SpaFinder Wellness Previews Top 10 Spa and Wellness Trends for 2013
SpaFinder Wellness discovery engine revealed a preview of its 10th annual Trends Report, which forecasts
top trends that will impact the spa and wellness industry. The in-depth report on 10th annual forecast will be released January 15. The forecast is based on ongoing surveys with spa and wellness businesses and stakeholders around the globe, thousands of travel agents and hundreds of thousands of consumers.
Top 10 Spa and Wellness Trends:
Healthy Hotels
Established hotel chains are re-branding around wellness and it’s not just about fitness. Customized food and beverage offerings (gluten-free and vegan menus) are becoming standard fare, and hotels are jumping into the juice-themed vacation frenzy.
The Mindfulness Massage:
Rather than lying on the massage table with a mind full of chatter from the stresses of the day, the Mindfulness Massage uses breath work and techniques such as “body scans,” where attention is brought to every part of the body and the action of the therapists’ hands.
Earthing
As modern-day humans become more cut off from nature, “earthing” specifically refers to the movement promoting direct contact with the earth’s electron-rich surface (walking barefoot, etc.). The premise is that “grounding” the body to the earth’s surface stabilizes natural electrical rhythms and reduces disease-causing inflammation.
Spa-Genomics…Telomeres and Beyond:
Humans have 30,000 genes and a three billion-letter DNA code. The future of medicine is mining this information to identify breakthrough approaches to support a new age of predictive, personalized medicine grounded in each person’s unique genetic profile.
Authentic Ayurveda and Other Ancient Revivals:
Expect more aggressively-authentic and comprehensively-executed global wellness experiences at spas with a distinctly ancient look, feel and language – and a far more expansive, exotic menu of wellness traditions.
Color Self-Expression:
Expect more in-your-face shades on hair and face from reverse ombre to neon lashes; more body art hitting bodies of every gender and age, performed at new, haute “tattoo spas”; and nail art will continue to ascend with less bling and more nuanced textures and designs from 3D art to freehand mini-paintings.
Inclusive Wellness:
More people will look to spas to heal and keep bodies functional, whether through pain-relieving and mobility enhancing therapies, nutrition advice, or the right forms of “functional fitness” for those with physical limitations or special needs.
Label Conscious Fitness:
From Yogalates and Piloxing to CrossFit and The Skinny Jeans Workout, health and wellness have become the new luxury. Millions chase the “insider elite,” giving the fitness world a distinct fashion world vibe where consumers shop for the latest fitness craze just as they search for the newest designer purse.
Men: From Barbers to “Brotox”:
Men have different needs than women when it comes to face/body enhancements, desiring subtle, not overdone results. So look for far more spas to build out comprehensive, for-men “beauty” menus – male waxing and threading services and man geared cosmetic procedures.
Where the Jobs Are
With the $2 trillion-plus pan-wellness market (spanning fitness, alternative medicine, spa, etc.) continuing to grow, spas simply cannot find enough people (with the right skills) to fill spa management/director or therapist jobs. This need promises to expand in years ahead as the world continues its shift from a manufacturing to a service economy – and people, health care institutions and governments
recognize the effectiveness of spa/wellness programs and experiences.
