The St Pierre Park Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort on the Channel Island of Guernsey has redeveloped its spa and fitness centre to the tune of £2.5m (US$3.2m, €2.9m).

Owned and operated by Hand Picked Hotels – which bought the property last year – the spa includes a new indoor pool and wet area with mood LED lighting, an infinity wall, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

A two-tier volcanic stone sauna with views through privacy glass across the lake and grounds has been created poolside, and the spa also features a steam room, two shell-shaped experience shower cocoons and an outdoor deck with a hot tub and room for yoga sessions, as well as food and drink service for al fresco dining.

The health club – the first in the UK and Channel Islands to offer Matrix In-Trinity board classes – has added a cardio gym with a stretch area overlooking the lake and a virtual active workout option with a range of locations to choose from.

The club and spa cater to hotel guests as well as Guernsey locals, with a popular health club membership model, but to keep the spa and health club as two separate experiences, separate changing areas are offered for each.

“I think the demand now is for far more of an experience,” Julia Hands, chair and CEO of Hand Picked Hotels, told Spa Opportunities. “I think that you have far more of a retreat – a luxurious, relaxed time – not a spa experience that’s intermingled with the noise and energy of a health club.”

Hands said the property’s former spa and health club was tired and dated, and “tinkering around the edges just wasn’t going to work.”

“We might as well do the whole thing,” she explained. “...You may as well give it a little bit of gloss and fun on top for a little bit more luxury and sparkle.”

The spa itself features five treatment rooms, including one double, and uses Elemis as a product house. A relaxation room and dedicated manicure and pedicure area round out the offerings.

Olympic gold medalist Sally Gunnell, an ambassador for Matrix, was on-hand at the spa’s opening and had a workout in the gym and a treatment at the spa.

“The newly refurbished health club and spa at St Pierre Park Hotel leads the way in the quality of its technology, facilities and its wonderful setting in a very beautiful part of Guernsey,” said Gunnell.

Hand Picked Hotels owns and operates 20 hotels across the UK and Channel Islands, of which 10 have spas.

Hands said that spa is a growing business in the UK, and “not one we can think about ignoring.”

“Given that we’ve got the facilities, we should keep up with the market and make sure our offering is ahead of the game and not lagging behind,” she said. “And it’s important if you’ve got them to do them well. There’s no point in having a health club or spa offering with all the capital that that involves and then not executing it properly.”