Spa Special Features

BACK TO THE FUTURE

- Bernard Burt, author of Spectacular Spas, tracks trends worldwide.

New trends are shaping the way we spa. A revival of interest in all things natural led to holistic health and wellness programs that enhance mind, body, and spirit. Corporate executives discovered spa retreats as cost-effective stress management. Research confirmed benefits of complementary medicine and traditional healing such as acupuncture and ayurveda.

Spas provide an ideal combination of education and experience in leading a healthy lifestyle. The challenge today is to expand the market for spa services. By reaching out to new generations through programs for university students and high schoolers, the benefits of visiting a spa will be seen as a healthy investment.

Future spas are being designed now. At recent meetings of industry leaders in Europe, America, and Asia, the latest concepts of holistic health were
Discussed by architects, designers, and therapists. The challenge: creating authentic experiences that reflect local culture. Traditional spa towns like Baden-Baden in Germany, Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, and Switzerland’s Interlaken are cultivating a new image.

As a new president arrives in Washington, taking the waters is enjoying a revival. Water-based therapies are found at resorts like The Homestead in southern Virginia, a favored retreat of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and The Greenbrier in West Virginia, where members of Congress still retreat and golf. For the first time since the nation’s founding there are spas in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and on Chesapeake Bay at St. Michaels, Md. Arriving in 2010 near Middleburg, Va., Salamander Resort & Spa will sport an equestrian center.

New hotel spas in Washington include Bliss at the W this summer, Red Door now open at the historic Willard Intercontinental, and The Jefferson vinotherapy concept, scheduled to launch this summer with a Jeffersonian connection.

The worldwide movement to integrate wellness and preventive medicine redefines the spa as integral to maintaining your quality of life. According to the International Spa Association (ISPA), there are seven types of spas devoted to enhancing overall wellbeing through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body, and spirit (www.experienceispa.com). The 20th anniversary of ISPA will be celebrated in 2010 near Washington at National Harbor’s Gaylord National Resort.

As a founding member of ISPA, I gained valuable insights about holistic health from providers of products and services who support the industry’s educational programs. Leading development of the trend to combine medical treatment with spa services, they are setting standards for the future.

Senior editor of Spa Management Journal, Bernard Burt authored “Fodor’s Healthy Escapes” and “100 Best Spas of the World.”  Burt’s new book trilogy, “Spectacular Spas” will document design trends worldwide. For news updates, visit his Web site at www.SpaGoer.com

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