Review policy
How we source, display and moderate spa reviews
Reviews are the most important signal on a spa directory — and the most abused. Here's exactly where Spalist's reviews come from, how to spot fakes, what we won't do, and how to report a review you believe is unfair.
Last updated · 2026-10-05
Where Spalist reviews come from
Every review you see on Spalist comes from one source: the spa's own Google Business profile. We do not generate reviews ourselves, we do not accept paid placements that come with promotional reviews, and we do not allow venues to write their own content into the review section.
Google Business is the canonical source
Google reviews require the reviewer to have a Google account, which limits (but doesn't eliminate) fake reviews. We rely on Google's own fraud detection — we don't run a separate review-screening system, and we don't edit ratings or review counts.
Author attribution preserved
Each review on Spalist shows the original reviewer's name and date as recorded on Google. We do not strip attribution or repackage reviews as anonymous quotes.
A dated snapshot
The rating, review count and review excerpts on Spalist are a snapshot taken when the listing's details were last updated from Google, and each spa page shows that date. The venue's own Google profile is always the most current source.
Why we don’t accept direct user submissions
Many directories accept reviews submitted directly through their own form. We don't. Here's why:
- Direct-submission reviews are the single largest source of fake reviews on UAE directory sites. Without a verifiable Google account behind each review, the cost of writing a fake one drops to near zero.
- Direct-submission reviews put us in an editorial position we cannot defend — moderating disputes between strangers who claim to have visited a venue we can't independently confirm they visited.
- Direct-submission reviews encourage venues to solicit positive submissions from staff, family or paid review farms. We don't want to host that incentive.
- By relying on Google Business as the canonical source, the reviewer's identity, history, and fraud signals are already screened by Google's own fraud-detection systems. We build on that, rather than reinventing it.
How to spot fake reviews
Even reviews on Google Business can be manipulated. Spalist doesn't screen reviews itself, so here are the signals worth checking on a venue's Google profile before you book:
Volume spike detection
If a spa goes from 5 reviews a month to 50 in a single week, be cautious. Sort the venue's Google reviews by 'Newest' — many fake-review campaigns leave this signature.
Reviewer history
Tap through to a few reviewing accounts. An account whose only review is a 5-star rating of one spa, with no history of reviewing other businesses, is a red flag.
Language pattern analysis
Mass-produced fake reviews tend to share linguistic patterns (identical phrasing, machine-translation artifacts, no mention of a specific treatment or therapist). Real reviews usually name details.
Cross-platform consistency
If a spa rates 4.9★ on Google but 3.1★ on Tripadvisor, with reviews trending in opposite directions, read the critical reviews on both before deciding which signal to trust.
What we won’t do
- We will not remove or suppress a negative review at the venue's request, even if they are a featured listing.
- We will not delete a review because it embarrasses the venue, unless it violates defamation law.
- We will not accept payment in exchange for reviewing favourably.
- We will not write generative-AI reviews and present them as real.
- We will not display reviews from sources we cannot attribute.
- We will not cherry-pick reviews — the up-to-6 excerpts on a spa page are shown as Google returned them for that profile, critical ones included.
Reporting a review you believe is wrong
If you believe a review on Spalist is fake, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate, here's how to handle it depending on who you are:
If you’re a spa owner
First, report the review on Google directly — that's where it lives. Google's removal process handles defamation, harassment, and clearly fake content. If Google removes it, message us and we'll update your Spalist listing to match. If Google won't act and you have independent evidence the review is fake, message us on WhatsApp and we'll suppress it from Spalist within 7 business days while leaving the rest of your Google profile untouched.
If you’re a visitor
If you spot a review on Spalist that you have direct evidence is fake (e.g. it's about a treatment the spa doesn't actually offer, or the venue you visited doesn't match the review's description), message us on WhatsApp with what you know. Our editorial team investigates within 7 business days.
Report a review
The fastest channel is WhatsApp — we aim to acknowledge reports quickly during UAE business hours.
Photo licensing & attribution
Every photograph on a Spalist spa profile is sourced from that venue's own Google Business listing, with creator credit preserved when Google provides it. Photographs remain the copyright of the original photographer (or, where no individual attribution is available, the venue that owns the Google Business listing).
How Spalist uses these photos
We display photos under Google Business's terms for verified business profile imagery, which permit third-party display with attribution to the original creator. Each image rendered on a Spalist spa profile carries a “via Google Business” credit, caches the photographer's name where Google provides it, and links back to the venue's source listing.
Licensing requests
Spalist does not own these photographs and cannot grant third-party licences. Commercial usage requests should be directed either to the original photographer through their Google Maps contributor profile, or to the venue itself. Spalist is happy to facilitate the introduction — message us via the contact page with the specific spa and image you'd like to license.
Removal requests
Photographers or venues who would like a specific image removed from a Spalist profile can contact us via WhatsApp or the contact page. We aim to process removal requests within 48 hours. If a venue closes or removes its Google Business profile, let us know and we'll clear its photographs from Spalist.
Standards we follow
Google's review policies
Because Google Business is our source, we inherit and apply Google's review guidelines — including their rules against incentivised, off-topic, hateful and impersonating content.
UAE consumer-protection norms
We operate from the UAE and aim to follow Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on consumer protection — particularly the parts dealing with misleading information about goods and services.