The Sims 4's old Spa Day expansion is getting a big content refresh next week

One of The Sims 4's earliest expansions, 2015's Spa Day, is getting a refresh next week, introducing a whole range of new features and improvements that'll be free to existing owners.

The original Spa Day (one of EA's mid-tier Game Packs, sitting between the smaller-scale Stuff Packs and more substantial Expansion Packs) brought a focus on health and relaxation to the Sims 4, adding the new spa building type where visiting Sims could de-stress and re-energise, enjoying everything from steam baths and stone massages to yoga and meditation.

As outlined in developer Maxis' latest livestream, next week's surprisingly expansive update to Spa Day will bring new features and tighter integration with the core game. There's a new High Maintenance trait, for instance, which can be soothed by a day at the spa, giving a little more impetus to use the facilities. Meanwhile, the old Wellness skill has now been expanded so that child Sims can take advantage of its calming benefits by participating in yoga and meditation (while wearing some new activity appropriate clothing, no less).

Elsewhere, three new Wellness-themed aspirations give Sims something new to work toward. Zen Gurus, for example, want to share their mastery of Wellness with the world and train a successor to pass on their knowledge, while Self-Care Specialists are all about trying to make big money through Wellness.

On that note, virtually all Wellness skill items - including massage chairs and tables, the yoga mat, and meditation stool - now provide ways to make money, and new portable options let players run their own pop-up business (including massages, yoga classes, and guided meditation), everywhere from the park to the beach. It's even possible to advertise services through The Sims 4's in-game social media to get a potential customer boost.

The final new aspiration is Inner Peace, which is all about trying to bring harmony to a Sim's life and attempting to mitigate negative emotions. To that end, the refresh introduces new ways for Sims to pamper themselves and others, including face masks and pedicures, plus a range of new colour and style variants for spa-themed furniture and items. You can even find a healthy plate of cucumbers to munch on in the mini-fridge.

Maxis' livestream (which is well worth a watch if you're interested in learning about some of the smaller-scale tweaks and additions arriving as part of the update) also makes mention of a new Spa Membership trait, which, based on its description, waives all fees for those regular bouts of relaxation, should players want to make spas a regular fixture in their play-through.

The final big new feature in the Spa Day refresh comes in the form of nails and manicures. Once the update arrives, Sims will be able to add a bit of pizzazz to their fingers and toes with a wide range of nail colours, shapes, and designs - some created by modder Ebonix, who has been responsible for a wide range of Sims 4 nails prior to this official implementation.

Four nail options will be available to owners of The Sims 4 base game, according to Maxis, and others will be exclusive to the Spa Day Game Pack when the refresh launches on Tuesday, 7th September for PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation.

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