2011
SPA TREND REPORT
Japanese inspiration at Golden Door, California HYPER-LOCAL SPAS
Local fl avour or taste of the exotic?
For a good few years, spas have been meeting spa-goers’ intensifying desire for
authenticity to place and culture. But spas are now going hyper-local, putting unique twists on the ‘farm-to-table’ movement, with farm-to-spa cuisine and farm-to-massage-table treatments. Hyper-local also means ramped-up community/ philanthropic projects, 100 per cent locally- sourced building materials and mandating local hiring policies. Guests are gardening, farming, preparing their own food and making expedi- tions to local artisans and schools. Counter-trend: With spa treatments, a good case can be made for emphasising exotic experiences from other worlds. For example, Golden Door destination spa in California, takes the form of a very authentic Japanese ryokan (inn), including Japanese art, gardens and yukata robes. Also, the heavily themed spa resorts of Las Vegas (fanciful Italian, French, Middle Eastern environments) are striking counter-trend examples.
EXTREME BEAUTY: SPA EDITION Extreme beauty vs make-up and mirror free
Botox® move over, beauty-seekers are taking it to the max. Stem-cell facials, plasma therapy (where blood is drawn and
re-injected) and ultherapy (using ultrasound to regenerate skin col- lagen) are the new buzzwords. T ere are extremes like military-style boot camps, rolfi ng and bikram yoga, where pain meets pleasure. T e most thought-provoking extreme: people seem to be able to partake in both natural and invasive cosmetic procedures without confl ict. People demanding extreme results are happy to pay the price: the beauty mar- ket represents a staggering us$679bn (€495.1bn, £422.9bn) annually. Counter-trend: An interesting experiment: create a spa or spa expe- rience that absolutely eliminates the all-consuming pursuit of beauty. T ere might be something liberating and appealing about places where no one wears make-up, nail polish or has their hair coloured, perhaps without mirrors. T e emphasis on external beauty is virtually elimi- nated… to focus on mind, wellness and inner beauty.
SPA BUSINESS 1 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
Fast is in, but so is slow: Mandarin Oriental has created a three-hour treatment SPA, IN A NEW YORK MINUTE Quick, quick slow
Many of us inhabit a stressed-out, 24/7 world and the spa industry is
responding, helping people spa anytime and off ering mini (15- to 13-minute) and simultaneous treatments performed by multiple therapists. Suddenly, a 9pm clos- ing time is the norm and ‘open late’ now means 2am or all night. T e trend is also towards earlier: 6 to 7am opening times attract business people jump-starting their day and revellers calling it a night. T e explosion of airport spas world-
wide plays into the express trend neatly. T e quest for effi ciencies is also refl ected in new facility design directions, with
locker rooms on the decline and even check-in counters being rethought. Also expect to see more spa-goers embracing 24/7 online and appointment booking via mobile phone apps. Counter-trend: A clear counter-trend is to slow it way down, with many more leisurely spa experiences emerg- ing simultaneously. Some spas report that the 90-minute massage is becom- ing more standard than the 60-minute, with requests for two-hour massages on the rise. One example is the new three- hour treatment off ered at the Mandarin Oriental Spa in New York.
SURPRISING SPECIAL EVENTS Make it special, or keep it simple?
Destination spas are increasingly developing super-distinc- tive, speciality programmes. Retreats now span everything
from a high-fl ying trapeze experience to more sober gatherings for survivors of loss. Celebrity authors, artists and personali- ties oſt en headline these stays. Hotel/resort spas will continue to surprise traditional and business groups with unpredictable programming: from therapeutic carpentry and falconry to tight- rope walking. T e sky’s the limit as spas fi nd creative ways to satisfy people’s desire for learning and new experiences. Counter-trend: A segment of spas are also going back to basics, by shortening and streamlining menus to please overwhelmed con- sumers, who typically default back to tried-and-tested treatments. While hyper-unique events can be extraordinarily memorable (even life-changing), the counter-trend of embracing the comforts of familiarity are attractive to many spa-goers as well.
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 69
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84