Guides

Ideas for Protocol Design

Sourabh Jain, Andreea Ichim

Woman meditating in forest in virtual reality

Relax VR can be offered at a spa in a variety of ways. It can be offered as a standalone service, combined with existing treatments, or included as part of a multi-sensory spa journey.

The Immersive Spa Journey

Relax VR transports clients using virtual reality by catering to three of their five senses - sight (visual scenery), sound (music) and smell (essential oil scents). Combining Relax VR with a treatment that caters to touch, such as a foot soak or hand massage, and adding an element of taste, such as a coconut water, creates a full multi-sensory experience that is both unique and unforgettable.

Example - The Beachside Massage (Seychelles)

Imagine vacationing on a beautiful beach and receiving a massage that deepens the relaxation you are already experiencing. A Relax VR session deeply calms and settles a client providing the perfect preparation for a massage.

Offer the client a coconut water refresher when they arrive
Give the client a face-mask to put on
Turn on the Relax VR headset and select the desired location and meditation
Help the client put on the Relax VR headset
Add 4-5 essential oil drops to felt pads, and attach to the headset for scent
While the client begins exploring the virtual Seychelles beach location, place their feet in a warm foot bath with extra sea or epsom salts, creating a sandy feel.
Offer them a seashell to hold. The client experiences having their feet in the sand and warm water and can enjoy the feel of the seashell in their hand.
After the Relax VR session concludes, the client will likely feel very calm and settled so gently help the client remove the headset.
Offer the client some dried mango slices.
After the refreshments, allow them to get comfortable on the massage table.
Proceed with a salt scrub, seaweed wrap, or directly into a massage with coconut oil.
If using hot stones during the massage, allow these to rest in the client’s palms, on their feet, or between their toes after they are used in the massage.

Calm tropical beach with clear water and clouds

Creating a Multi-sensory Experience

Incorporating all five senses in your treatments will help you get the most out of Relax VR:

It will elevate the experience and make it more immersive for the client

It will create experiences clients can’t get anywhere else. Spas are uniquely equipped to combine virtual reality with taste and touch - something that can’t easily be done at home, nor at any other commercial venue.

It will increase retail sales. Using essential oils, body creams and food as part of the multi-sensory experience will allow you to on-sell these products after the session. These products will remind the client of the experience after they’ve gone home - elongating the experience, as well as bringing them back for repeat sessions.

The following list suggests paired Relax VR locations with complementary sensory enhancements and spa treatments. While you can pair any location/meditation with any treatment, some combinations complement especially well, associating the spa experiences sensorily with specific virtual locations.

For certain treatments, such as a facial or water based treatments, it may not be possible to use Relax VR during the treatment. In these cases Relax VR can be included before or after the treatments.

Pairing VR locations with taste, touch and treatments
Location	Taste	Touch	Related Treatments
Oceans & Beaches	Drink coconut water, guava, or pineapple juice through a bamboo straw Eat a seaweed snack, or dried fruit like coconut, mango or papaya	Foot bath with extra salt at the bottom, feels like sand Warm stones between the toes Use a tropical skin cream like shea or mango butter	Salt Scrub Hand/Foot Exfoliation Salt Scrub Full-Body Exfoliation Seaweed Wrap Foot bath/soak Thalassotherapy Cold Plunge Thai massage
Waterfalls	Drink effervescent, hydrogen or coconut water	Spray hydration mist on neck, arms and/or legs Warm stones between the toes	Vichy Shower Water Massage Rain Massage Swiss Shower Foot bath HydraFacial
Rivers	Drink lemongrass or red clover tea (to enhance lymphatic drainage)	Hold a smooth stone in hands	Lymphatic Drainage Massage (River flowing acts as a metaphor to drain lymphs) Foot bath Vichy Shower Shirodhara Hydrating Facial
Campfire	Eat vegan marshmallows Drink dandelion tea or cocoa Smoked paprika nuts or trail mix	Hold a hot stone or pine cone	Full body massage Foot massage Sauna
Northern Lights	Hot chocolate in a mug	Place a warm or cozy blanket around client	Cryosauna Cryofacial Ice room Cold plunge
Forests	Trail mix with goji berries almonds (hiking) Root Teas such as Burdock, Licorice, Dandelion or Ginseng	Hold a pine cone / any wooden object / stone	Sports massage Hot stone massage
Flower Fields	Drink with flower essences Chamomile / lavender / hibiscus / rose tea	Hold fresh flower or crystal	Heliotherapy (use of sunlight to treat skin) Facial LED Light Therapy Crystal Therapy Reiki
Underwater	Seaweed snack Sole water (himalayan salt water) drink	Hold a seashell	Baths Hot tub Foot soak Floatation pods / Float therapy Fish Pedicure Anti-gravity chair
Clouds	White wine Champagne CBD Products Fancy popcorn Mint tea Chamomile tea	Spray water mist on neck / arms / legs Gentle moving fan blowing air Heat lamp to feel the sun	Steam room Steam shower Anti-gravity chair Zen garden Shirodhara
Moon	Astronaut ice cream Rock candy Hot cocoa Small cup of vanilla ice cream	Lava rock	Anti-gravity chair Zen garden

Combining Treatments

Virtual reality can also be combined with existing treatments without necessarily needing to add the additional senses of taste and touch, or make a themed immersive journey.

Relax VR can be worn during a variety of treatments, allowing customers to come in for a treatment they know and love, with the added excitement of a new treatment. Some examples of treatments that Relax VR combines well with are:

Massage chair
Compression therapy
Anti-gravity chair
Hand & feet related treatments

Spa Parties

Because not many people have tried virtual reality, spa parties can be a great way to introduce new customers to VR, making them comfortable with the technology and allowing them to share their new experiences with others. This can generate excitement around the experience, and encourage customers to come back later on their own to do the treatment again.

For example, if there is a group of 6 that comes in and you have one Relax VR unit, you could take 2 people out of the group at a time, allowing them to alternately do Relax VR and another treatment, e.g. a salt therapy session. The sessions could be limited to 15 min each, and then each person would then do the other treatment for 15 min. After the 30 min, they would go back to join the main group, and another pair would do the Relax VR / salt therapy session.