Bannatyne Group grows wellness portfolio with first airport spa

The Bannatyne+Group'>Bannatyne Group has opened the doors to its first airport spa at Teesside International Airport, in Northern England.

Following a £100,000 (US$135,000, €118,000) investment, the travel spa launched in the airport’s departure lounge and is open to all passengers travelling from the newly refurbished airport.

Airport workers are also offered a corporate rate and can benefit from off-peak periods during gaps in the flight schedule.

The spa is offering a range of 15-30-minute treatments, initially by appointment only, and experiences including massage chairs, manicures and pedicures, hands-on massage and LED face masks.

Guests can also purchase Elemis skincare products. Elemis is Bannatyne’s main skincare partner and has been instrumental in realising the spa.

The treatment menu will be refreshed and updated when Elemis unveils new treatments.

Karen Wilkinson, operations director at Bannatyne, said: “The new airport is looking fantastic, and flights are being added to more destinations.

“It’s great we can be part of its success story and offer something new and welcome commercial and leisure passengers for some pampering before their flights.”

The partnership materialised after Phil Forster, airport managing director, approached Bannatyne. Forster felt the customer experience would be enhanced by a travel spa.

The spa is manned by Bannatyne staff brought in from the group’s nearby Ingleby Barwick, Darlington and Durham sites. The team may include up to four employees at any one time.

Bannatyne is waiting to see how successful the spa is before considering any further sites. However, it’s investigating creating another area to capture employees and people visiting the airport for treatments without having a scheduled onward flight.

“We’ll continue to monitor customer’s demands to ascertain if we need to roll out extra treatments that aren’t offered,” added Wilkinson, “staying in touch with customers is paramount and we’ll look at the popularity of each treatment line to ensure we’re meeting expectations.”

The organisation is cross-marketing its other spas and health club memberships to airport customers through both fixed and digital options within the airport terminal. Staff will also recommend other venues and offerings within the Bannatyne portfolio.

In addition, the airport spa is being marketed to members of Bannatyne's health clubs.

More about Bannatyne Group

The Bannatyne Group operates 47 spas, 70 health clubs and four hotels across the UK. It’s owned by Duncan Bannatyne OBE, known for his appearances on the BBC programme Dragons’ Den.