Spa and wellness news: Atera opens in Glasgow, Bathhouse goes to Philadelphia and Trybe maps spa revenue (24 October 2026)
Two urban bathhouses opened this week on either side of the Atlantic, a US$300 million longevity estate in Georgia opened its first building, and a new benchmark report put numbers on how spa guests actually book and spend.
Atera Bathhouse and Spa opened in Glasgow city centre on 22 October
Atera, a Mediterranean-themed bathhouse and day spa, opened on 22 October 2026 beneath the Radisson Blu hotel in Glasgow. It covers about 2,350 sq m, can take up to 84 guests at a time and has created 34 jobs; the operator expects around 200 visitors a day.
The property owner Pandox owns and developed the site, and BBSpa Group runs the spa under a 10-year management agreement. Facilities include a 12m by 8m hydrotherapy pool at about 37°C, a ceremonial sauna for up to 30 guests, a hammam and a rasul, with Elemis and Comfort Zone treatments in six single rooms and one double. Memberships come in three tiers combining bathing, fitness and treatments.
Kirsty MacCormick of BBSpa Group told Spa Business that UK day spa guests are "travelling for up to two hours for a wellness day", and that Atera aims to bring that into the city.
Source: Spa Business, 22 October 2026.
Bathhouse opened its first site outside New York, a 36,000 sq ft venue in Philadelphia
New York social bathing brand Bathhouse has opened at The Bellevue, the 1904 landmark in Philadelphia's Center City, in part of the building's former Tiffany and Co retail space. Most of the 36,000 sq ft venue sits in a brick-walled basement with three indoor pools at different temperatures, an infrared sauna, a dry sauna, a banya and a steam room.
The Philadelphia page on Bathhouse's own site lists the pools at 104°F, 50°F and 98°F, Aufguss sessions in the dry sauna, and day passes from US$29. A rooftop terrace with an outdoor pool and a fourth sauna is planned for early 2027, and further sites are planned for Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, and Chicago.
Sources: Spa Business, 20 October 2026, Bathhouse Philadelphia.
Preserve Life opened Nutrition Nest, the first building on a 1,200-acre longevity estate in Georgia
Preserve Life Corp has opened Nutrition Nest in Douglasville, Georgia, the first destination on its 1,200-acre estate built around longevity and neuroregeneration. Phase one is a US$300 million investment due to be fully operational by the end of 2027.
The 25,000 sq ft mass-timber building, designed by BNIM, spans a ravine with a creek running beneath it. Membership starts with bloodwork, biomarker and genetic testing and a clinical assessment, which feed a personal protocol the company calls the Blueprint. Co-founder Meena Mulpuri previously founded Pema Wellness Resort in India. The centre's own site lists five departments, including the Circadium longevity clinic and the Biome experiential kitchen.
Sources: Spa Business, 20 October 2026, Nutrition Nest.
Trybe's revenue report found 93% of online spa bookings on its platform are packages
Booking software firm Trybe's State of Spa Revenue: Global benchmarks for 2026 analyses £181 million of revenue from 400 spa, leisure and activity businesses in the UK, Europe and the US. Headline findings:
- 93% of online consumer bookings are for packages
- 51% of bookings are made outside office hours, and 76% on a phone or tablet
- average incremental upsell spend is £266 per guest
- bookings among 25 to 44-year-olds grew 255% between 2024 and 2025, and this was the highest-spending age group
- revenue per available treatment hour is £108 in the UK, £126 in Europe and £182 in the US, and US revenue per location is about 4.5 times the UK's
Monday brings the most bookings but the lowest average spend; Saturday brings the highest spend per transaction. Co-founder Ricky Daniels said most spas "still charge the same for a quiet Monday morning as they do for a busy Saturday afternoon".
Source: Spa Business, 19 October 2026.
Smart Fit agreed to take up to 20% of Buddha Spa, Brazil's largest spa network
Latin American gym group Smart Fit has agreed to invest up to R$32 million (about £4.8 million) in Buddha Wellness Group Brasil for a stake of up to 20%, with a call option over a further 10 percentage points. Buddha Spa, founded in 2001, has 149 locations across 12 Brazilian states, 96% of them franchised. The deal remains subject to conditions, and the final stake and price are not yet set.
Source: Spa Business, 16 October 2026.
What this means for retreat and spa operators
Social bathing is moving into city centres: Atera and Bathhouse both sell thermal circuits, saunas and memberships to local guests rather than overnight visitors. Trybe's figures point the same way commercially, with packages making up 93% of online bookings on its platform and weekday demand priced the same as weekends at most spas. Operators reviewing prices this winter have a simple test from the report: does a Monday morning cost the same as a Saturday afternoon?