Spa Trends: Back to Basics

“The motivation for people to go to spas has shifted from seeking relaxation and de-stressing to achieving and maintaining health and wellness in their life,” says Kailee Kline, founding president of the Association of Premier Spas of Ontario and owner of HealthWinds, The Health and Wellness Spa in Toronto. Spa-goers these days want results and are knowledgeable about the quality of the services offered. They’re choosing treatments that will bring them the most relief with longer lasting results. According to a recent ISPA (International Spa Association) survey, spa-goers want a spa experience customized to their personal needs and desires.

Spa Trends

“In the past, you’ve seen spas feeling the need to have a seven-page menu with every service, just to show they are a full service spa,” says Simon Marxer, spa director of The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. ‘In the future, we’ll see a less bulky menu and more trademarked services that incorporate whatever the guest wants.’

“A lot of extra frills and creams don’t have any true justification or yield real results,” says Alexandra Robinson, spa director of Topnotch Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vermont. “Spa-goers today know what they want. We’re sticking to services with quality products and treatments that give results.” Topnotch has a spa experience coordinator who meets individually with each guest and decides what treatments are best. At the Biltmore Spa at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, guests meet with a spa expert who coordinates their regimen based on an ultimate goal. “Because guests know what they want, their expectation is higher every time they come to the spa,” says Martina Perko, spa director at the Biltmore. “They want to know why this treatment is going to benefit them.”

Indigenous treatments and authenticity

Authenticity in products and treatments has become a big trend. Spa consultant, Amy McDonald says, “The consumer is done with over the top indulgence. No one wants an agave moisture-drenched wrap unless it has agave in it. Today’s spa-goer is sophisticated enough to read the menu and know if a product is authentic. They want products, which really are indigenous and treatments that have definite benefits. And above all, they want quality. If our therapists can’t give a good massage we might as well close the doors.”

Kohler Waters Spa incorporates such indigenous local products as hollyhock, the village flower, into its products in Wisconsin, and Kohler Waters Spa in Scotland, uses heather, which can be found on the property, the golf course, and throughout most of Scotland. Wintergreen Resort’s Wintergarden Spa in Charlottesville, Virginia, offers guests a pumpkin-exfoliating facial in the fall and a cranberry pedicure through January. The Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, features spruce and cedar on its spa menu, and Sunriver Resort’s Sage Springs Spa, in Sunriver, Oregon, offers hazelnut body scrubs (Quick fact: 99 percent of the hazelnuts grown in the United States come from Oregon). The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, offers an exfoliation treatment with rock grit from the nearby Shawangunk Mountains.

“Spa-goers are shifting,” says Sierra Vorel, the spa director at El Monte Sagrado in Taos, New Mexico. “They’re becoming more aware of what chemicals are going into their bodies and how their bodies assimilate the products. We take a natural approach and offer rituals such as a bathing ritual; taking that time of devotion, and cleaning and purifying the skin to renew and regenerate.” El Monte Sagrado now uses coffee grinds in their wraps and scrubs, and Vorel says coffee is going to be a big trend this year. “We don’t [promote]caffeine [consumption], but externally caffeine relaxes the muscles, helps redistribute fat cells, and decreases cellulite,” she says.

The New Spa-Goer

According to Lynne Walker McNees, president of the International Spa Association (ISPA), today’s spa-goer is becoming multi-generational. Mothers are introducing their children and their own moms to spas. Teen spa services and spa camps are sprouting up across the country. “More and more younger teens are seeing the spa as part of being chic and glamorous,” says McNees. “Teens elevate people like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. They know Lindsay Lohan spends a day at the spa doing pampering things and they want to emulate her.” Spa-ing with groups is also a huge trend. People want to come together to use the spa as a health retreat to regroup and reconnect.

More Men than Ever

Men continue to infiltrate the spa world. ISPA says men now account for 31 percent of spa-goers, and many spas are getting on the bandwagon with a men’s menu and male-oriented products. “Men [view]a spa as a reward for hard work or soreness on the golf course,” says Jill Eisenhut, spa director of the Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Princess Scottsdale, Arizona. “They love facials and massages; it’s such a relaxing experience, and they’re in a robe, so they feel secure. This is a huge change from the days when the majority of spa guests were females.” Eisenhut says the growth of men at spas will continue. “All it takes is [going]the first time and then they’re hooked,” she says. “We make it very personalized, so they not only feel welcome but safe in a nice environment. We take the negativity away from a first time spa-goer.” The Willow Stream Spa has a ‘MVP Room’ for guys complete with a plasma TV screen, wireless headset, and the latest issues of sports magazines.

The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania, is experiencing an almost 50/50 female-to-male guest ratio. Co-founder and co-owner Ginny Lopis attributes this partially to the world-class golf course next door but also explains that the Lodge was designed with the comfort of men in mind. “We’re not a feminine style spa, but more of an elegant country estate or lodge retreat,” says Lopis.

At Red Mountain Adventure Spa in Ivins, Utah, men comprise between 35-40 percent of the guests. Says Spa Director, Myrna Beardshear, “I think men are now somewhat firmly entrenched as believers in the spa industry. We’ve even had a 30 percent increase in male attendance in yoga classes. And men have been more open to try products and have treatments that make them look and feel better.” Red Mountain also offers manicures and pedicures specifically for men, in addition to other bodywork treatments.

Detoxification Programs and Anti-Aging

Detoxification programs, says Michelle Kleist, president of the Destination Spa Group, are very popular. Red Mountain Spa’s once-a-month program sells out on a regular basis. Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, has a Gentle Detoxification Program, and The Regency House in Hallandale, Florida, and the New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York, both offer juice detox programs. Guests are seeking to improve their appearance and slow the aging process, so anti-aging treatments and products have become hot. “People are looking for healthier ways to keep a youthful appearance rather than drastic things like Botox or cosmetic surgery,” says McNeill Watson, spa director of The Mountain Lodge Spa at Teton Mountain Lodge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “We offer eight different facials, with our most popular one being the Anti-Age/Anti-Oxidant Facial.”

Spa Adventure

The Outdoor Industry Foundation says that one in every four Americans took a vacation to participate in outdoor activities last year. Spa-goers, too, are seeking more adventure vacations. The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, offers a ‘Wild Mustangs & Massage Package’ which allows guests to spend the morning on horseback searching for wild horses, then return to the resort’s Aji Spa for an afternoon of pampering. The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North offers a combo ‘Hike & Bike Adventure’ package, especially good for spa-goers short on time. The package features a half-day hike, half-day bike excursion, all gear, and two spa treatments.

Outdoor activities involving nature is another trend, including birding, which is now offered by Rancho la Puerta, New Age Health Spa, Birdwing Spa, Echo Valley Ranch, and Canyon Ranch. Nature hikes such as those offered at The Oaks at Ojai in Ojai, California, are also popular, The Oaks offers hikes to hidden ponds, waterfalls, and meditative gardens.

Social Spa-ing

Spas were once considered a ‘me’ experience, but these days, spas are creating a social atmosphere where guests can meet and greet while enjoying food and drinks. New York City’s The Gansevoort Spa & Lounge and the Townhouse Spa both have lounge areas that more resemble swank bars than spas. At night, the full service Gansevoort G Spa transforms into an exclusive bar and lounge. Solage Calistoga, a new Auberge Resort spa in Calistoga, California, set to open this spring, is creating a communal spa experience by tapping into the existing thermal waters and mud baths and adding a communal bath house. There will be private rooms not just for men and women, but also for mothers and daughters, girlfriends, and guy groups who want to have a social experience together.