Skip to main content

Spas and salons have a new way to pamper their guests: virtual reality. While it may seem strange, a virtual reality spa treatment transports customers to exotic locales during their visits. Customers enjoy this tech-savvy option because this immersive technology provides another level of health, wellness, and relaxation in a way that no other service can.

Move over Science Fiction, as we explore the details behind the practical use of virtual reality in spas and salons!

Are Virtual Reality Spa Treatments Popular?

Virtual Reality Spa Treatment

Skin Inc, the leading business magazine for spas and salons, explored the emerging use of virtual reality spa treatments in their September 2018 issue.

Within this cover story they delved into the history of virtual reality for wellness, the recent innovation of spa-specific software, they explore ways spas are using virtual reality, and gain feedback from those who’ve implemented this technology in their business.

The Guided VR team was interviewed to share what we’ve learned in our journey in creating the world’s first VR wellness platform within the industry. What began as a way to help people escape the stress of their days aligned naturally to the goals of salons. This shared wellness mission is at the core of what we all do.

As spa and wellness increasingly become one, the potential in the spa world is undeniable.
– Skin Inc, September 2018

 

Why is a Virtual Reality Spa Treatment such a good fit for Spa Customers?

 

Guided VR Environments

Spas and salons work hard to refine the lights, sounds, smells, and overall feeling of a customer’s visit. Customers are increasingly looking for new ways to use technology for wellness. The difference between good spas and the exceptional ones is their willingness to innovate unique ways to delight their clientele. A virtual reality spa treatment solution makes sense because they allow the spa to transform into the perfect relaxing environment specific to that customer.

Why should a customer close their eyes at their next spa or salon visit? Just imagine the other possibilities:

  • Rest on a Caribbean beach during a massage.
  • Enjoy a manicure while meditating on the Colorado mountainside.
  • Watch the sunset over a massive Hawaiian waterfall while enjoying a body wrap.
  • Tour Iceland while in the waiting room.

We spend most of our waking hours staring at tiny screens. But virtual reality adds a level of immersion that is hard to describe. It feels like you are really there. Imagine feeling like you’ve magically been transported to a magical place like the below?

Customers don’t have to fret about learning new technology, because everything is controlled by their external spa guide. No wires. No worries.

Visitors can even enjoy the sounds of nature, radio, or a 10-minute meditation session. With over 16-hours of content, topics include anxiety, relaxation, compassion, maternity, focus, mindfulness and much more,

All of this magical technology put to work for a single goal: to guide customers to forget about the hectic day behind them for a brief moment, and embrace being pampered in a way they never imagined.

Why is a Virtual Reality Spa Treatment good service offering for Spas and Salons?

 

According to spa industry experts, 32% of spas find it difficult to attract new clients and 20% find retaining these clients difficult. Virtual reality amplifies the effectiveness of spas existing treatments, provides an exclusive advantage over their local competition and provides a unique incentive for users to keep coming back.

Virtual reality for spas makes sense because:

  • Attract customers who visit simply to learn more.
  • Position your spa as a wellness market leader to new customers.
  • Provide an immersive new offering to spice up the lives of regular customers.
  • Amplify the effect of existing services. Enjoy their favorite spa services through immersive virtual vacation layer.
  • Increase spa visit frequency for those daring enough to explore new environments.
  • Users will remember their first virtual reality spa treatment, and your salon, forever.
  • The viral social media potential of such a unique concept in your local market is massive. Offer to take a photo after their treatment to share with friends
  • Spas can add wellness services they may not currently offer in-house, like a meditation room or mindfulness courses which happen all through the virtual reality headset. Guided VR provides over 20 hours of meditation content, exclusively built for the comforts of a spa.
  • Meditations aren’t simply one and done. While there are individual meditations for gratitude, relaxation, and anxiety, there are also entire meditation courses. These extend the time in chair, while encouraging a user to return to engage with their wellness in new ways.
  • Virtual reality sessions can make sessions feel longer, as the user is entertained in a different way.

All of these benefits alone would be enough. But there is one looming unanswered question…

Can I Increase my Spa or Salon Revenue with Virtual Reality?

 

G20 Spa + Salon is one of the first to use of virtual reality in the spa market. According to Skin Inc, they learned that VR provided an immediate return on investment. According to Lisa Hills, “given the growing interest in the service, the ROI is quite high”. She went on to say “As the cost of virtual reality is becoming more affordable, more spas can consider adding it to their offerings.”.

Whether a spa chooses to give their VR experience away for free with existing services or charge an added fee to expand their wellness offerings, the result is the same: happier clients and growing businesses.

How Much Does Virtual Reality Cost for Spas and Salons To Explore?

 

Spas can enjoy VR for under the average cost of two luxury facial treatments per month. This fixed cost includes hardware, software, and support.

The best way to think about virtual reality is to look at the explosion of smartphones. Ten years ago a very small percentage of people loved their phones. Today, most people have such a strong connection to their devices it can be hard to not keep them by their side. The adoption of new technology is faster than most businesses can anticipate.

Spas and Salons that were willing to embrace mobile grew their business. They capitalized on an audience hungry for a better experience than the competition. Now, online booking, chat, and even payments happen all through this hardware that didn’t exist a few short years back. Those that delayed were forced to learn even quicker…if they survived at all. Do you think they asked if they could afford to optimize for mobile? Did you adopt this new technology or were you struggling to catch up once sales hit a wall?

Virtual reality is no different. Today it turns heads. Tomorrow a virtual reality spa treatment will be an option for many spas and salons. Now’s your chance to drive this innovation within your local market.

What is Guided VR?

Guided VR is the leading virtual reality solution for spas and salons. By combining our exclusive software, innovative hardware, and support, our mission is to make deploying virtual reality into service business as seamless as possible.

With Guided VR for Spas and Salons you can deploy immersive wellness technology in under 10 minutes and start delighting customers. Your Guided VR subscription includes your salon or spa’s branding, which continues to reinforce brand loyalty. Guided VR also provides over 150 unique environments, from cutting-edge computer graphics to 360 films.

Interested in learning more? Schedule a brainstorming session with our team to see if VR is right for your business!

Leave a Reply