Review policy
How we source, verify 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 we detect fakes, what we won't do, and how to report a review you believe is unfair.
Last updated · 2026-05-29
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. Google's own fraud-detection runs first; we then add ours on top.
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.
Re-synced monthly
We re-pull each spa's review feed every 30 days so the rating and review count on Spalist match what's on Google today, not a stale snapshot from when the spa was first imported.
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 vetted by the world's best fraud-detection system. We build on that, rather than reinventing it.
How we detect fake reviews
Even reviews on Google Business can be manipulated. We layer additional fraud detection on top:
Volume spike detection
If a spa goes from 5 reviews/month to 50 in a single week, our system flags the listing for editorial review. Many fake-review campaigns leave this signature.
Reviewer history
We look at the reviewing accounts. An account whose only reviews are 5-star ratings 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). We sample-check at the editorial level.
Cross-platform consistency
If a spa rates 4.9★ on Google but 3.1★ on Tripadvisor, with reviews trending in opposite directions, we investigate which signal is authentic.
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 — every review currently on a spa's Google profile is in our pool of possible quotes; the 6 we display rotate monthly.
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, we'll re-sync within 30 days automatically. 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 — most reports are acknowledged within 30 minutes during business hours.
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.