What are the options for a touchless spa treatment?

There's a real world of opportunity when it comes to spa treatments, and while many of us think of massages and facials alone, the scope of therapies available is as vast as you can imagine.

With the rise of AI and the increasing awareness of different individual needs, touchless, touch free and self-administered therapies are also on the rise. For those who want to enjoy the healing benefits of spa treatments but perhaps don't feel comfortable with being touched by a therapist, or if you simply want to try something different, there's a world of touch free treatments available in modern spas.

Here are just a few of the options.

The power of touch

First, a moment to reflect on the power of touch - and by that, we’re not simply talking about human touch, but the benefits of being able to enjoy a treatment that eases tension and soothes, mind and body. It is something that most of us understand instinctively, that has been recognised in holistic treatments for generations, but it is also something that we’re consistently learning more about.

For example, Reader’s Digest wrote:

“The main hormone and neurotransmitter affiliated with human touch is oxytocin. Research has found that oxytocin contributes to levels of relaxation, trust, and psychological stability. In addition, brain oxytocin has been found to reduce stress responses, including anxiety.”

Meanwhile, the team at Jennifer Young, who provide therapist training in touch treatments for cancer patients, found through research that the short- and long-term benefits of touch therapies, specifically relating to light massage, include:

• Reduced anxiety
• Reduced stress
• Less depression
• Eased general fatigue
• Reduced motivation fatigue
• Less emotional fatigue
• Improved sleep
• Reduced heart rate and lower blood pressure
• A decrease in physical discomfort and mood disturbance
• Increased urinary dopamine
• Increased serotonin values

Touch free spa treatments

Most traditional spa treatments hinge on the human touch, but for some people that's an anxiety-making prospect, which rather defeats the point.

As we learn more and more about individual wants and needs, we can harness the power of technology to support the individual as well as to create variety within the spa experience. Touchless and self-administered treatments have a powerful role to play within that progression.

From treatment beds to guided meditation, cryotherapy chambers, floatation tanks and the ancient benefits of a mud rasul, touch free spa experiences come in all shapes as well as tech-driven sizes, and it's a trend that's only set to continue.

The touchless treatment bed

In 2021 the Gharieni Group, which manufactures spa equipment launched a next-generation touchless treatment concept bed, combining "specific binaural acoustic and vibrational frequencies to deeply relax both the brain and body." The so-called Welnamis bed "delivers dynamic vibrational therapy through the body while [you] listen to multilayered binaural acoustic audio programmes through headphones."

The goal is to deliver specific brainwave frequencies, similar to meditation, to help slow down mental activity, rebalance the body’s chakras and encourage anti-inflammatory responses. It can be used in conjunction with other touch therapies or as a self-guided treatment.

Available at: Lion Quays in Shropshire

The Somadome guided meditation pod

Tech can really supercharge a meditation experience, particularly if you include a little virtual reality. Somadome is a technology-enabled meditation pod featuring a VR headset high quality videos of real-world locations from the beaches of Seychelles, to the Great Ocean Road in south east Australia.

You select your destination and a guided meditation will help you to relax and unwind. It also releases pure essential-oil blends uniquely crafted for each of its virtual landscapes to give the mind that additional sensory association with relaxation, so the next time you smell that scent, your brain is instantly transported to a place of calm.

You can use the VR experience on its own, or having a manicure, for example, combining that meditative experience at the end of a workout or a spa day to embody the different elements of wellbeing. It's one of a number of innovative therapy options available at the RE:TREAT spa at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester. Others include a sensory deprivation floatation tank and a cryotherapy chamber.

Available at: RE:TREAT spa at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester

Mud rasul

Self-administered rather than touchless, a mud treatment or mud rasul is a treatment rooted in historic tradition, whereby you are able to apply muds to your own body or allow a loved one to do it for you.

It is essentially a dedicated steam room where you’re given different types of mud to apply to the face and body. The heat and team help the muds to work their magic, before you shower off and apply any finishing creams and oils.

It’s a great one for sharing with a friend or partner.

Available at: Celtic Manor in their Elemis herbal steam chamber

Cryotherapy chamber

Cryotherapy is literally ‘cold therapy’, a technique where the body is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for two to four minutes to deliver a number of health benefits. In the same way that you would go to a sauna. You might have heard of it in relation to top athletes.

They have a particularly high tech option at Fairmont Windsor Park, which runs on electricity, instead of the traditional gas, which allows for an even distribution of the air across the body from toes to nose, for optimum results.

Available at: Fairmont Windsor Park

Thermal suite

A good thermal suite is very much a spa treatment in its own right, generally featuring a range of hot and cold experiences ranging from saunas and steam rooms to hydrotherapy pools and experience showers. There are a number of wellbeing benefits to each feature, from cleansing and rejuvenating the skin, to helping the body detox and relax, as well as preparing for touch treatments as well.

Available at: Whittlebury Hall

Isopod or floatation tank

Otherwise known as a floatation tank, an isopod treatment is gentle and relaxing. You lay down in a water filled pod, usually with Epsom salts or similar in it, and float while coloured lights change around you and gentle music plays. It's intended to be deeply restorative, helping with fatigue, stress, anxiety, supporting a deep meditation and boosting circulation.

Available at: Ockenden Manor

Oxygen Pod

The Oxygen Pod at Rudding Park is a wonderful part of their spa experience that helps to strengthen the immune system and slow down signs of ageing. It’s also great for the respiratory system. The experience takes 10-15 minutes and includes a dry salt mist, as well as pumping up to nine litres of concentrated oxygen into the room per minute. Normal air is about 21% oxygen but this is 27%.

Available at: Rudding Park

Sunlight therapy

Different spas have their own variations on this idea, from the sunlight therapy room at Rudding Park to the Sun Meadow room at K West Hotel & Spa and the Beach Hut experience at The Three Horseshoes Country Inn & Spa.

They all offer slightly different experiences, but hinge on replicating the benefits of time in the sun, without the harmful UVA and UVB rays of natural sunlight. A period of 20-25 minutes is spent in a dedicated space as the sun rises and falls. Sometimes additional sensory elements are included such as heated beds.

It's great for boosting your mood, vitamin D and promoting better sleep, as well as overall relaxation in a gentle, nurturing environment.

Available at: K West Hotel & Spa