatment room. They stay with you long afterwards.

I can’t wait to introduce these beautiful new rituals to our spa partners in the UK.

08/07/2026

Two days in Paris 🇫🇷

Time spent with the amazing team at marocMaroc Skincare immersing ourselves in new treatment rituals, discovering the power of true sensory wellness, and sharing ideas.

We also had the pleasure of meeting the founder of a beautiful wellness brand that shares so many of the values we believe in.

More on that very soon…

04/07/2026