Sound has always been part of the wellness experience

Open space with scenic views and solitude

We often describe a spa through what can be seen and touched: light moving across stone, water reflecting a landscape, the warmth of wood or the transition from openness to enclosure. Yet every wellness environment also has an acoustic character. Water circulates. Doors close. Air-handling systems hum. Footsteps travel. Voices gather and fade.

Sound is not an accessory to the space. It is part of how the space is perceived.

That idea is gaining greater scientific attention. A peer-reviewed study published in npj Acoustics in October 2026 examined whether natural sound could improve the restorative quality of a noisy urban setting—and whether the physiological response might continue after people left.

The results do not provide a formula for the perfect spa soundtrack. They do, however, invite wellness designers and operators to take the acoustic environment as seriously as lighting, materials, temperature and water.

 

The opportunity is not to fill a wellness space with sound. It is to shape an acoustic environment that helps people feel more at ease—often through the luxury of restraint.

 

What the new soundscape research found

The study involved working adults taking a 30-minute break in a rooftop biophilic garden in Singapore that was exposed to substantial traffic noise. The physical setting and instructions were the same for both groups, but one environment was subtly enhanced with natural sounds, including bird calls.

Researchers monitored heart-rate variability, or HRV, before and after the visit and through the participants sleep that night. HRV is commonly used as an indicator of autonomic nervous-system activity and physiological recovery.

Unlike a higher heart rate, higher HRV generally reflects a more flexible nervous system and a greater capacity for recovery, although there is no single ideal number because HRV varies among individuals and is best understood relative to a personal baseline.

Participants exposed to the enhanced natural soundscape showed higher HRV following the visit. Part of that response remained detectable during the transition into sleep and the first hours of sleep that evening, but it was no longer evident when participants awoke the next morning.

The distinction matters. The study did not establish that birdsong improves sleep, eliminates fatigue or produces a lasting health benefit. It identified a short-term physiological response associated with conditions that may support recovery. The researchers retained usable data from 39 participants, so the findings should be treated as promising rather than definitive.

Still, the study adds something useful to the design conversation: the influence of a restorative environment may not end at its physical threshold.

Soundscape design is more than background music

In hospitality, sound is frequently approached in one of two ways. It is either a technical issue—something to absorb, insulate or suppress—or a branding layer delivered through a playlist.

Soundscape design asks a broader question: how do people experience the complete acoustic environment in a particular place?

That includes intentional sounds, unwanted noise and the spaces between them. It considers whether water masks a mechanical system or merely adds another competing layer. It notices whether conversation creates social warmth in one area and discomfort in another. It asks whether music supports the pace of a treatment, whether a quiet room is genuinely quiet and whether sounds from outside connect guests to the destination or separate them from it.

Natural sound can play a role, but simply adding recorded birdsong is not inherently restorative. Context, volume, repetition, cultural association and the fit between what guests hear and what they see can all influence the experience. A natural sound that feels authentic beside an open garden may feel artificial in a sealed interior. For some guests, silence may be more restorative than any curated audio.

The aim is not more sound. It is coherence.

The wider evidence is encouraging—but not uniform

The Singapore findings are supported by a growing, though still developing, body of research.

A 2021 synthesis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reviewed 36 publications examining natural sounds and health. Across the studies, exposure to natural sounds was associated with benefits including improved health outcomes, positive affect and reduced stress and annoyance. Water sounds appeared especially beneficial for positive affect and health outcomes, while bird sounds were strongly associated with stress and annoyance reduction.

A randomized crossover study published in Psychophysiology in 2025 found that brief exposure to a nature-based soundscape increased HRV while reducing heart and respiratory rates among 53 healthy participants. Earlier laboratory research also found that recovery in one physiological stress measure tended to occur more quickly during natural sounds than during environmental noise.

The evidence is not universal. A 2019 experiment found no physiological stress-recovery benefit when birdsong was used to mask urban traffic. That result is equally important. It reminds us that soundscape design cannot be reduced to “nature sounds equal wellness.” The underlying noise, spatial context and individual response still matter.

The case for paying attention to acoustics is much broader than natural sound alone. The World Health Organization identifies excessive environmental noise as a public-health issue associated with sleep disturbance, annoyance, cardiovascular risks and cognitive effects. In wellness hospitality, reducing harmful or intrusive sound may therefore be at least as important as deciding what restorative sounds to introduce.

What this means for spa and wellness design

The most valuable design questions begin before a soundtrack is selected.

Listen to the site first

Every place already has a soundscape. Wind, water, wildlife, weather, nearby streets and human activity can become part of its identity. Early acoustic observation can reveal which sounds deserve protection, which require mitigation and which might be gently amplified through spatial design.

Design transitions, not one continuous mood

A spa journey contains different emotional and physiological moments. Arrival may need to soften the pace of the outside world. Thermal and social areas can support shared energy. Treatment spaces require privacy and consistency. Rest areas may benefit from genuine quiet. One universal audio treatment is unlikely to serve every part of that journey equally well.

Control mechanical and operational noise

No carefully selected soundscape can fully compensate for rattling equipment, service conversations, slamming doors or poorly isolated treatment rooms. HVAC systems, pumps, drainage, back-of-house circulation and housekeeping protocols all contribute to the guest’s acoustic experience. These details should be considered during planning—not repaired through music after opening.

Offer agency where possible

Sound is personal. Guests may differ in their response to music, flowing water, birdsong, conversation or silence. Adjustable volume, quiet zones and opportunities to choose among acoustic environments can make wellness spaces more inclusive without requiring a highly technological experience.

 

Sound is personal. Giving guests a choice among music, natural sound and genuine quiet may be one of the most inclusive decisions a wellness space can make.

 

Evaluate the experience after opening

Post-occupancy research could help the industry move beyond assumptions. Do guests describe certain spaces as more restorative? Are quiet areas actually quiet during peak periods? Does acoustic choice affect dwell time, treatment satisfaction or the desire to return? Even simple observational and survey data can help design and operations teams understand whether the intended experience is being delivered.

From decoration to responsibility

The acoustic environment is easy to overlook because it is invisible. Yet it can define whether a room feels private or exposed, calm or restless, intimate or institutional. It can connect a guest to the landscape—or remind them of the machinery behind the experience.

Emerging research gives the wellness industry good reason to explore sound more deliberately, but not to overstate what is known. The most thoughtful response is not to prescribe birdsong for every relaxation room. It is to recognize sound and silence as design materials with emotional, physiological and cultural consequences.

When we begin listening to a wellness environment as carefully as we look at it, we may discover that restoration depends as much on what is removed, softened and protected as on what is added.

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Further reading