Aqua Sana spa embarks on new chapter, reveals brand refresh and new leadership appointments

Award-winning spa brand, Aqua Sana, has rebranded to Aqua Sana Forest Spa to better reflect its offering.

Historically, Aqua Sana was the umbrella brand for Center Parcs' spa offering, with its Forest Spa component representing the sizeable hydrothermal facilities on offer at its spa locations.

Now, the rebrand to Aqua Sana Forest Spa incorporates the full offering to give the business a stronger identity by being more indicative of the forest setting of all its spa locations.

Stuart Angus, director of spa at Aqua Sana Forest Spa, said: “Over the last five years, we’ve been transforming a number of our spas into our Forest Spa concept." Across six locations, guests can explore up to 25 immersive and sensory experiences which have been inspired by the natural world, from volcanoes and hot springs to forest glades and mineral caves.

"As we’ve evolved our offering, we felt now was the right time to also evolve our branding to better reflect who we are to guests staying on a break at Center Parcs and our spa guests who are visiting for the day.”

Forging a new path

The first Aqua Sana opened at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest in 1987. Since then, with continued investment and development, the brand has grown to include six spas in different locations across the UK and Ireland: Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Elveden Forest in Suffolk, Longleat Forest in Wiltshire, Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire and Longford Forest in County Longford, Ireland.

The rebranding announcement follows the recent £6.5 million transformation (US$7.8 million, €7.5 million) of Center Parcs’ existing spa at Elveden Forest into a multi-sensory forest escape.

Prior to this, Center Parcs had already invested almost £14 million (US$18.4 million, €16.7 million) in transforming its spas at Sherwood, Longleat and Longford.

These major projects not only involved updating and expanding the spas' facilities with nature-themed wellness experiences but also included a refresh of the interior design, featuring a strong forest-inspired ambience. Angus says this theme will continue to evolve with future developments across the spas.

New leadershipThe business has seen a significant change in leadership over the past year, with a new team driving its evolution forward, including Laura Freeman who has stepped into the role of group spa manager.

Freeman brings 18 years of experience in the spa industry, having started out as a therapist in 2007 before joining Aqua Sana Woburn Forest in 2014.

She was instrumental in the opening of the spa, progressing from assistant treatment manager to spa manager – where she supported more than 130 colleagues – and now heads up the entire team across its six locations.

Celebrating her 10th anniversary earlier this year, Freeman will continue to work closely with Angus to support the business in its new chapter as Aqua Sana Forest Spa.

She said: “Since I started with the business 10 years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to work across several areas of the business and really get under the skin of Aqua Sana Forest Spa.

“I’m so grateful to be stepping into this role at such a pivotal time and look forward to this next challenge.”