The definitive women’s spa

Sanctuary holds an iconic position in the world of spas, as both progenitor of the day spa and a definitively celebratory female experience. Over decades the Covent Garden Spa has been a haven for women seeking genuine sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Dragon Rouge were asked to help Sanctuary take the next steps in an illustrious history – both assisting in its review of an already enviably successful product range and working on an extension into a new diffusion high street spa experience. The Sanctuary team acknowledged that the brand was at a crossroads and that through rapid organic growth some elements of the portfolio were not necessarily working hardest to support the brand.

Bottling the ‘fluently female’ spa experience

We took as our key principle the idea that every product in each range had to deliver a drop of ‘Sanctuary spa in a bottle’. We paid particular attention to brand language to ensure that every range expressed the sensory or physical benefit and echoed the essence of its famous parent brand. It meant framing benefits more clearly, and infusing them with a richer, more rewarding spa tone of voice. We also clarified the navigation across the range. The process was about subtle evolution rather than seismic reinvention, and our recommendations made the on-shelf navigation clearer, the brand’s point of difference prouder and the Signature range even more indulgent and gift-able.

The launch of the ‘City Spa’ onto the UK high street

The development of the diffusion high street ‘City Spa’ concept was less a ‘jelly mould’ copy of the Covent Garden flagship, and more a new capsule spa experience: smaller footprint, a faster pace, new products that were as much about enhancement as indulgence. The creation of an obvious ‘offspring’ of Covent Garden in brand terms was key, but one that would create a ‘red thread’ without suggesting a replica experience. The success of the prototype in Richmond has led to two further spas in Bristol and Cambridge. Sanctuary remains the iconic spa for women.