Top Spa Trends for 2009!

Top Spa Trends for 2009
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Each year SpaFinder announces the top spa trends that will likely make headlines and have people talking in the upcoming year. The information that follows is a result of a great deal of study and research. Simply click on each trend introduced below to learn more and get examples of spas that are already “on trend.”

Enjoy this glimpse into the spa future!

SpaFinder’s Top Ten 2009 Spa Trends:
Energy Medicine: Everyone’s “talking about energy,” and for 2009 the spa industry will follow suit, with a lot of high-voltage buzz around “energy medicine” and therapies like…

Casinos and Spas: Placing a high-end spa in a casino hotel was a long-shot idea when Elaine and Steve Wynn (both Golden Door regulars) opened the first spa at the Golden Nugget Casino Hotel in the 1980s. But today…

The Medical and Spa Tourism Shuffle: Two years ago SpaFinder named medical tourism, the phenomenon of people traveling to medical spas in another country or region for aesthetic or traditional procedures, a top trend. Two years later…

Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green: Back in 2005, SpaFinder identified the eco-spa boom, crystallizing the first industry definition, still widely used today. In our 2007 forecast…

Trains, Boats, & Planes: In-Transit Spa-Going: With overbooked flights, tight security, and longer delays, there’s no doubt that the stress of modern travel has increased. Thankfully…

Brain Health and “Mind” Gyms: With a vast, aging Baby Boomer population, well-publicized medical reports revealing that with brains you’ve got to “use them” or “lose them,” and an Alzheimer’s pandemic, brain health is increasingly on the spa-goer’s mind. So don’t be surprised…

Learning Labs for Stress Reduction: The number-one reason people hit the spa is to relax and de-stress, and in nerve-wracking times, the impulse is significantly magnified, especially if the price and overall value are right. Stress is a huge spa buzzword, and at Spafinder.com…

Mindful Spending: In a challenging economic year, spa-goers will obviously be looking closely for value and tangible results. Spas will be experimenting…

Move Over Baby Boomers: Gen X and Y Are Spa-Ing Their Way: The shift from a core spa clientele comprising of Baby Boomers to one made up of Gen X and Y represents more than a simple demographic switch. As Gen X (born 1965 to 1980) and Gen Y (born 1981 to 1995) hit spas in record numbers, they’re shaping the experience to meet their unique wants and desires. The trick for spas…

Brands, Brands, Brands: With almost 72,000 spas around the world, consumers may ultimately need some help distinguishing them. Can the casual spa-goer tell the difference between a Mandarin Oriental Spa and a Shangri-La spa? Spas that establish…

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