It was the first time I heard the term “high yield tourist” however I immediately recognized its huge importance to wellness tourism and spa tourism worldwide.  The “high yield tourist” is something governments and private business know is very important – it brings in travelers who spend more money than other tourists often do.  Also wellness tourists often don’t do as much damage to a country’s environment and thus are attractive from that point of view also.

The concept reminds me of the findings from many hotel groups that have evaluated the spending patterns of their guests.  They have found that those guests who use the spa spend a lot more money in general than those who don’t use the spa. (Sometimes even twice as much on average!)

It was last week in New Delhi – we were sitting in the office of the man who is credited with spearheading the wildly successful “Incredible India” campaign – Amitabh Kant.  In fact he had just handed us the book he wrote about that topic called “Branding India:  An Incredible Story.” I was in India with Andrew Gibson (Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong) and Professor Marc Cohen (RMIT, Australia) where we were making further preparations for the 2013 Global Spa and Wellness Summit that will take place October  5-7.

We were aware that Amitabh Kant was one of the key visionaries who put wellness tourism on the map – not only for India but for the world.  In 2000 he was minister of tourism for Kerala and launched the “God’s Own Country Campaign” that introduced this beautiful region to the world and branded it as the cradle of Ayurveda.  He later went on to work with India’s national government and developed the Incredible India campaign that resulted in showcasing the color and diversity of India – all under one banner.  He explained that the foundation of the campaign was actually the wellness aspect of India…featuring yoga, meditation and Ayurveda.

He explained that his goal was to target the “high yield tourist,” knowing that if he could do that, others would follow.  And that is exactly what happened.

There isn’t a great deal written yet about this “high yield tourist” –  however it is a concept that will likely be discussed more often in the future.  Check out this study from Australia:  Concepts of Tourism Yield and Their Measurement .

Note their observation:

 “Generally it is not the number of visitors per se that is the goal of tourism marketing but the expenditure associated with those visitors. Moreover, it is well recognized that greater numbers also generally imply greater social and environmental impacts. In this report we develop yield measures based on the financial and economic effects of visitor expenditure rather than visitor numbers.”

At any rate, I did want to share with you what our panel was all about because I found my fellow panelists fascinating individuals and our topic really profound and important.  Here is a summary of the panel…

Health Content Should be Personal:  Christie Hefner, Exec Chairman, Canyon Ranch Enterprises

Health Content Should be Emotional:  Susie Ellis, President, SpaFinder Wellness  

Health Content Should be Social:  Quincy Delight Jones III, Founder, Feel Rich Inc.

(And here are the the notes I used for my part of the panel:  Health Content Should Be Emotional)

Do you have any idea how many spas there are in the U.S.?  Take a guess.  Well, the answer is…there are more spas in the U.S. then there are Starbucks in the world! (Actually there are about 20,000 spas in the U.S. and 18,000 Starbucks worldwide – 13,000 in the U.S.)

There is a reason that spas have become so popular and that the industry globally has seen double digit growth for decades.  And part of that reason mirrors what we are exploring on our panel here today.

Just as the most successful spas address body, mind, and spirit, successful online health content needs to be personal, emotional and if possible, social.  It isn’t enough to simply address the body at a spa and it isn’t enough to simply put data and statistics on a website.

I will never forget the VIP guest who I greeted on a Sunday evening when he checked into the famous Golden Door in southern California where I worked.  He was there for men’s week and I was doing the intakes that evening.  So I asked him about why he was here and what he wanted to accomplish.  His answer?  “I run a billion dollar company and I can’t say no to a bag of M&M’s.”  At some level, I think we can all relate to that.  There is more to making lasting lifestyle changes then just knowing what to do.

Let me illustrate with a letter that was sent to me just a couple of weeks ago.  I am on the board of Rancho La Puerta, which is a spa in Tecate, Mexico that is similar in some ways to Canyon Ranch that we just heard about from Christie.  I am sure that they have received many letters like this as well.  However this one touched me in a very profound way because the woman who wrote it said some very insightful things. Here is the letter – she titled it, “A Love Letter to Rancho La Puerta.”

A Love Letter to Rancho La Puerta (from a guest Feb 2013)

My last trip to the ranch was somehow a memory jogger as I took the time to be alone and just walk and walk.  My mind went back to my first trip about 1970 when my 42-year love affair with the Ranch began.  It was a lot different then, but in many ways the same.  I loved every smell, every star in the clear evening sky and each carefully planted bush and flower.  I think that a massage was $12 but it didn’t seem cheap as I was working pretty hard for each dollar.

I remember being in the Jacuzzi under the stars and meeting a woman who ended up being the introduction to a job that has become my lifelong career.  And we have been friends ever since.  In fact there have been many life-long friendships that started at the Ranch.  Being one on one with friends in this enchanted place has bonded just casual friendships to deep lasting relationships.  One year I met a woman whose husband was a heart doctor and that same day a close relative had checked into the very same hospital where he worked with heart problems.  We put them together and it likely saved her life.

Why does magic happen at the Ranch?  After all these years, I have finally figured it out.  Magic happens every day but one’s mind is too cluttered to hear or see it.  Somehow in the arms of RLP my mind changes frequency and I can accept the information the universe is sending.  I can hear the birds sing to me and the frogs croak their evening serenade.  (and a few more concluding remarks all written by this happy guest…)

Can you feel the emotion from her letter?  Can you sense how important the intangibles of the spa experience were to her success?  Notice she didn’t mention anything about how many pounds she lost or what she learned in her fitness or cooking classes.  What touched her was learning why the Ranch had become so magical for her.

And so it is with health content.  It’s everywhere – magazines, books, TV, radio, online, apps, programs, games, etc. – there is lots of health content.  However all that content doesn’t seem to be leading to a healthier population as evidenced by the huge obesity and diabetes epidemic our nation is facing.  So at some level when we stop to think about it, we know that just reading health content isn’t enough.  One also needs to be inspired.

And that’s where I think all of us here in this room today have a similar challenge and opportunity – those of us here on the panel with the work that we do and all of you in the audience with the work that you do.  We need to spend a bit more time making sure that we have engaged our audiences, that we create emotion, that we move people in some way – that we truly touch them emotionally.

Bottom line?

It’s not about creating content.  It is about creating meaning.

Here is a video that I think makes that point much better than I can with words.  Try not feeling  emotional as you watch it.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448

Happy reading!
Susie

Just finished our New York media event and a well-attended webinar announcing the new Top 10  SpaFinder Wellness Trends Forecast for 2013.  You can read the full 60 page report here.  Lots of great examples of each trend.  While the report is 60 pages long, this “info-graphic” communicates the essence of it in a pretty quick way.  See if you agree.

The beginning of a New Year seems like a good time to share my response to a remark that was made at the 2012 Global Spa and Wellness Summit in Aspen that has caused quite a flurry of discussion ever since. Peter Rummell, former head of Disney Imagineering who was one of the keynote speakers, suggested that we, as an industry, get rid of the word “spa.” He said “it conjures up affluent, white, women and is hurting our reputation.” Ouch.

Subsequently we posed the question Would you get rid of the word “spa”? in a Global Spa and Wellness Summit (GSWS) Weekender blog that goes to tens of thousands of industry professionals. It has received a slew of responses. Some quite eloquent and thought out, others a tad harsh. You can see the context of the discussion and the subsequent comments here.

While this is a topic I have come across for decades, I haven’t really shared my point of view in writing before. However after a relaxing time over the holidays, it seemed like a good time to tackle the question and share with you my response to the question, “Would you get rid of the word “spa”?”

So here goes.

I think that getting rid of the word “spa” is an absolutely terrible idea. It would hurt our industry immensely because it would basically throw the baby out with the bathwater. The term has been around for centuries and in the past decades billions have been spent on building up the spa industry so that we have actually become a known and recognized segment of the global economy. In fact the numbers show that globally the spa industry is a $250B economy. Why would we want to throw that out and start over? How much time and money would it take to build to this level with a different word – if it was even possible? And what would be the point of doing so?

You can probably tell that I am not on the fence on this issue – and never really have been. Rather, my suggestion is that we not only come to peace with the fact that “spa” is here to stay, but that we should be thrilled that the word has caught on around the world – and trumpet it!  Indeed, whatever continent I am on, I see words in a country’s native language with the word “spa” after it – everywhere despite the fact that people may have different ways of defining it. And that I believe is the issue we need to get over – the fact that we may differ somewhat on the definition.

Our research at SpaFinder Wellness showed us 10 years ago that “spa” was by far the most likeable word when compared to others such as wellness, health, holistic, etc. While not everyone would agree on the definition of the word “spa,” most agree that “spa” has a positive connotation. That’s why so many people use it – from dog grooming places like Glamour Pet Salon and Spa, to car washes like Auto Spa to plant spas like Automatic Watering Plant Spa.

In fact, I would go so far as to say to our industry that it is time to dismiss this conversation altogether and move forward. Every discussion about the “dilution of the word spa” is a step back that in my opinion shows insecurity and possibly even arrogance. We want to “own” the term and not let a dog grooming place use it. Or we want everyone else to define it the way we do. That reminds me very much of the wrangling that goes on in many governments – whether the Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. or the various nations of the EU who see things from different perspectives, or any number of other countries who are in a stalemate because there is “in-fighting.”

We are better than that – and, I hope, smarter than that. If each of us would recognize that it is in the consumer’s and our collective best interest to work together, support each other, collaborate and move forward and recognize that agreeing in general is close enough we would be able to move forward in a much more positive way.  Many of these issues will work themselves out as we grow and mature. But the banter back and forth in our industry doesn’t help our cause.

Now just for fun and to get a fresh perspective, let’s look at this issue from an entirely different angle. Let’s look at another word (and industry) that might have a similar challenge. Then, let’s look at the discussion from that point of view. I am going to suggest that we think about the word “restaurant’ for a moment.

I think we can all agree that there are many different types of “restaurants.” Some are fine dining, some fast food, some small, some large, some indigenous and some big chains where the food served is the same all over the world. While we may have different thoughts that come to mind when someone says “restaurant,” we recognize that this is normal. Some people might think about their favorite place down the street, others a fabulous place they visited while on vacation. Nevertheless, most of us are able to distinguish between a Bavarian Beer Stube and a Sushi Bar – yet still able to call them both “restaurants.”

I am quite certain that the famous Nobu’s Restaurant in New York is not worried that the Denny’s coffee shop down the street is also considered a restaurant. Consumers are pretty smart….they know that Nobu’s is nothing like Denny’s and are quite able to recognize that they are very different experiences. Yes, you can get food at both of them and you can sit down and eat at both of them. Indeed there are some similarities between the two which makes it quite convenient to use the term “restaurant” to describe them both – to find them online and in directories for example.

However neither is trying to get the other to quit using the term “restaurant.” And while we are on the subject…have you seen the “Doggie Deli” places where they sell cute dog treats? Should restaurants be outraged? Should deli’s be upset? That would be silly. So a place that makes dog treats uses the term deli….that’s kind of cute and possibly a good marketing tactic. It certainly doesn’t mean that people will get confused about what a real deli is. Nor is it likely that doggie deli’s will take over the definition of deli that is already quite well established everywhere else. So why are we outraged when a dog grooming parlor uses the term “spa”?

I have heard the discussion about possibly getting rid of the term “spa” for almost 40 years now – my entire career in the spa industry. I remember about a decade ago when I spoke with various owners of establishments that offered healthy vacations who indicated to me that they didn’t want to be listed on SpaFinder.com because “they are not a spa.” Ok, I said, what are you? The response? Well, some said they were an integrated health retreat, or a fitness resort – others suggested they were a wellness lifestyle center.

My response? Ok, that’s cool. Now let me ask you a question. If a consumer wants to find you on the internet (or in a publication), would they be looking under integrated health retreat? Or wellness lifestyle center? I can tell you the answer to that is a definite “no.” They will look for you under the umbrella term of “spa.”

In time every single one of the places that I had this conversation with came around to recognizing that while they may not use the term spa to describe their establishment, for communication and marketing purposes to consumers (and media) using the term “spa” was a tremendous advantage.

Also of note, in 2008 the GSWS commissioned SRI International (founded as Stanford Research Institute) to take an outsider’s look at our industry and help us with definitions. After studying this issue from the point of view of many different countries as well as from the consumer’s point of view, they came up with some suggestions that quite frankly surprised me. One thing in particular I found to be a new way of thinking is they suggested that we don’t look at ourselves as an industry, but as an economy. In fact they suggested that our best way forward would be to select a very generic umbrella definition of the term “spa” that would allow us to aggregate a fair amount of core, enabled and associated industries within it. Thereafter people could then describe subsets of the larger pie and define that in a variety of ways.

The umbrella definition they proposed is the following:

Spas: establishments that promote wellness through the provision of therapeutic and other professional services aimed at renewing the body, mind, and spirit.

And underneath this umbrella they suggested we can have lots of different ways of categorizing spas: by spa typologies such as destination spas, resort/hotel spas, day spas, medical spas, for example;  or perhaps we can divide the pie between those places that have natural mineral spring water and those that don’t; others might want to use size and services to identify different kinds of spas; and some could define by local, cultural and historical context.

And finally, if you are still not convinced, then I would like to challenge you to come up with a suitable word that would be better. In 40 years I have not heard a good case made for any other word. Even in the 50+ answers to the blog post that energized this discussion – no one had a good suggestion. That should also tell us something.

Whew…it feels good to finally get this on paper. Thanks for letting me rant.  While I always welcome people’s input and thoughts – and do feel free to comment, I don’t mind ending this with something my twin sister says to me often when she is pretty sure she is right – it usually makes me laugh. “There you have it – my humble and accurate opinion!”

While I had planned this New Year’s Day post to be my answer to the often debated 2012 question “Should our industry get rid of the word spa?” that will have to wait until my next post.  I feel compelled to share the December 28th NY Time’s Article called Destination: Wellness written by Jesse McKinley as well as my response to the piece.  First…check out his lengthy article that was, I am afraid, not very flattering to our spa and wellness industry. (Check out the comments also.)

The response I wrote is below.  Perhaps you too will be inspired to take some action in this new year as this article makes it clear we have some work to do.  One way to begin, in my opinion, is to spread the word about www.spaevidence.com and whenever possible, link to it.  We need to stay committed to the many evidenced based modalities that we offer.

Wishing you all the best for this New Year and much progress on our mutual goals.

Susie

MY RESPONSE TO DESTINATION:WELLNESS

Jesse McKinley is a good writer and gets my vote for being entertaining. Fortunately however, I believe his readers are not going to be checking spa and wellness visits “off” their list for 2013 but rather adding them “on.”

There is a reason that there are more spas in the U.S. then there are Starbucks in the world. (Yes, that is an accurate statement.) It isn’t because spas are clever at marketing and people are being duped. It is because people are more stressed out than ever and professionals at spas are dedicated to caring and nurturing guests who are seeking what spas offer. The fact that the spa and wellness industry is thriving – even during a recession – is no small matter. It is also, by the way, a huge job creator.

Here is the future. Medical = drugs/surgery = expensive. Wellness = prevention = less expensive. While a visit to spa and wellness destinations may not magically turn someone from unhealthy to healthy, they can help people change directions. For many, that is a real bit of help.

I do agree with Jesse on a few things – including the unfortunate use of those ionic detox foot baths that are clearly a waste of money. Alas, they bug me too. Here is a resource that people might find helpful: www.spaevidence.com. It is a website that shows whIch spa and wellness modalities are evidenced based.

Also for the most accurate history of the term wellness – including how the World Health Organization defines it today – here is a link to the SRI International research study that traces the word from its beginning.  Check out Appendix A.

My prediction for 2013? Corporate Wellness and Wellness Tourism will become huge.

One sign that this emphasis on senses is a trend (not that I think this is a good sign) is how often spas and brands are using the term “sense” in their name.  There is the Six Senses Brand that I would credit with creativity and originality when they first came out with the name and its famous pyramid logo over a decade ago.  Then a brand called Resense followed, which is the brand in Kempinski Spas.  Rosewood unveiled their spa brand a few years back and called it, “Sense, A Rosewood Spa.” I have noticed, however, that they have now changed that to Rosewood’s Signature Sense® Spas since I suspect the former was just too difficult to remember.

However my “F” has to go to Disney.  I knew that they were working on creating their own spa brand (instead of having third parties run their spas under various names which had been the case until now.)  The name of their new spa brand?  Senses – A Disney Spa.  Yikes, I couldn’t believe it!  What a disappointment that Disney didn’t select something more vibrant, creative and original.  (This reminds me of why our 2012 Global Spa and Wellness Summit theme was “Innovation through Imagination” – our industry is really needing to kick it up a few notches if even Disney’s spa development team couldn’t come up with something original.)  While I agree that there is a trend toward engaging more of the senses, let’s ramp up the creativity.

Here is what we wrote a year ago:

Spas have used sound, music, color and light in the past, but typically as ambient, afterthought accessories. Now they’re often becoming the main event — and this new wave of approaches, each essentially rooted in vibrations and frequencies, is being unleashed to help us relax far more quickly, “clear energy blocks” and relieve pain, etc. New sound, music, color, light (and physically vibrating/rhythmic) experiences are either being deployed individually — or in heady, immersive combinations engaging multiple senses — often in startling new ways.

Spas have traditionally spoken to our sense of touch (via massage, etc.), and to a lesser degree, our sense of smell (aromatherapy). Now more spas will impact our eyes, ears and bodies with an explosion of “good vibrations.” We already know how deeply these forces impact us: how sounds of nature can help relax us; how drumming sounds can energize us; how walking into rooms of different colors can alter our mood; how stepping into bright sunshine enlivens us; how rocking calms us down…

New technology (often in the form of devices, chairs and “pods”) is driving these innovations, as is our need for solutions that radically disengage us from our increasingly anxious, stressed-out minds. In addition, new scientific evidence about how frequencies and vibrations affect us both physically and emotionally is bolstering the trend. Some of the new approaches are based on “vibrational medicine,” the concept that various systems (and organs) in our bodies vibrate at different frequencies, and disruptions can affect our health and wellbeing. While the science supporting these individual approaches is strengthening, the new multi-sensory spa concoctions are just that — very new. Less is known about the net results of these sound/music/light/color cocktails, but there’s no doubt it will be fun to find out.

Sound and music: Music in treatment rooms is expanding to many channels, including options like white noise — and spa professionals report a strikingly wide variety of preferences. A breakthrough that’s re-inventing the idea of passively listening to the old “massage music”: anew software innovation out of Italy, MUUSA, that creates real-time treatment music (with tones, beats and sounds like wind rustling and rivers flowing), directly generated by the therapist’s hand movements and the client’s bodily responses. Clients then depart with a CD of the “wellbeing music-art” they created in tandem.

More music therapy examples: Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Lodge (U.S.) has unveiled a new “Zen Sound Therapy” program, while Fonteverde (Italy) reports that its pioneering “Music of the Brain” program is still popular. The medical evidence strongly backs music therapy: Natural Standard, a research collaboration that reviews global scientific evidence, gives it a straight “A” for its ability to enhance mood and reduce anxiety. We’re seeing more spas like the Lodge at Woodloch in Pennsylvania (U.S.) or comfortzone’s Soul Space spa in Florence (Italy) implement ancient Tibetan sound massage, using “singing bowls” designed to balance the body/mind through vibrations. Tuning forks are increasingly being used in facials and with acupuncture. Sometimes the trend is about sound, and other times its absence: at MAVIDA Balance Hotel & Spa in the Austrian Alps, the salt water “floatarium” lets people float weightlessly in a totally soundproof room.

Color and light: Color is reflected light that hits our retinas through vibrating wavelengths (which is then interpreted by our brains) — so color is both a physical sensation and a vibration. Chromatherapy is based on the principle of using colors to generate electrical impulses, or “fields of energy,” said to activate biochemical and hormonal processes that either sedate or stimulate us. Research has shown that color has measurable psychological and physiological effects: Warm colors, like red, act as stimulants (and have been shown to elevate heart rates and arouse feelings of excitement), while cool colors, like blue, have a calming effect. Color therapy is gaining momentum as more spas incorporate Ayurvedic medicine, an approach that conceives of the body in terms of seven chakras, each associated with a specific organ, and each, in turn, associated with a color. In Ayurvedic thinking, physical imbalances can be improved via color therapy.

More hydrotherapy experiences are incorporating color/color sequencing, and more massage therapists are adjusting color and light to maximize treatments. New York City’s Yelo Spa (U.S.), the pioneer of the napping pod, highlights sunsets and sunrises simulated via color and light to help regulate circadium rhythms. At Barcelona’s Spaciomm at Hotel Omm (Spain), relaxation rooms feature rocking gravitational beds with chromo-therapy. At Arizona’s Mii amo spa resort (U.S.), Qua Baths and Spa at Caesars Palace Las Vegas and in many UK spas, “Aura-Soma Color Reading” is now available; this unique experience has a spa guest select four bottles from a vast display of colored liquids, and a practitioner guides him or her through the significance of his or her color choices and combinations.

Light therapy may have the most science to back it: High-intensity light is shown to improve skin, mood and sleep disorders, and its impact on treating seasonal affective disorder is well known. LED light therapy for aging and damaged skin is one of the hottest skincare treatments, and more spas like Acqualina by ESPA in Miami (U.S.) and Mandarin Orientals around the world use red and blue LED technologies to repair/renew skin cells.

Multi-sensory experiences: The blended, multi-sensory “good vibrations” approaches are perhaps the most exciting aspect of the trend. We’re seeing an explosion of new spa products like saunas, steam capsules, lounge chairs, massage tables, tubs and experiential “pods” that interweave light, color, sound and music/rhythm together. These high-tech experiences are designed to release people from “self” and stress quickly and intensely, and their oft-stated goal is to plunge people into new experiences of space, time and consciousness. For some spa-goers, they may deliver unprecedented bliss, while for others, the dazzle could feel like sensory overload.

The fusion of sound, music and water is one approach. For instance, Kohler’s new “VibraAcoustic” baths (at many spas worldwide) broadcast sound waves through the water, all choreographed to music and chromatherapy. In Germany, the Toscana Therme Spa brand has introduced “Aqua Wellness and Liquid Sound,” or “bathing in light and music,” designed by a well-known multimedia artist. Spa-goers float weightlessly in warm salt water and are gently cradled and manipulated by therapists, as the underwater music transforms the pool into a concert hall. At the spa’s Bad Sulza location these effects are often combined with laser light shows and electro-acoustic music.

And then there are the futuristic massage tables and experience pods. Major spa designers like Gharieni, Klafs Schletterer or Thermarium are all rolling out variations of multi-sensory devices. We are seeing spa tables that can incorporate “vibromotors,” “musical massage” (with tables shaking to musical frequencies) and “oscillating waves” combining music and chromotherapy. Arizona’s Miraval Resort & Spa (U.S.) recently introduced its instantly popular “Taiz Sensorium,” a unique therapy that integrates vibrational medicine, music ther­apy, gentle human touch and aromatic oils to “fully engage the full spectrum of senses.”

One of the most high-concept, mind-melting, sense-blending spa experiences comes from Viennese artist, sha, whose award-winning “AlphaSphere” (at spas like Berlin’s Mandala Hotel ONO Spa or Bulgaria’s Kempinski Hotel’s Zalez spa), encases spa-goers in blue light, sound and vibrations, while their bodies sway to the rhythms of their own breathing. His new “WOLKE 7 CLOUD 9” is designed as a pure “ritual of the senses.” A spa-goer reclines in a canopied, warm cradle-pod and experience image and color “clouds,” featuring incredible cloud scenery and color transitions based on the real sky. Immersive sound “clouds” are formed out of the rhythms of the swinging cradle and the user’s own breathing, creating the three-dimensional “music,” all while soft vibrations caress the entire body. The result? “An all-encompassing body/mind effect that begins to work almost immediately.”

Spas are definitely picking up good vibrations — and it can’t help but give people some real excitations.

Here is what we wrote a year ago:

Spas have traditionally been all about hot: saunas, steam rooms, Jacuzzis, hot rock massages, etc. “Hot” is the spa world’s age-old weapon to make people relax, sweat, detoxify and draw blood to the surface. But now spas are bravely stepping out into the cold. We’ll see more icy therapies and cold design experiences in 2012, along with more hot/cold contrast treatments. Perhaps no trend better exemplifies the spa industry’s trajectory away from “mere pampering” than this one!

And, as noted in our 2011 trend, “The Science of Spa,” approaches with some medical evidence backing them will have greater traction in the future. Cold/ice applications are shown to reduce pain and inflammation in muscles and joints, and they certainly release endorphins, which are shown to affect pain, mood, etc. Contrast/hot-cold therapy treatments, which have been around for more than 2,000 years (the Romans ended their spa circuit with a trip to the “frigidarium”), will continue their resurgence. The Europeans have embraced the concept’s health benefits via Kneipp therapy since the mid-18th century; this therapy involves a circuit through alternating hot-cold water foot baths. If “cold” actually has a long (but less storied) spa history, it’s now getting re-imagined in bracing new ways.

Look for: more pure cold-rock massages and contrasting hot/cold versions at places like the Hand & Stone day spa franchises (Canada), or at the GlenApp Castle (Scotland), as well as more cold jade and spoon usage and more ice masks in facials. At every ESPA around the world, you can now scoop ice crystals out of fabulous ice fountains for bracing rubdowns after saunas. More hotel and resort spas will add ice/snow rooms, or “igloos,” making that transition from hot to cold less dreadful than the old cold “plunges.” Spa-goers to Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace Las Vegas’s (U.S.) “arctic ice room” can experience falling snow; at the Dolder Grand (Switzerland), they can have a snowball fight in the “snow room”; and at the Aqua spa at the Belfry (UK), they can cool down in the “igloo,” or induce a giant wakeup call with ice hoses and showers. Spas like the Ritz-Carlton in Vail, Colorado (U.S.), report that many more spa-goers are taking group rolls in the snow after their Jacuzzi and sauna time.

And get ready for the launch of leading spa designer Thermarium’s innovative cold experience that will hit the spa world in February: the first-ever “snow shower.” Tap its “cool,” digital touchscreen, and you can choose between “light snowfall,” “moderate snowfall” or “blizzard.”

The most stone-cold radical of these new experiences? “Cryotherapy,” where people (wearing just a bathing suit and socks, gloves and mouth/ear protection to prevent frostbite), enter a chamber cooled to the mind-numbing temperature of -120° C (or -184° F). A human can only last two to three minutes in a cryotherapy room or pod (portable ones are even available now), but it’s all the rage with elite athletes to help them recover from workout inflammation and pain. (One Welsh rugby player dubbed it “the evil sauna.”) The Olympic rehabilitation center in Poland has a cryotherapy chamber used by sports teams from around the world.

The medical evidence on cryotherapy is seemingly mixed, and certainly more studies are needed. One study reveals that runners who used cryotherapy showed significantly fewer blood markers for inflammation, while another study reported that while athletes felt considerably less sore, it didn’t lower their creatine kinase — the hallmark of muscle damage. But popular wellness advocate/celebrity Dr. Oz recently gave cryotherapy an enthusiastic “thumbs up” on his TV show, arguing it has a direct positive effect on pain and inflammation.

Spa-goers can brave the ice chamber trend at places like the new Sparkling Hill Resort and Spa (Canada) or Champneys Tring (UK). The first dedicated “cold therapy clinic” — the 4,300-square-foot U.S. Cryotherapy Center — just opened in California (U.S.), with its new, full-body cold therapy experience poised to franchise to numerous other U.S. locations. While spas report that serious athletes jumped on the cryotherapy craze first, now more women are testing its reputed benefits on skin, mood, weight loss, etc. The calorie-burning benefits of ice therapy are getting buzz: A new book, 4 Hours to the Perfect Body, advocates ice therapy/immersion because it forces one’s body to burn a dramatically larger number of calories while doing the hard work of keeping your body warm.

Saunas, another spa staple, are taking a definite turn toward the cooler: the rise of the infrared variety, which emits infrared radiant heat that is directly absorbed into the body, without needing to indirectly heat the air or steam, provides cooler, but deeper penetration. Proponents note that they’re an efficient way to alleviate pain and stiffness and to quickly sweat off 600-800 calories with no adverse effects. A recent SpaFinder survey found that roughly one in five spas now offers infrared saunas.

Even though we will continue the countdown of our 2012 spa trend predictions where I “grade” myself, I wanted to interrupt the series to give you a sneak peek into our 2013 trend list that is hot off the press!

We issued a press release yesterday with our 2013 trend predictions listed and a little “teaser” with some information. The full trends report, with all the data and examples of places that are early adopters of those trends, will come out January 16^th. Please mark your calendar – I would love to have you join me for a webinar I am doing that day at noon EST.  I will post a link to sign up for that webinar later. So here then are the exciting trends we are seeing for the New Year!

Snapshot: Top 10 Spa and Wellness Trends

1. Healthy Hotels
2. The Mindfulness Massage
3. Earthing
4. Spa-Genomics…Telomeres and Beyond
5. Authentic Ayurveda and Other Ancient Revivals
6. Color Self-Expression
7. Inclusive Wellness
8. Label Conscious Fitness
9. Men: From Barbers to “Brotox”
10. Where the Jobs Are

You can read the full release with the descriptions here.  I look forward to hearing from you – please let me know which one of these trends are resonating with you and where you think I might have missed the boat!

The big new wows include eye-popping design and futuristic, blow-your-mind amenities. But, given this economy, many of the wows are smaller, less expensive and very smart. Most spas are attempting to engage and delight spa-goers without a ton of investment by adding unique little touches, a few strategic “wow” amenities and more unique treatments/experiences. So, with the much-discussed economic realities of our 99 percent and 1 percent world, there are “wows” for most any budget. If spas over the last couple of decades had become hushed shrines of deadly seriousness, more spas are now lightening it up — and that trend includes whole new spa models like “amusement park spas” that are fun and social, where laughter is becoming one of the best medicines they serve up.

Big wows: One big wow is the jaw-dropping design heating up at resort spas, often in “wow,” exotic global locations…

Take a look at the bold design elements at the Atomic Spa Suisse, or “bubble spa,” in the Boscolo Milano hotel (Italy), where wild, LED-illuminated mirror bubbles rise to the top of the interiors of the treatment rooms, sauna and baths, like a frothing glass of champagne. This hyper-unique design scheme certainly defies “spa minimalism.”

At the Coqoon Spa at Indigo Pearl in Phuket (Thailand), the design literally thrusts spa-goers into nature. At its center is “The Nest,” a luxurious wicker tree house hanging from the branches of an ancient banyan tree, and the individual spa “coqoons” have private pools, rain showers, saunas, etc. nestled within the rainforest.

St. Regis Bangkok’s (Thailand) high-design Elemis Spa provides a little mid-air pre-pampering, with its floating, nest-like relaxation pods.

Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong’s spa by ESPA is the world’s highest spa (on the hotel’s 116th floor), where incredible design elements include an infinity pool that makes you feel as if you’re in an airplane, peering down on the city — and a stunning indoor pool with a ceiling-mounted LED screen.

Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa (Canada) touts itself as the first building in the world with “crystal architecture,” and is comprised of 3.5 million Swarovski crystals.

Bota Bota Spa-Sur-L’Eau (in the old port of Montreal) is a floating, five-deck modern spa constructed on an old barge, featuring a cool water circuit and cocktail lounge.

Other big wows: Spa resorts bringing in celebrities, for the “spa-parazzi factor”: Six Senses brought in Richard Branson, and Arizona’s Miraval Resort & Spa (U.S.) has a partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil.

And more spas are unveiling highly thematic design/experiences, like the Banyan Tree Spa at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel’s (Singapore) new 4,000-square-foot tropical garden spa, where everything from the art on the walls to the botanical treatments revolve around the brand’s “Tree of Life” concept. Or Germany’s Schloss Elmau, which uniquely blends spa and high culture: Guests experience a full schedule of classical music and jazz concerts in the spa resort’s very own concert hall, hear from great artists and authors and read from the wonderful books that fill the spa lounges.

“Amusement park” spas: A whole new concept is taking shape in spa-land, and we’re calling it the rise of the “amusement park” spa, popping up across Asia, Europe and North America. These dynamic, fun, adult playgrounds are full of sensory rides, typically offering larger-than-life all-day water and spa experiences for the entire family. (See trend 9: “Spa: It’s a Family Affair…”) This new species of spa speaks to the facts that not only do many more people want to have a whole lot more fun when spa-ing, but that the affordable daycation in this economy has massive appeal. These new spa-parks often embrace a Disney-internationalism “it’s a small world” vibe, piling on dozens of experiences like “Icelandic geyser baths,” “Caribbean lagoons” and “Amazon waterfalls.”

In North America, there’s Spa Castle (New York City born, but just expanded to two more U.S. locations). Five stories high and 100,000 square feet, spa-goers buy tickets like a theme park, there’s a food court and a vast number of internationally themed sauna, steam bath and swimming/hydro experiences.

Across Canada, the Nordic-based Scandinave day spa resorts, which offer fun circuits of saunas, steam rooms, waterfalls, plunges, etc., are a big name gaining popularity.

Yunessun is a hot springs spa resort and water amusement park located in a scenic part of Japan.

Kalev Spa Water Park in Estonia was developed by top sportsmen and includes numerous pools and water attractions like “tube slides” and “bubble baths,” along with a big menu of theme saunas.

Many of these spa-parks are explicitly geared towards kids or accommodating parents and kids: Sealala Spa & Water Park in South Korea is kid-focused, while GyulaCastle Spa in Hungary (within Almasy Castle’s park) has a Wellness and Sauna Centre for adults and a huge aqua playground for the kids.

You can feel the “small world” spin at Center Parcs (four locations in the UK), which features “around-the-world-themed” spa rooms inspired by the Far East, India, Greece and Ancient Rome and its “subtropical swimming paradise.” You can really feel it at Schwaben Quellen (Stuttgart, Germany), with its dozens of global spa- and water-themed experiences like “Himalayan salt rooms,” “Canadian log cabin sauna” and “Temple of the Maya” lounging room.

Smaller “wows” (that still pack a punch): Many of the “wows” are smaller, less-pricey touches, with spas innovating ways to capture people’s (and the media’s attention) without having to be on the cover of Architectural Digest. Think of the “wow” when Bliss spas opened, with the brand’s brownie buffet in relaxations areas…the smaller wows are about giving spa-goers that “something more” they didn’t expect, even if it’s serving them lunch, a glass of wine or a tea ritual, or warming their bathrobe. It’s about engaging them.

It’s happening with individual wow amenities: Consider the JW Marriott Grand Rapids (U.S.), which only had one massage room, so recently brought in an innovative mobile spa cart system, “Suite Spa®,” that brings massages, facials, wraps, pedicures and even hot stone therapies directly into guest rooms. That “SpaSuite” cart is now rapidly franchising to more hotel properties.

Destination spa Mii amo (U.S.) now features a “WaveMotion” massage table — that rotates, rocks and tilts, so people feel like they’re floating.

The amazing new ESPA Life spa at London’s Corinthia Hotel (UK) is a major “big” wow — and an example of the many individual, smaller wows within is the stunning all-glass amphitheater sauna.

The new spa brands are, of course, not devoid of wows: Hilton’s global spa brand eforea is emphasizing Vichy showers.

With thousands of yoga studios around the world, the Salt Yoga Studio at the Mantra Samui Boutique Resort (Thailand) stands out for its wall of Himalayan Salt (See 2011 trend: “Salt Rooms and Salt Caves”), so people can get their salt therapy while they do their yoga.

The unique treatment wows, some with a ramped-up focus on sheer fun and whimsy, are too endless to detail. Expect more creative offerings on spa menus like “Rockupuncture” (Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, Australia), which combines acupuncture with a hot rock treatment. And more engaging guest engagement “wows” like Los Angeles’s Hotel Palomar’s (U.S.) “Walk this Way” program, which rewards guests who walk 10,000 steps a day (they use pedometers) with a 50 percent discount on their next stay.

Hitting the fun angle squarely: Cosquillearte, a new “tickle spa” in Spain, and more spas worldwide featuring “laughter yoga,” whether it’s Ecotulum Resort & Spa in Mexico or Peritiwi Resort in Bali.

Look for far more hyper-individuality, and more liberal doses of that je ne sais quoi from spas in years ahead. Given the realities of 72,000-plus spas globally, both brand-new and established spas will continue to push the “wow” envelope to get the world’s attention.

Post Script: Looking at this prediction a year later – and having spent a fair amount of time preparing for our Innovation through Imagination Global Spa and Wellness Summit in Aspen, I would say that I was somewhat disappointed that we didn’t see more creative and innovative wow’s. It might be because spas are still often thinking about cutting expenses rather than investing in things that get people saying, “wow” I have to say it is more likely that we aren’t spending enough time focusing on this because as we learned in this trend little “wows” count also.

I noticed that a tickle massage and a face slapping facial got the media’s attention and just yesterday I was introduced to a golf ball massage by Natura Bisse that they give on the 18th hole of the golf course right on the fairway. I do think there is much more we can do however.