A holistic approach to health

Client: Dalesauna
Supplier: Wyre Council

Dalesauna is developing a new spa at Poulton Leisure Centre in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, UK, as part of an investment of more than £5m to reinvent local leisure provision.

Wyre Council is the latest local authority to complement its fitness facilities by investing in a substantial spa offering, to provide a one-stop shop for health and wellbeing. Designed by Dalesauna, the new spa is the first of its kind in the area. It will feature a range of heat experiences including a spa pool, sauna, steamroom, aromatherapy room, salt room, monsoon showers and an ice feature. There will also be four treatment rooms on offer.

“This is an ambitious project, but we’re an ambitious authority and we like to push the boundaries. We want to make sure we offer customers the best spa experience we can, with a mix of facilities that come together to offer a full spa journey,” says Michael Ryan, corporate director of people and places at Wyre Council.

The facility, which is being developed by contractor ISG, will be managed by Fylde Coast YMCA – the current operators of Poulton Leisure Centre.
“By setting high standards, delivering a high level of service and value for money, I’m confident we will be able to serve existing leisure centre users and attract new people to the facility,” says Ryan.

Dalesauna has carried out a number of similar projects in the public sector over the last 18 months, creating modern spas at Ramsgate, Wimbledon, Westminster Lodge and The Lagoon Leisure Centres, in addition to the ground-breaking development at Pendle Leisure Centre more than six years ago.

The new spa at Poulton Leisure Centre is yet another example of a local authority taking a more holistic approach to health. “The health of the local population is very important to us. We already do a lot of work to improve the fitness of children and adults, and the new spa will allow us to offer users the additional health benefits of a wellbeing and relaxation experience,” explains Ryan.

Gerard McCarthy, sales director at Dalesauna, adds: “We’re delighted to be working with construction services company ISG and Wyre Council on this prestigious project. This development is part of a growing trend among local authority and trust operators, which are broadening their health and fitness services to provide a wider wellness offering that has a much broader appeal across the age ranges.”

He concludes: “Stress accounts for a very high proportion of visits to the GP, and mental wellbeing is at least as important as the physical, if not more so.”

The project at Poulton Leisure Centre is due to be completed at the end of the year, with the new spa likely to open in early 2015.

Details: www.dalesauna.co.uk

High quality local authority spa offerings are a growing trend

Knowledge is power

Clients: Sheffield International Venues & University of Dundee
Supplier: GYMetrix

In today’s economic climate, few operators can afford to waste money on equipment that may look great, but members won’t use. Whether it’s an upgrade or a complete refurbishment, operators need to make informed decisions to maximise their investment and improve the customer experience. And for that they need reliable data.

Sheffield International Venues (SIV) and the University of Dundee wanted a clearer insight into members’ usage patterns and equipment preferences before investing in new facilities, to ensure these met customer demand.

The University of Dundee’s 450sq m Institute of Sport and Exercise (ISE) gym is one of the largest in the region, with some 6,200 members comprising students, staff and the general public.

“The results of the GYMetrix study showed the layout of the gym and the balance of equipment did not meet the needs and expectations of our customers,” says Brian Ewing, director of sport at ISE. Members were frustrated by the shortage of treadmills and cross-trainers, while some pieces of kit were barely used at all. As a result, customer satisfaction measured by the Net Promoter Score was just 42.

Guided by the results of the GYMetrix research, ISE increased the number of treadmills from 17 to 23 and its cross-trainers from 15 to 21 to meet member demand. It also removed the equipment found to have very low usage.

The changes resulted in an increase in membership, a 12 per cent rise in gym usage, and an improvement in customer satisfaction – the facility now reports a Net Promoter Score of 53.

SIV had similar success at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, the country’s largest multi-sports training centre, after following the recommendations of GYMetrix, which it had appointed to establish the optimum mix of equipment for its new three-storey gym.

“The new facility represented a significant investment for us and we had to be sure it would meet customer demand. We worked with GYMetrix to find out exactly how we should equip the gym to keep our members happy and capitalise on our investment,” says SIV’s corporate health and fitness manager Peter Clark.

The results of the research were surprising. “We had planned to offer a large cardio area with a small free weights section, as we believed this would appeal most to our members. But the research showed that members wanted a far bigger free weights area,” says Clark.

Acting on the findings, SIV created a dedicated free weights gym – one of the largest in Sheffield. “GYMetrix encouraged us to be bold – we would never have considered investing in such a large free weights gym,” says Clark. “But it’s really worked for us. Usage figures are through the roof. People are travelling across the city to use our facilities and we haven’t had any negative comments. In fact, our Net Promoter Score, which was in the low 20s, is now in the high 40s.”

Details: www.gymetrix.co.uk

Research showed that SIV members wanted a bigger free weights area, which has seen high usage since being installed