THOUGHT LEADERS
Jeremy McCarthy Group director of spas Mandarin Oriental
T
he biggest trend shaping the spa industry is what I call ‘wellness everywhere’. Consumers are no longer
satisfied with small pockets of wellness in an otherwise stressful and unhealthy lifestyle. Increasingly, they expect to have wellness integrated into every aspect of their lives: at home, at work and wherever they go in between. However, this may be a pyrrhic victory for spas as we find ourselves surrounded on all sides by new competitors. Our cry of “we were here first” can scarcely be heard above the din. This trend can be an opportunity for the
spa industry, as wellness finally gets the mainstream recognition it deserves. But it’s also a threat, as businesses from across all industries flood into the wellness space. One expression of this trend, for example, is the spa-ification of everything: airports, hotels, hospitals and corporate offices just to name a few. We see these other institutions bringing in key
“ This trend can be an opportunity as
wellness fi nally gets the mainstream
recognition it deserves. But it’s also a threat ”
elements of spa design including healing and soothing design aesthetics; spaces for yoga, meditation or rest; and even wellness programming including fitness, massage and meditation. We have to ask ourselves: if everything starts to look like a spa, what is a spa? The key to success in this environment
is greater differentiation and greater specialisation. We’ll see more niche spas that cater to very specific market segments (teens, cancer patients, prenatal, etc).
There’s also a rise in bathhouse and hot springs style spas which offer facilities that far exceed the more commonplace wellness design elements. And spas will continue to be successful by authentically tapping in to the human side of the business: experienced healers delivering nurturing therapies. We live in a time of great change and
it’s clear that the spa industry will need to adapt. But I’m optimistic that the future is bright for the spa industry. Spas offer things that are increasingly scarce in modern society: silence, touch, slowness, personal attention and escape from technology. The demand for these kinds of services will only increase with time, and those who can deliver them authentically will continue to be successful.
Spas off er silence, touch and escapism – things which give them an edge as other fi rms latch onto wellness says McCarthy
58
spabusiness.com issue 3 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015
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 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126