Location, location
The location of the wet area in a spa should be determined by easy access to the changing area and an established demarcation from the dry treatment area, says McCarthy.
Lumley adds that wet areas need to be accessible by the locker area to enable guests to have a shower after using a sauna or steamroom, or alternatively if the wet lounge is separate from the locker area it requires its own shower facilities.
In this case, there should also be a "private circulation path just for guests wishing to use it without walking through the more private spa treatment area," says Lumley.
Rietveld believes that wet areas shouldn't actually be in changing/locker areas, but located so that they observe the flow of the spa: "The guests should be easily able to find the wet spa on their own, since in general it is a Do It Yourself (DIY) area," he says, adding that in five-star hotels the guests should be escorted to the wet area.
"In general I would say that one third of the spa should be a wet area," says Rietveld.
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"But this doesn't mean that if you only have three treatment rooms and 50m² that the wet area should only be 15m².
"Comfort is also an issue and therefore five-star hotels require more space than three- or four-star hotels," he adds.
In the early design stages, Rietveld says it's also crucial to think about how the wet areas will be cleaned.
"This means that cleaning issues, downgrades to drains in the screed, drain positions and waterproofing are dealt with from the beginning as it makes it easier to maintain hygiene and safety," he says.
Rietveld also advises reclining benches in saunas to enable cleaning underneath, and tiled floors instead of wooden decking.
Maximising use
Spa wet areas in the Middle East are under used, says Lumley, mainly due to their design and location, thus reflecting the importance of these aspects.
"In Europe, for instance they're designed as dedicated areas, developed for the guest to spend hours in," she says.
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