In recent years, the wellness industry has undergone a significant transformation, with touchless solutions emerging as a key response to evolving consumer needs and market challenges. The Touchless Wellness Association (TWA) was born from this shift, aiming to educate, support, and inspire businesses and professionals embracing this innovative approach.
As Aquaform, we had the opportunity to interview the founding members of TWA — Erin Lee, Alina Hernandez, and Nigel Franklyn — to better understand how touchless technologies are reshaping the wellness landscape, what defines a truly “touchless” experience, and why water continues to play a central role in creating immersive and transformative wellness journeys.
How was the Touchless Wellness Association born and what need led you to create this organization?
The Touchless Wellness Association (TWA) was created to showcase and promote the adoption of touchless wellness products and therapies. It was founded in response to the increased demand for such modalities, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global labor shortage in the spa sector. The TWA aims to be a platform for exploring, sharing, and celebrating the opportunities that touchless technologies (the application of knowledge) offer for enhancing wellness experiences.
What exactly do you mean by the term
The term “Touchless Wellness,” as defined in the 2023 white paper, “Embracing Tomorrow, Today,” authored by Erin Lee and Alina Hernandez, defines it as “wellness treatments, therapies, or experiences that deliver physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits without the need for direct physical touch or a therapist to administer them.”
It encompasses a range of techniques and technologies that aim to enhance well-being through non-contact methods.
What are the main goals of the association, both short-term and long-term?
We are committed to supporting businesses that provide products and services aimed at enhancing individuals' overall wellness, facilitating recovery, promoting restoration, fostering rejuvenation and optimising outcomes, within the Touchless wellness sector. We do this in partnership with brand, such as yourselves - global leaders in this field - who are continuing to pioneer the sector.
By maintaining a strong commitment to continuous learning, our goal is to promote greater understanding of the field to facilitate the creation, development and execution of emerging Touchless Wellness business models, the elevation and evolution of the guest journey and customer experience.
Erin, with your technical background in designing and delivering high-end heat experience areas for both residential and commercial projects, what do you consider to be the key factors when integrating water systems into these spaces, from both a functional and design perspective?
When integrating water systems into heat experience areas—whether that’s a luxury spa, a wellness suite, or a private residence—the key is achieving harmony between functionality, safety, and sensory impact.
Functionally, the system must be robust, intuitive, and hygienic. That means considering water quality, pressure, water usage, temperature regulation, and efficient drainage from the very beginning. Integration with the building’s mechanical systems must be seamless, and materials must withstand extreme conditions while remaining low-maintenance. I always ensure systems are easy to service and scalable, especially for commercial settings where usage is high and uptime is critical.
From a design perspective, water elements should enhance the ritual and rhythm of the heat experience. Whether it’s a drench shower, cold plunge, mist corridor, or Kneipp, the sensory journey is everything. Lighting, materials, and acoustic properties all need to work together to evoke emotion and elevate the experience. The water feature should never feel like an afterthought—it’s a moment of contrast and transition, so its placement, flow pattern, and visual integration with the space are key.
It’s also essential to consider the sequencing and spatial flow of the entire wellness journey. Water features must be located thoughtfully in relation to other experiences—whether that’s for practical reasons, like rinsing off before entering a pool, sauna or steam room, or to enhance the therapy, such as positioning a cold plunge after a hot thermal experience. In some cases, water is the experience itself—offering moments of invigoration, recovery, or grounding within a broader multisensory journey.
Ultimately, successful integration of water systems depends on early collaboration between designers, architects, engineers and manufacturers/suppliers. That’s where the magic happens: when technical precision meets intentional design and every element supports both wellbeing and the overall sensory experience.
Alina, you’ve created a first Circadian Health Wellness programme in 2020, are deeply emersed in translating science into wellness programming and you’ve managed a primary piece of research into Touchless Wellness.
Recently you are adapting the field of Experience Design into Wellness to understand what today’s spa and wellness guests truly want and need. Your work also looks at how these priorities have been shifting over time: guests’ desires and expectation changing and what should Touchless Wellness brands and investors keep in mind to effectively respond to the changing ways of delivering experiences that are both meaningful and memorable?
Consumer behavior in the wellness services market is influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including psychological, social, personal, economic, and even technological influences. These factors shape a consumer's motivation, perception, attitudes, and ultimately, their purchasing decisions regarding wellness services – and behaviour to engage the Wellness experience. All of this means a change in the assumptions we are making from the original one-size-fits all, personalization to “Precision Wellness.” When it comes to creating value and delivering exceptional experiences, this is a seismic shift and it means creating, developing and executing Wellness experiences for individual needs.
Water experiences are one of the most exciting and versatile ways to delivering Touchless Wellness and understanding the sensorial is key to this. But there’s a catch. Each person has their own built-in “sensorial type,” or preferences.
Humans perceive water through a combination of sensorial stimulus, individual responses and the sensory systems and water involve the tactile, thermal, auditory, visual, and proprioception as foundational to creating precision. As already mentioned by my colleagues, water experiences can play a powerful role, in Wellness , by leveraging the function of the senses, to induce relaxation, reduce pain, and improve physical and cognitive function. Such sensory integration provides the ability to for individuals to develop better awareness of their bodies and improve sensory processing, while supporting emotional regulation, and enhance cognitive function – and this means big value proposition to the consumer.
When it comes to investment, business models and the ROI, guests want to be entertained, have real benefits, and be delighted. The pathway to the ROI pipeline is to deliver experiences that are bio-individualized, meaningful and memorable because they tap into the wants and needs, Within today’s capacity to automate, track, and integrate multiple operational verticals through AI, today’s consumers can get what they want and need while in balance with the needs of the business.
Nigel, your career has been deeply rooted in creating wellness spaces that blend aesthetics, science, and emotional transformation. How do you view the role of water in today’s wellness projects?
Do you believe it should always be an essential element within a spa? And if so, how do you think water experiences should be promoted and elevated to create truly meaningful and memorable moments for guests?
Absolutely!
Water is not just a design element in the wellness spaces I create; it’s a fundamental experience catalyst, and an essential and powerful force that connects the scientific, the sensory, and the sacred.
In my work, water is never decorative; it’s an active therapeutic system within the spatial choreography. When designed, integrated and elevated as a core part of the overall concept, hydrothermal circuits, cold immersion, floatation, sensory shower tunnels and even elemental bathing rituals become more than amenities. They act as strategic interventions and wellness elevations that regulate the autonomic nervous system, increase vagal tone, support lymphatic flow, and positively influence neuroplasticity, which is an essential component in the longevity conversation.
These are not indulgences or facilities when designed this way; they are scientifically grounded modalities that support deep physiological and emotional reset, and offer an emotional coherence to the concept experience.
Water, in this context, becomes architecture in motion: responsive and restorative, but also inherently therapeutic.
A heartfelt thank you to Erin, Alina, and Nigel for sharing their vision, expertise, and passion with us. Your insights have demonstrated how the Wellness Experience is evolving towards an increasingly precise, sensorial, and personalized approach, where water is not just an element, but a true language of wellbeing. It is through contributions like yours that the industry can continue to grow, innovate, and deliver authentic, meaningful, and memorable experiences for every guest.
Aquaform Team
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