As the wellness industry grows, nature (and all its facets) will become an increasingly valuable resource – and the savvy spas of today will take note of this for the future.

Nature’s healing power cannot be overestimated and while every part of the planet is now a tourist destination, people will seek out immersion in ‘deep nature’ that’s far from technological and industrial influences. In the same manner, expect to see consumers looking for ‘natural soundscapes’ with wellness rooms that offer true silence, free from the hum of industrial ‘noise’. There will also be a greater use of music as medicine – sound therapy devices, an emphasis on the benefits of singing and playing music with sounds of nature.

I also predict a rising demand for good quality water and air.

People are now realising their drinking and bathing water, even at spa and wellness locations, is often contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, drugs and plastic. Soon we’ll see smartphone compatible water-test kits and new water harvesting, filtering and purification technologies

Air quality is vital for optimal health and as more people realise how deadly traffic pollution is, they’ll vacate cities to escape from toxic air. Expect to see new air filter technologies, indoor air quality meters and fitness/wellness centres highlighting air quality amongst their offerings.

Contact Marc Cohen
Email: marc.cohen@rmit.edu.au
Tel: +61 439 446 688

As Sha launched its Visiting Master Programme (VMP) a year ago, it was interesting to see Spa Business’ Ask an Expert focusing on this topic (see SB16/3, p68).

We introduced the VMP to complement the Sha Academy which comprises a series of conferences and classes on everything from healthy cooking to relaxation, meditation and yoga. The aim is to create an awareness of wellbeing and to provide guests with the tools and knowledge to enjoy long-term physical, mental and emotional health.

We find that two visiting masters a month is a good number and they specialise in a wide variety of areas from beauty coaching, through fascia release bodywork to ancient healing methods like Japanese acupuncture.

Educating our guests, creating an enthusiasm for recommendations and advice, is the overall vision and mission at Sha. The selection and scheduling of our visiting masters is aligned with this ethos and we think that’s been the secret to its success – clients book onto the programme as early as six months in advance and the practitioners get a 90 per cent attendance during their stay here.

Contact Dr Pedro Catarino
Tel: +34 966 81 11 99
Twitter: @shawellness

In response to Liz Terry’s commentary Who Will Own the Well-Life Consumer? (see SB16/2 p7), I think we must first look at our current positioning and improve guest engagement. For anyone who doubts this is an issue, they need only to look at spa retail revenue results from the latest benchmarking reports which show the majority of facilities are still only selling 10 per cent retail at most.

Product sales are an important extension of service and a critical element in customer retention. And sub-standard sales are indicative of poor service.

So as the industry shuffles about wondering whether retail training generates sufficient ROI, rapidly expanding beauty outlets like Sephora and Ulta are fulfilling requests for the exact same products that therapists are unable to sell because no one has taught them how. No one is better positioned to capture the minds, bodies and dollars than the practitioners of skincare and bodywork in the spa industry. So before we try and figure how to fit into the bigger wellness picture, the most important players, the therapists, must be properly trained and in top condition.

Contact Linda Harding-Bond
Tel: +66 09 3826 5453
Email: linda@
moontideconsulting.com