Willow Springs Spa

What is Willow Springs Spa?

Willow Springs Spa is a spa game with a long career attached. Every treatment is a short run of hands-on steps: you trace long strokes down a back, tap knots as they pulse, warm hot stones, paint a clay mask, pour tea to the line and tap singing bowls in time. Each step gets a grade, and the finished treatment comes out with one to three stars.

Around that sits the business. Coins and reputation buy new gear, rooms, a small team, decor and five more locations, from a lakeside cabin to an island retreat. There are 58 treatments to learn, including 10 signature treatments taught by your regulars. It's free and runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer.

How an open day works

Tap Open the spa and guests start taking seats in the lounge. A picture ticket above each guest shows the treatment they want, and the bar under it is their calm: green, then yellow, then red. Tap a guest to start their treatment, or tap anywhere to start on the most stressed guest.

The treatment plays out in the middle of the screen one step at a time, with the step name and a one-line hint. Then you see the finished result and the guest pays. An open day lasts just under three minutes, and it ends once everyone left in the lounge has been looked after.

The guest on your table never loses calm. Everyone else in the lounge loses it more slowly while you work, but not by much once your spa gets popular. If a guest's calm runs out, they leave unhappy, your calm streak resets and tranquility drops by 10.

Many days bring an event, such as a wellness retreat group, a tired marathoner who tips big for three stars, a bridal party or a rainy day with patient guests. Famous guests get a gold ticket so you can spot them.

The 12 treatment steps

Every treatment is built from the same 12 moves. Each one is graded Perfect, Lovely, Good or Oops. The first time you meet a step, a little hand shows the motion.

Controls on phone and computer

On a phone or tablet everything is done with one finger. On a computer the mouse works the same way, and the keyboard covers every step.

• Space or Enter: hold for strokes, pours, dials, stones, masks, scrubs and swirls, tap for knots and placing pieces.
• Arrow keys: buff on the beat and fold in the arrow direction.
• 1 2 3: tap the singing bowls. During an open day, 1 to 6 pick a guest and Space picks the most stressed one.
• Esc pauses. Left and Right scroll around the spa.

Stars, tips and tranquility

Your step grades are averaged into stars. Mostly Perfect and Lovely grades earn three stars, a mixed run earns two, and a rough one earns one. Three stars sells for 30% more than two stars, and one star sells for 30% less.

Tips come on top of the price. They grow with stars, with how calm the guest still was when you reached them, and with your calm streak: every guest who leaves with two or three stars adds 5% to tips, up to 50%. At streaks of 3, 5, 8, 12, 16 and 20 you also get a serene streak bonus.

The tranquility bar at the top is the mood of the whole spa. It starts each day at 50. Clean steps and three-star results raise it, while long waits, sloppy steps and walkouts lower it. On busier days a guest who waited until tense brings less calm with them, even after a lovely treatment. High tranquility makes tips up to 30% bigger and earns bonus reputation at the end of the day.

Prices also rise with mastery. Three-star results on the same treatment earn Bronze at 3, Silver at 8 and Gold at 15, worth 10%, 20% and 35% more on that treatment. Each day also has a special (double price, marked x2 on its ticket) and a focus category (20% more), and seasonal treatments and location favorites pay extra too.

Studio, Daily Challenge and Relaxed spa

The Studio has no guests and no clock. Pick any treatment you've unlocked and perfect it for stars and mastery. It pays half price, so it's for learning a tricky step, not for getting rich.

The Daily Challenge is the same open day for everyone: four seats, four set treatments, the same guests in the same order, and 2 minutes 30 seconds on the clock. Your score is the coins you earn plus 10 for each three-star result, plus your tranquility, plus 50 if nobody left. It goes on the daily leaderboard, keeps your day streak going, and your first try each day pays your spa a coin reward. Your reputation goes on a second board, the spa rating.

Relaxed spa (in More, then Settings, or in the pause menu) turns off the clock. Guests never leave, steps are a bit more forgiving and nothing fails on a timer. Prices are 15% lower and there are no streak bonuses, and the Daily Challenge always uses normal rules.

Growing your spa

Reputation levels unlock new treatments and gear, and each level gives you a skill point. The six skills (Touch, Warmth, Blends, Serenity, Timing and Hospitality) each have five levels and make their steps more forgiving, keep guests calm longer or raise tips. From reputation 8 you can buy extra skill points with masterclasses.

Rooms make the spa longer on screen and add seats: a Treatment Room, a Steam Room (needed for the steamer and sauna), a Tea Lounge, a Garden Pool and a Rooftop Deck. Gear comes in three tiers, each more forgiving than the last. Your team of four takes simple work off your hands and earns coins while you're away, up to two hours' worth.

For the long run, every location takes five renovation stars and then, from reputation 20, five luxury stars: cedar beams, moon gates, lantern strings, gold leaf and a landmark crest you can see in the spa. Each star adds 6% to prices there and 1% to tips everywhere. Heirloom decor pieces such as the Golden Willow and the Jade Grotto wait at the top of the decor shop, and from reputation 20 you can sponsor the Valley Festival once a day to turn spare coins into reputation.

Regulars and goals

Ten regulars drop by with little stories, like Marta the night nurse and Grandpa Lou with his tea. Give them good treatments and they come back. After five happy visits each one teaches you a signature treatment, such as Night Shift Reset or Moonlit Sound Bath. Each day also brings three goals; finish all three for a bonus skill point. There are 24 awards to collect, and the spa cat, Juniper, likes to be petted.

Tips and strategy

• Always start with the guest whose bar is lowest. Tapping anywhere in the lounge does this for you.
• Once you're working on a guest, don't rush. The others wait a little longer while you work, and a three-star result is worth more than a few seconds.
• Practice your weakest step in the Studio. One Oops can pull a treatment down to two stars.
• Spend your first skill points on Serenity and Touch. Calm guests and forgiving strokes and knots help on almost every treatment.
• Hire Hana early. A receptionist keeps guests calm 15% longer for just 250 coins.
• Watch for the daily special (its ticket wears a gold x2 tag) and the focus category shown on the start button, and keep both on your menu that day.
• If tranquility keeps ending low, it's usually waiting time. Train Milo, add seats only when you can keep up, and treat the most stressed guest first.

Questions