The role of a spa interior designer goes far beyond choosing nice tiles and picking paint colours. It's about understanding how a space makes people feel, how it flows, how it breathes, and how every finish and fitting comes together to create somewhere guests genuinely want to spend time. That takes a specific kind of skill set, and for Sam, it's a combination she's been building since university.
Becoming a spa creator
Sam joined Spa Creators after graduating from Arts University Bournemouth with a first-class honours degree in Interior Architecture and Design. Her studies focused on health, wellness, and the design of public spaces, giving her a grounding in how built environments affect the people who use them.
Her final university project was particularly fitting preparation for life at a spa consultancy. Sam designed an early years school specifically for children with autism, exploring how a purpose-built space could genuinely improve the experience of the children using it. The project involved space planning, working within an existing building, and designing for a very specific user, skills that translate directly into spa design.
What drew Sam to the world of luxury wellness design was a strong aesthetic sensibility combined with a genuine interest in how spaces can support wellbeing. After a year and a half at Spa Creators, and more than ten projects under her belt, she's very much found her home.
The day-to-day
On any given day, Sam's role sits at the intersection of creativity and technical precision. The process typically begins with a 2D general arrangement of the new spa layout, produced by Alistair, which Sam and the wider design team then bring to life in three dimensions using Vectorworks.
Working alongside colleagues, Sam builds out the 3D model of the space, applying textures, finishes, and chosen materials to create a highly realistic digital preview of how the completed spa will look and feel. This step is invaluable for clients who want to get a good feel for what's being proposed before any work begins.
From there, Sam's day might involve any combination of the following:
- Designing bespoke furniture and joinery pieces that fit the specific shapes and proportions of the building.
- Producing lighting and small power plans to ensure that every socket, switch, and light fitting is positioned exactly right.
- Working with the team to select equipment, furniture, and finishing details such as ironmongery and colour palettes, always with the client's brief and budget in mind.
- Preparing detailed elevation packs that show exactly how each room will look, complete with all finishes and furniture, ready to hand over to the contractor.
- Managing data sheets and costing information to help clients understand exactly what they're getting and what it will cost.
From first floor to full spa: The Salt House project
Sam's most formative project at Spa Creators to date has been the Salt House, a small boutique hotel in Ipswich that wanted to attract more guests and generate a new revenue stream. The solution was to transform the majority of the first floor into a full spa facility, and Sam was involved from the very beginning through to the final delivery.
Working within an existing building with low ceiling heights required careful thought about what was achievable. There was no room for a full pool, for example, but by identifying the right priorities, the team was able to create an exceptional range of experiences in a compact footprint. The final spa included a hydropool, foot spas, sauna, steam room, a relaxation lounge, a small cardio gym, changing rooms, a deep relaxation room, and three treatment rooms.
What made Salt House particularly significant for Sam was the opportunity to oversee the entire process from start to finish. After producing the design pack and gaining client approval, she worked alongside the contractors and the company's managing director to deliver the project on time and to the standard the client expected. Regular site visits allowed her to see the transformation take shape, and managing the communication between client and contractors, especially under a tight timeframe, was a real test of the full project management side of the role.
It's precisely this kind of end-to-end involvement that sets working with a specialist spa consultancy apart. Having a single, experienced team responsible for design, specification, delivery, and communication removes the coordination risk that can cause delays, overruns, and missed details.
Looking ahead: Design trends and personal inspiration
In terms of where spa interior designer is heading, Sam is enthusiastic about the shift away from minimal, cold interiors towards spaces with more warmth, texture, and character. More patterned tiles are appearing, earthy tones are coming back in, and there's a general move towards spaces that feel more like a holiday destination and less like a clinical wellness facility.
For Sam, the dream spa is a warm, textured environment where every detail has been considered, and nothing feels cold or impersonal. It's a vision that fits squarely with what today's spa guests are looking for.
Get in touch with ss
If you're thinking about adding a spa to your hotel, or transforming an existing space into something genuinely special, Sam and the rest of the Spa Creators team would love to hear from you.
