I have Become a Spa Candle Snob
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider
I have become a spa candle snob…and to a large degree I have only myself to blame. I noticed it last week as I was touring the new Amrita Spa at the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul. Their spa is quite large and has a lovely ambiance. I was especially impressed with the long corridors, which featured rich-colored wooden floors lined with candles. Gorgeous. I noticed the candles because they were beautifully spaced, occasionally branched into an artfully designed cluster of candles, and mostly because they were real! I remember thinking how great it was to see genuine candles again.
(Althought I couldn’t find a photo of the actual corridor at the Amrita Spa in Istanbul, this photo gives you an idea of what it looked like.)
You see I have been noticing that more and more spas are using fake (flameless) candles. I must admit I was really enthused about these flameless candles when I first discovered them years ago. In fact I remembered writing about them in one of my SpaFinder Insiders. 
Checking my blog archives I was amazed to see that I had written about flameless candles (like those pictured here on the right) in 2003! Well, the word spread like wildfire (pun intended) and voilà, they are now everywhere – including the foyer of our SpaFinder offices to my chagrin. I still think they are clever, avoid a fire hazard, and give a pretty nice ambiance. However… I am afraid the novelty has worn off for me. I miss my real candles.
My aversion seems to be escalating. Lately I have noticed that I am actually “judging” a spa based on their candles! The spas with “real” candles get higher marks in my mind than the spas with “faux” candles. I know that isn’t fair, but I am beginning to see fake candles like artificial plants – I much prefer the real thing. Perhaps all the emphasis on authenticity in spas has now spilled over into my preference for candles with a natural smell, sound, and look.
I think I liked the fake candles more when most people didn’t know they were fake. Nowadays many spa guests have had the chance to peer into the top of one of those flameless candles (often they are placed on the floor or in a low position where people can easily look down into them) and seen the surprise fake “wick” which goes on and off via a battery. The jig is up.
So…what to do?
Well, I think it is unreasonable to assume that all spas will go back to real candles because some places don’t allow the
m and for others, it just isn’t worth the fire risk. So I think the best thing we as an industry can do is make more of an effort to use these little darlings in a better way.
Here are some suggestions and I welcome yours!
1. Place flameless candles in a higher position (not on the floor) so guests cannot peer into them
2. Get creative in disguising the battery operated “wicks”
3. Mix it up. Use some of the newer fake candle varieties (example shown) that are available so we don’t see the standard fake ones over and over again.
4. Try some candle arrangements, which use a few fakes and a few real candles together.
Perhaps together we can spark interest in putting this rabbit back in the hat.
And spa-goers…do let us know how you feel. Are you aware of the fake candles? Do you like them? Any suggestions on how we can make the ambiance just right for you in terms of candles?
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I have to disagree only because I've always been afraid of fire (goes back to Catholic school candle-lighting phobias!) and I find the flameless variety neat, clean and safe. However, fake plants in a spa? Ick. I agree with that! But I like the flameless in spas (I'm thinking of Joya Spa at Montelucia in Arizona particularly). No overwhelming scent and they look like an orchestra of pretty lights.
of course nothing can beat the thrue atmophere of a real candle! But what if you own a spa in south america where candles costs are high? i would love to learn to make them myself…pure organic aromatherapy candles,what is the best place to learn how to do this? i think making your own gives the most personality to your spa,no fake neither bought candle can beat that!!! please any tips?
Hi Susie,
A friend of mine just brought a candle home for me from Chateau Marmont in the States- DIVINE!
Also, when we had Per Aquum I was a huge fan of Northern Lights candles- they are handcrafted with pure bees wax and have nothing nasty in them at all…we used to sell loads of them in the spa (they do customised packaging and deliver worldwide) – http://www.northernlight.com.au…the owner of the company is amazingly passionate about getting the message out about the immense amount of damage the average tea light candle does to the environment…he told me every statistic you need to know when I went and visited him on his self sustainable farm in Northern NSW very close to GAIA (Olivia Newton-Johns Retreat in Australia)…Northern lights are definitely worth a mention for all of the spa’s out there who do want REAL candles and who also want to do the RIGHT thing by their clients and the environment. Here is a reference of their website that has some very interesting/scary health facts:
health
Northern light candles are free from paraffin, palm oil, soy oil or any other hazardous ingredient. Our safe, all natural ingredients include the finest, hand picked australian beeswax, cotton wick, and translucent porcelain. The oil, bees wax and production facilities are all food grade.
There is no harm to bee, environment or person in the making of our lights.
toxicology of paraffin wax
Paraffin is the common name for a group of high molecular weight alkane hydrocarbons produced by the distillation of crude oil. Non-food grade paraffin wax commonly used in the production of other candles often contains oils and impurities which may be toxic or harmful.
source: wikipedia
workplace exposure limits to the fumes of burning paraffin wax
Paraffin oil (kerosene) and the solid form paraffin wax are petrochemical fuels and the 'exhaust' from a paraffin candle has been examined by the australian government's national occupational health and safety commission (NOHSC). The NOHSC recommends workplace exposure limits of 2 milligrams of paraffin fume per square metre, over an eight-hour period.
source: australian government national occupational health and safety
Hope you are keeping well…I am enjoying life back in Sydney with my 3 children and my organic vegetable garden!!!
Warmest
Jane
P.s I am a fellow candle snob!
I love spa, but a steam shower completes the bath spa experience!
Yest, I returned from a long w/e stay at the Swisshotel in Istanbul. I read your entry before my journey so I was curious to 1st hand take in this fake flameless candle experience during my spa treatments at Amrita. The BIG surprise was to find out that the candles are real, flame, unscented now. Mmh, how interesting!
hi there, i have worked in the 6 star crystal serenity spa – i think you should look at your cruise spa's and do some updates? harmony is long gone from the crystal fleet and serenity was the latest addition. thanks mas
Hi all,
I must agree with you Susie. The ones with the “light bulb wick” are tacky and I am almost certain at the time when you wrote your blog, you are not familiar with Candle Impressions’ flameless candles! They are crafted from real wax, some even give off a scent, and most importantly they have a patented “faux-wick” design which look and feel just like a real candle. Would love to send you a free sample to introduce you to our product!
Warmest,
G