Health Spa & Wellness Transformation
The destabilization of our world is accelerating at an ever-faster rate. This inevitably produces immense stress upon our biological, mental and emotional realities. So many of us are experiencing shock waves of change basically likened to the re-potting of a plant that is root-bound. For many psychological and biological roots to their current perceived reality are ‘bound up’. With some exceptions, most humans are finding the current transition that the world is passing through, very difficult to contend with.
One of the great challenges of this period is not only mental and emotional difficulties being experienced, but are physical in nature as well. This means your physiology and neurology are deeply challenged by the rapid changes in your perceived reality.
Where is wellness on this barometer of global transformation? Can the wellness and health spa industry be ‘a game changer’ in revolutionising the way we see ourselves and our health? Does the Spa Industry understand this new unfolding dynamic wave of transformation?
The South African wellness spa industry gathered to spend an extremely insightful and educational interesting two days at the SA SPA ASSOCIATION’s business conference held at the Maslow Sun, Sandton late July. Wellness trends topped the agenda amongst other pertinent issues, over the years wellness has been perceived as complicated.
Despite disruptive global challenges such as a financial market collapse and global recession the wellness economy has been growing rapidly in recent years. The converging currents that defy temporary disruption such as population ageing, widespread economic prosperity in developing countries; the rise of lifestyle disease associated with sedentary and stressful modern living; and the failure of the conventional healthcare paradigm to help people prevent illness.
Many consumers are taking preventative health measures into their own hands, to maintain good mind body health, prevent disease, anti-ageing: to age well and live longer healthier lives. This alone increases the demand for wellness and the health spa industry to explore and identify key themes to drive wellness in the future, to level the playing fields.
Les Nouvelles Esthetiques (LNE) South Africa, in association with Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Paris, hosts the annual SA Spa Awards. LNE unwrap award winning excellence in the health spa arena, providing the local and international spa visitors with a comprehensive choice, offering reliable sources of spa information and recommendations.
The health spa industry business is changing. That’s a fact. It’s disruptive. It’s dynamic and it’s shifting the status quo for the wellness barometer in communities and organizations. Health spas can no longer rely on traditional approaches, traditional methodology, traditional thinking, with the traditional ‘pamper bar’ philosophy. Wellness needs to transition into a new era of healing within the spa industry. The time is here to align with an ethos of ‘changing the game’.
The 2016 Spa Awards consisted of six (6) Categories, namely Day Spa, Hotel Spa, Boutique Hotel Spa, Unique Spa Concept, Safari Spa and Aesthetic/Medi Spa.
There is a definitive shift of consciousness in the day Spa winner category, which was awarded to Langaro Lifestyle Centre, Cape Town. Langaro created a space, where their clients enjoy a host of different treatments under one ceiling, enhancing quality of life, transforming their personal image. Their vision is to build a lifestyle brand synonymous with the best customer service and unprecedented level of excellence.
When looking at the Aesthetic Institutes, Nanita Dalton Laser, Skin & Body Institute in Pretoria aspires be the aesthetic institute of choice. It’s offering professional advice and providing a complete, comprehensive range of advanced designer treatments with select beauty products to ensure the optimal results.
The Spa recognition Awards also attributes those individuals, who go above the call of duty, and display innovations whereby the entire industry reaps benefits. The Spa recognition awards cover four categories: The Spa Ambassador Award, The Humanitarian Award, The Spa Visionary Award and Spa Management Excellence Award.
Spa ambassador, Emmy Stoltz was awarded for her participation in the Global Mentorship Programme, as the regional representative for Africa. The Global Mentorship Program is a peer-to-peer initiative providing spa professionals with Mentor-Mentee relationships in order to inspire aspiring spa leaders.
The 2015 humanitarian award was awarded to Dr Mothomang Diaho, Founder and Medical Director of the Lifestyle Clinics Spiral Aloe (Pty) Ltd, an organization dedicated to promoting lifestyle as the medicine. With over 30 years behind her as a public Heath practitioner and Senior Health Consultant, her work and contributions cover countries such as South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mozambique, Botswana and Swaziland.
The Spa Visionary Award went Trevor Steyn of Esse Probiotic Skincare, as a pioneering organic chemist, with a passion for research and ongoing exploration, has invested a considerable amount of research into the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), more specifically, the relationship between skin and the microbes living on its surface. His innovation has shifted the industry focus, towards the use of probiotics in skincare and the role it will play in the future of skincare.
Victoria Sutcliffe, Camelot Spa, of Table Bay Hotel walked away with the Spa Management Excellence Award which acknowledges the dynamic spa manager who best keeps the balance between a motivated team, superb work environment, great guest experience, profitability, and efficient spa operations, with appreciation of the role of the spa manager. Hopefully such excellence influences future insights to transition towards eco sustainability.
South African Spas and individuals continue to flourish in an internationally growing market place. While there is visual curiosity, spa owners need to stand ideas on their heads, to look, see and listen, optimally using their five senses and mindfully tackle the transition to shift perspective, thus create ‘new life in a space’ that seems hopeless. This way they will be able to influence the growing demand for change.
Create new open trends, to explore the rising truth about well-being, as healing modalities lay at their fingertips.
Styled spas need move away from archaic traditional methodologies, mainly dominated by lack of creativity, lethargic, robotic and spoilt behavioural patterns.
Is the spa industry ready to rise and ‘adapt to the need’ of their results driven clientele / customers?
Should the spa industry continue to grow at the same rate at which it grew from 2007 to 2013, then a projected 2.7 million persons may be employed by spas in 2018. An additional 500,000 trained spa therapists and 80,000 experienced spa managers/directors (above the current levels) shall be needed by the Spa industry
in 2018. The Middle East and North Africa rates as the second fastest growing region in the world for spas, almost doubling the industry size between 2007 and 2013.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s spa industry has the fastest growth rate in the world since 2007. Africa quadrupled to 1,544 in 2013, driven by economic growth and increased tourism traffic to the region.
In 2007 a global study on the spa industry counted 14 African countries with modern spas environments. Now there are 42 African spa markets, a change largely driven by hotel investments and new openings across many countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and others. Robust economic growth and an increasing middle class with interests in relaxation, beauty treatments, and health maintenance supported a rapid expansion of the day spa market, particularly in high-growth economies such as South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Future sustainable spas need to humbly focus on the magic, they can deliver, this may be a stretching order, as a game changer, thereby introduce alternative energy generation and conservation. Move to educate spa employees and therapists. Seriously conserve water and implement waste management principles. Embrace green retail and professional products. Get involved with community collaboration recycle / up-cycle and even more importantly serve ‘Clean Cut’ food and kitchens.
Evidence clearly shows the need to adopt plant based diets. It slows down the alarming rate of environmental degradation currently taking place. (Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29 to 70 percent by the year 2050). Animal agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to serious environmental problems. Dietary shifts have extreme economic healthcare benefits. The health spa industry is uniquely positioned to lead by example. Today, in constructing a new information sphere, we are poised on the brink of conscious transformation. Spa and wellness practitioners are set to play a pivotal role in improving wellbeing. Let us awaken to shape the growth of a diverse and inclusive spa and wellness cluster.
Are you ready to become a wellness reducetarian . . .
Author: Wanda J Bruce
Ref: Eco Health Sense
Ref: South African Spa Association
Ref: Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor