As spas become more and more popular, many of the larger spas have devised their own membership schemes and loyalty schemes designed to keep satisfied clients coming back to them for their beauty treatments time and time again.
Some of the schemes on offer do give really excellent value for money, but spa schemes can also have pitfalls, and if the spa is part of a large gym chain then you will need to be extremely careful before you sign on any dotted lines.
Temporary Spa Memberships
A temporary membership can be a simple and cost effective option, and is something that you generally purchase as an additional extra if, for example, you want to use spa and gym facilities while you are away on holiday, or staying in a hotel that has a spa facility. These are generally hassle free, there will not be a contract involved, and as long as you make sure that the membership covers everything you require, there’s not much that can go wrong.
Temporary memberships can work out to be expensive for what you get, and you won’t have beauty treatments included. There may be some restrictions on times and usage, and some facilities may be charged for.
Spa Loyalty Programmes
If you’re a regular visitor to a spa and in some cases a salon, you might find that you’re offered a loyalty bonus scheme. These can work out to be quite tempting – you rarely have to pay anything up front, but you’ll usually be offered a free treatment for every five treatments that you book, or money off a treatment if you spend over a certain amount.
In some cases you get a discount or a free visit once you’ve notched up a certain number of visits to a spa.
Day Spa Membership Schemes
Some larger spas offer monthly subscription based schemes for you to enjoy unlimited access to the spas facilities – some of them also throw in free treatments and discounted treatments for members. Like gym subscriptions, these tend to be contract based so you must check the small print for cancellation rights. If you sign up to a contract for twelve months and need to cancel after seven, you could find yourself having to pay out for the rest of the term of the contract if you’re not very careful.
The benefits of this type of scheme include unlimited use of the facilities, offers and keeping up to date on any news about the spa, including trying new treatments. Most have a gym or pool with exercise classes that you will have unrestricted access to, so the membership could even work out to be cheaper than a standard big gym chain membership.
Some spas offer tailored and tiered membership schemes that include incentives such as free facials, complementary slippers and robes, and up to 12 visits per year, for a set fee. These can be very expensive, but will work out cheaper than separate visits, so if you plan to be a regular spa visitor, it could be worth investing in a spa membership scheme like this and getting a discount on the normal price for a day at the spa.
