Guests today are increasingly interested in the healing power of nature and its influence on our well being.
More so, after the last couple of years and the inherent preoccupation with the pandemic.

For some years now, I have flagged the impending explosion in demand for medical health spas – the type of spas that go beyond pampering and leisure treatments to address underlying health issues. Little did I know that the recent pandemic would accelerate this consumer behavioral shift.

Like all good forecasting, you know it is coming, you just don’t know when.

We have already seen mainstream spas begin to extend their treatment menus to include integrative medical treatments – this trend will accelerate with the renewed focus on health arising out of the pandemic. The risk for the spa industry as a whole is that phrases like “wellness” and “immunity boosting” will be thrown around with abandon and potentially cause credibility issues with consumers.

It is critical that where spas introduce new treatments claiming health benefits, they are supported by evidence-based medical research. These long-term trends will be further underpinned by the demographics in Europe – the +65 age group will increase by 27 million people in the next decade. However, it is the younger age groups that are already interested in their health – creative treatment menus will attract them to instill health activities into all aspects of their lives. The democratization of health is another factor that will impact the spa industry in the future. Ultra luxury spas are wonderful; however, by definition, they are only accessible to the few.

Those spas that build their business model around a much wider and deeper market segment at accessible price points, will, I believe, develop a long-term sustainable future as well as have an impact on the public health as a whole.

If we look at our history across Europe, thermal mineral spas have for centuries combined the natural therapeutic benefits of hot springs with medical knowledge to treat numerous health conditions – particularly those focused on increasing mobility and releasing physical pain and tension. The effects of the mineral-rich thermal waters can reduce muscle tension and inflammation, help regenerate cartilage, and support the production of collagen and elastin in sinews and connective tissue. In many locations with thermal water, specific mineral and chemical compounds also form curative sulfurous mud, a uniquely peculiar peloid which is the result of long-term chemical reactions of thermal water with local soft rocks and specific bacterial micro flora. This mud has a different mineral content that is unique to each location and can be used in treatments through mud baths, mud compresses, and full or partial body mud wraps.

At these establishments combining thermal water bathing, curative mud treatments and a full range of physio and massage treatments over the course of several days is part of a holistic approach to wellness that also includes exercise and nutrition. The range of therapies provided in many health spas is broad, from manual and mechanical techniques such as physiotherapy, massage and stretching; to the regenerative benefits of physical therapies where electricity, magnetism, light or ultrasound are applied using their positive effect at their core.

At a time when many people are realizing the benefits of taking proactive steps to improve their health, a re-discovery of our culture, and these natural remedies provide truly unique offerings and experiences -as no two locations will produce thermal water or mud with the exact same mineral content and benefits – and offer an opportunity to re-kindle a direct – often lost – connection to the earth and the land around them.