More Than Massage - Locally-Inspired Spa: Clients Seek Uniquely Authentic Experiences
Unique, local, indigenous - all words that come to mind when thinking of what today’s spa-goer is seeking. Long gone are the days of a client booking their massage to be met with a simple Swedish, dimmed lighting, and some aromatic oils that could have come from anywhere. Now, when travelers get away, they are looking for treatments that are infused with local flair. Traditional techniques, indigenous ingredients and more, work together to create a spa treatment that fully immerses the traveler in the destination. This will turn what was formerly cookie-cutter into a unique, homegrown experience.
This increased demand for authentic, locally inspired experiences was showcased in Spafinder Wellness 365’s 7th Annual State of Spa Travel Report. Over half of the travel agents surveyed (57 percent) reported that luxury travelers, specifically, are seeking an “immersion in more unique, indigenous cultural experiences, versus ‘generic luxury’ at destinations.”
Nature, by far, is paramount in achieving this hyper- local experience and in creating new menu items that allow travelers to book a treatment that is destination- specific. Utilizing locally grown ingredients, many times going so far as to have guests forage for themselves, as well as incorporating native techniques and traditions into a service. Spas have to look outside their walls in order to bring in the types of treatments today’s spa- goer desires.
At Mexico’s own Rancho La Puerta, guests have for years found experiences infused with local flair. The spa uses the herbs and plants grown in their own organic garden Tres Estrellas, in many of the treatments, including the Rancho La Puerta Herbal Wrap, a 30-minute experience that uses herbs grown directly on the grounds. But it doesn’t end there on the Ranch, as every meal served incorporates produce harvested from the garden. “[Guests] get very excited to know that the organic and fresh vegetables and herbs used in their meals and treatments are from our grounds,” explains Tere Ochoa, Spa Manager at Rancho La Puerta. So much so that often times she hears “more than one guest promise that they will grow their own rosemary and lavender at home.”
Mexico’s Ohtli Spa at CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa in Puerto Vallarta is yet another example of a spa that provides a hyper-local experience for its guests. The spa features many menu items that use the locally-grown agave. What’s more, treatments here are inspired by the ancient healing traditions of the Huichol Indians, who reside in the nearby Sierra Madre Mountains.
All over the world, spas are catering to this desire to experience something exclusive to their destination. Greece’s Porto Elounda Golf & Spa Resort on the island of Crete uses Cretan sea salt and olive oil in its treatments, as well as Greek honey and yoghurt to
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give guests a taste of ingredients locals use each day. And at the Maruba Resort Jungle Spa in Belize, spa- goers can experience detoxifying massages and wraps that utilize Mood Mud® sourced from the local jungles.
While garden-fresh and locally sourced ingredients are some of the many ways spa-goers get destination- specific treatments, other spas are utilizing their area’s indigenous herbs and plants through blending bars and mixology stations to create a unique experience for guests. Not only do these areas give visitors an opportunity to learn more about native ingredients and their benefits, they also allow them to create a personalized treatment or gift to bring home and enjoy long after they’ve left the spa. As well, these areas become an added source of revenue for spas.
You’ll find such blending bars for patrons to create scrubs and salts at spas including Hawaii’s Laniwai at Aulani – A Disney Resort and Spa and at Arizona’s L’Apothecary, the spa at L’Auberge. Each location, while offering a similar DIY experience, makes it wholly unique by using distinctive ingredients to that destination. At Laniwai, guests can use oil from the malie flower, a traditional aromatic flower found in
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