We know spas and the facilities they offer provide a host of physical and mental benefits – so why aren’t more of them accessible to those who arguably need them most?

New spas can be designed to accommodate the needs of those with disabilities, but it can be far more challenging in older properties, where compromises often have to made.

And while regulations exist to ensure access for disabled people, some experts say they’re ill-defined and therefore open to interpretation: it’s down to individual operators to weigh up the cost of investing in accessible spa facilities – for what is, after all, a minority audience – against the potential cost of not paying due consideration to legislation. We talk to spa experts to get their views.