Wellness is everywhere these days – from the supermarket shelf to our luxury spas, right down to where we live. This commodification of wellness can be a boon or a bane for our business; the overuse of the word threatens to dilute its meaning and undermine what it is that we do. But at the same time, it opens up new audiences – and new opportunities – for our industry, which has traditionally focused on the select few who can afford it.
The explosive growth of wellness communities is one such opportunity (see our report, pages 98-110). New research from American Lives showed that about a quarter of people surveyed said they were interested in living in a wellness community. This looks to be a major market opportunity for our industry; some of these locales will have on-site spas, but even those that don’t will be home to people who are so committed to the idea of wellness that they want to centre their life around it – a target market for any in our industry.
New opportunities are also cropping up that are driven by technology, or by the blossoming field of research devoted to wellness of all kinds. We’re finding out more and more about the connections between mind and body, opening up space for spas to address mental wellness in a meaningful way (see page 79). And the things we’re learning about the skin biome (see our Spa ForesightTM section, page 18) are sure to change the “face” of skincare and treatments in the years to come.
But perhaps most interesting is the way in which technology is shaping our industry – and not just in the obvious ways. While AI (artificial intelligence) wellness consultants may be in our future (see page 82), we’re also seeing quite a backlash against our tech-obsessed, ‘always-on’ culture. Whether it’s silent spas; a lust for quiet, intimate ASMR therapies (see Spa ForesightTM, page 20); or the need for simplicity (see Spa ForesightTM, page 16), spas must understand that our role as sanctuary will be more essential than ever before, in this increasingly fast-paced world.
Jane Kitchen, managing editor, Spa Business Handbook
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@SpaBusinessJK