This trend is fuelled by rising costs in the traditional health care system; the emergence of a more consumer-centric model revolving around greater choice and price transparency; and fluctuations in international currencies opening up attractive new markets—even in the U.S. Hospitals are unleashing programs to attract not only the sick and old, but also the young and well: from integrative programs, prevention centres, executive physicals, to aesthetic procedures.
At the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, the ‘patients’ have become ‘guests,’ healthcare and hospitality are united, and spa elements (serene gardens, feng shui design, organic local cuisine, on-demand massage and alternative therapies) have invaded the once drab hospital walls. At the same time ‘wellness diagnostics’ are on the rise within the medical spa environment, with services like imaging, genomics, stress tests, blood and urine analyses, and futuristic offerings that allow people to bank their own stem cells.
4. Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green
The ‘eco-embedded’ spa embraces environmental processes that are quietly and meaningfully enmeshed throughout the entire spa, so there’s no demanding efforts required by the spa guest, who is, after all, there to relax. Consumers in general are suffering from green fatigue and sustainability stress, so say goodbye to showy, loud, and superficial green gestures, and hello to initiatives that are both subtler and far bolder than ever before.
Examples are endless: across European spas, hotel room key slots trigger time-delayed sensors to turn off lights and air conditioning in rooms. Rock Resort Spa at Keystone Lodge in Colorado is built from the ‘earth up’ with sustainability in mind, using wind-powered electricity and building from recycled wood. The most innovative 21st-century eco destination spa? Six Senses in Thailand, where guests can eat any and all of the resort landscaping.
5. Trains, Boats and Planes: In-Transit Spa-Going
Spa-ing while travelling is reaching a whole new level: trains with fully equipped gyms and spas, planes with spa showers and massage treatments in-flight, health and wellness-oriented cruises, and more. What began as a novelty has turned into big business that uniquely targets today’s captive, over-stressed traveller.
Southern India’s Golden Chariot train already features an onboard Ayurvedic centre with a fully equipped gym and spa. Almost every major airport now boasts a spa; London’s Heathrow Airport alone has four to choose from! Cruise ships are broadening their health and wellness options beyond the spa facility itself:
Crystal Cruises offers Mind-Body-Spirit cruises and Disney has joined the trend by offering a “Detox for Weight Loss” program.