Swedish Spa Hotels is an association for high quality Swedish establishments within the spa business. A membership in the association requires fulfilment of all the criteria drawn up within the four cornerstones motion, rest, nourishment and touch. For our guests, an establishment’s membership is thus a guarantee of a certain selection of treatments and activities and that these are performed by well educated personnel.
Short on the criteria:
Physical
training shall be
represented with a minimum of at least one organized activity per day which
shall be included free of charge to the guest.
Rest shall at a minimum be represented by at least one organized activity
in the form of mental training and active recovery per day, which shall be
included free of charge to the guest.
Nutrition is reflected partly through natural treatment products but
mostly through the meals offered.
Treatments - A
wide range shall be available with treatments for the entire body.
Different massages and skin treatments for face and body as well as hands and
feet shall be represented on the menu.
Read the full membership criteria here
The purpose of the association
The purpose of Swedish Spa Hotels is, among other things, to work with:
- Identity and standard of the line of business
- Marketing of the establishments of the association’s members and of the spa concept
- Education and personnel resources
- In-service training and networks
- Queries regarding conditions for employers and political decisions
- Benchmarking
Achieved results
Our work has thus far, among other things, led to:
- Stipulation of identity and standard of the line of business, as well as membership criteria for Spa Hotels
- Survey of requirements of the line of business as well as initiating a survey of available possibilities for education
- Initiation of cooperation regarding a vocational training in Sunne and a university education in Varberg
- Active participation in the development work of the Swedish Skin-therapists National Association (SHR) for spa workers, which is included in SHR’s agreement with the Hotel and Restaurant workers’ Union (HRF)
- Political lobbying regarding tax issues (VAT, tax deductibility)
- Several economic and/or qualitative reports on the spa business
- Common networking-days as inspiration for Spa Hotels
- Field trips to foreign spa destinations
- Work centred on marketing Swedish Spa Hotels and its members nationally and internationally
- Marketing efforts which have led to a large media interest (with articles and features in Dagens Industri, Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet, Expressen, TV3, as well as a number of smaller newspapers and magazines)
- Developing a modern website with, among other things, spa jobs, special offers, and list of suppliers.
- Introducing a common gift voucher for members of the Swedish Spa Hotels association.
- Establishing the award Årets KURage (CoUREage of the Year).