ISPA Innovate Awards
Overview & Process
Each year, the International SPA Association (ISPA) honors creativity, leadership, and forward-thinking excellence across the spa industry through its prestigious ISPA Innovate Awards.
These awards celebrate organizations that push boundaries, introduce original ideas, and elevate the guest experience. The awards series recognizes innovation across multiple facets of the spa industry, including new product development, spa experiences, amenities, retail initiatives, operational excellence, renovations and philanthropic efforts.
The application window for the 2025 ISPA Innovate Awards is now closed.
Eligibility Criteria & Rules
To ensure fairness and consistency, the following criteria and rules apply to all entries:
- Membership Requirement: Applicants must be current ISPA spa members at the time of both application submission and winner selection.
- Entry Limit: Each member company may submit one complimentary application. Additional applications may be submitted for a $150 fee (limit one per category).
- Launch Window: All entries must have been launched between September 16, 2024, and October 10, 2025.
- Voting Integrity: Applicants agree not to solicit ISPA member votes through mass email, social media promotions or similar methods.
- Submission Deadline: All entries must be submitted electronically via the official entry form by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 3, 2025.
Updated Voting Process
In response to valuable member feedback, ISPA has enhanced and streamlined the Innovate Awards voting process to ensure a fair, balanced and efficient review experience.
Step 1: Application Review by Volunteer Ambassadors and Committee Members
A select group of ISPA volunteer member Ambassadors and committee members will carefully review all submitted applications. These volunteers will evaluate each entry based on the creativity and impact of the innovation.
To maintain integrity and avoid conflicts of interest, volunteers are not permitted to assist with any category in which their company, parent company or a partner company has submitted an entry.
Step 2: Selection of Finalists
Following the initial review, the volunteer group will select a group of finalists for each category. These finalists represent the most creative and impactful innovations across the spa industry.
Step 3: Member Ballot Voting
Once the finalists have been selected, ISPA will compile them into an official ballot. All ISPA members will then have the opportunity to submit one custom ballot in December, casting their votes for their favorite finalists in each category.
Step 4: Winner Announcement
The Innovate Award winners will be announced in early 2026 and formally recognized at the 2026 ISPA Conference.
Award Categories
- Innovative Philanthropic Partnership
Recognizes a new partnership or initiative with a philanthropic connection that has yielded meaningful, positive results. - Resource Partner New Product Innovation
Honors truly new and innovative products that deliver meaningful advancements in design, ingredients/formulas, functionality, technology or performance. - Spa Experience
Celebrates unique or original spa experiences and treatments offered to guests for a fee (i.e., new therapies, fitness offerings, facials or technology-driven treatments). - Spa Amenity
Recognizes complimentary experiences, items, or services that enhance the guest experience (i.e., locker room amenities, aromatherapy bars, refreshments or innovative shared spaces). - Spa Retail Initiative
Highlights creative retail-focused initiatives or promotions involving product sales or partnerships (i.e., retail campaigns, open houses, gift-with-purchase efforts or online retail innovations). - Spa Operations Initiative
Acknowledges operational initiatives that improve efficiencies, savings, employee engagement, or guest satisfaction (i.e., onboarding programs, recognition systems, sustainability efforts, hiring campaigns or process streamlining). - Spa Remodel / Renovation / Opening
Honors innovative spa remodels, renovations, openings, or refresh projects that demonstrate design excellence and creativity.