1) The "Feng Shui'd" Gym -
Goodbye mirrored walls and fluorescent lighting; hello waterfalls, fine art and, more generally, the kind of soul-stirring design and ambience for which spas have become famous. For the past 30 years gyms have looked pretty much the same all over the globe - until now. Led by ambitious gym design projects at spas like Gwinganna in Australia, Clay in New York and Italy's forward thinking Techno Gym company (with its handsome Kinesis system), spa gyms and fitness studios are being reconceived as places to not only tone the body, but also elevate the mind and spirit. We invite you to view some of what you'll be seeing more of in the year ahead at our photo gallery. More generally, look for fitness spaces to take on a more important role in the spa setting, partially due to the growing emphasis on wellness (more on that below).

2) A Star (Therapist) Is Born -
When all is said and done, a spa treatment is only as good as the therapist who provides it. Yet for years consumers have tended to be dazzled by spas' ever-more innovative design and image while joining spa management in largely viewing therapists as anonymous, interchangeable employees. Look for that to change as increasingly savvy spa-goers continue to gain an appreciation for - and seek out - those with great skills, knowledge and the caring spirit. Not unlike star hairstylists, these sought-after "gifted healers" will build followings, and becoming critical assets for the spa. View our gallery of "star therapists" who were recently honored in our new Therapist Hall of Fame.

In a possibly related trend, the spa industry is experiencing a labor shortage, contributing to a rise in de-staffed spa facilities and treatments. At many spas these days, "DYOT" is more likely to mean "do your own treatment" than "do your own thing."

3) Wellness, Wellness, Wellness -
The term wellness is defined by Paul Pilzer, author of The New Wellness Revolution, as "the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal." Wellness is sweeping the globe and affecting numerous industries in its wake - including spas. In fact, like the automobile and the computer before it, wellness may end up becoming the next trillion-dollar revolution.

The wellness wave is being brought on by scientific breakthroughs, the realization that the medical industry has a sickness model (and is unlikely to embrace prevention anytime soon), and consumers' desire to be healthier, more vital, and youthful in appearance. And if wellness is the goal, spa is surely the most comfortable vehicle by which to reach it. Spa experiences are no longer just about treatments. Fitness, nutrition, education, as well as alternative practices such as energy medicine, reiki, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (which should garner even more interest during the upcoming Olympics in Beijing) are all becoming important aspects of "spa."

4) Luxury Detox and Luxury Bootcamps -
Detox programs and weight loss bootcamps have long been associated with deprivation, spartan accommodations, and hard-line supervision - as if the guests were doing penitence for their "sins." But many spas, including Sanoviv in Mexico, the Farm at San Benito in the Philippines, and Cal-a-Vie in California, are beginning to treat weight loss and detox less as punishments and more as celebrations. After all, if you can get the same results with high thread count sheets, lovely rooms, spa treatments and a nurturing environment, why not live a little while you're trying to improve your life?

Concurrent with this trend is the "spa-ification" of medically guided drug and alcohol rehab centers, which are beginning to incorporate elements like fitness, nutrition, massage and meditation into their programs.

Will this new, "softer" approach to detox, weight loss and rehab work? It remains to be seen. But we should have plenty of opportunity to find out in 2008.