SPAA Releases 2014 Trend Report

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. January 20, 2014

January 20, 2014 - 2014 SPAA Trends Report

GREEN BRANDING AND GUILT FREE CONSUMERISM
The new status benchmark is letting others know that you are using sustainable goods. Repurposed and guilt free. Green is the new brand label. Peer pressure P-O-P (peer on peer). Spas will start to advertise their green certification. Product sourcing will increasingly be on the consumer's radar. Packaging will begin to be reusable, such as seed inlaid paper ready for planting. Essential oils and carrier oils will boldly describe wild crafting practices, distillation and harvesting methods. Dark, impersonal treatment rooms will give way to sun drenched treatment rooms, sun rooms and outdoor spa spaces. Perishable home care, refillable and custom created body care and fruit, vegetable derived retail will become more of a luxury requirement in skin care. Why recycle when you can reuse? In home spas, roof top spa gardens and freshly made back bar in the spa for treatment room use will all be trending in 2014. Finally, green travel will act as the new status symbol. Traveling to an organic destination spa in a cave in the Himalayas will be the new cue that the individual has socio-economically arrived.

SPA AND WELLNESS TECHNOLOGY

HIGH TRUST—PRIVATE DATA “Hacked-off” consumers are indicating that they will not support businesses that drill their information through Internet usage. They don't want their data used against them. In this era of cloud computing and Google glass, spa-goers are fine with customer loyalty programs, with the gathering of medical data if secured via HIPPA like policies. Spa-goers are not opposed to smart systems calibrating their best use of the hydrotherapy pools or skin scanners for reading and diagnosing their skin. However, selling that data in any way or sharing it with manufacturing or marketing firms and spa-goers see ruby red.

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH Technology will make up to 18% of all global purchases worldwide in 2014. The multiple device, wearable technology era is here. Sensors will be everywhere for easy upload of an individual's image for professional esthetics treatments, plastic surgery, color cosmetic display and hairstyling options. MRI like body scanners will allow for bodywork customization, contouring options, Rolfing, chiropractic and more designed just for the individual. Integration through smart devices will integrate home care use appliances like hand held IPL (intense pulsed light) units to maintain the non-ablative skin rejuvenation and dermal resurfacing when in between spa visits.

Ways that technology will be used to achieve wellness both body and mind: - Self-tracking technology: Sleep monitoring, diet monitoring, vital data, diabetes monitoring, running/sport calorie monitoring, personal genome, personal medicine, new type of self-tracking device, portable mobile tools. - Behavior change analysis and platform: Behavior change modification, mindfulness, biofeedback, EMDR, hypnotherapy. - Cognitive and biomedical modeling: Mind spas, neurological mapping, brain chemistry optimization, physiological modeling, biomedical informatics, systems biology, network analysis, mathematical human function modeling - Data driven wellness and collective intelligence: Data mining and knowledge modeling for wellness, collective intelligence, smart fitness, life log analysis, case studies, data visualization, human computation

AESTHETIC TECHNOLOGY

Age reversal: Cosmetic surgery could be a thing of the past, thanks to research from US bio-pharmaceutical company Bioquark that may, in effect, "reset" the aging process.

Topicals: Delivery systems are expected to be a big part of the skin care component for 2014. Forms of Vitamin A have always been a favorite active ingredient for remodeling the epidermis. Personal care devices for use at the home will continue to grow both in treatment options and price points. Advances in cosmeceuticals, professional care and homecare devices will reduce the time necessary to achieve optimal results and a more natural look.

Stem cell therapy will continue to make advancements as well as the use of one's own fat for contouring, filling the concave portions of the profile. Stem cell facelifts will become a standard option.

As a recent Mintel report indicated skin care options as well as color cosmetics will be multi-purposed. Lip color that may be purposed for blush. Brow, eye colorant and lash tint all in one product. Moisturizer that is both an excellent humectant and sun protectant and so forth. The crunch for time makes efficient and effective skin nourishment and color cosmetic options a must.

WELLNESS, SPA, MEDICINE AND LONGEVITY

Computerization: Accelerating Progress is Inevitable, “After growing wildly for years, the field of computing appears to be reaching its infancy.” John Pierce We continue to effectively double our computing power roughly every eighteen months. Tasks that were once impossible are now possible and at a smaller, less expensive rate.

Recognition scans are the norm on lap tops. They can and will likely become the norm for gently gathering beauty, health and wellness data. Not only your preferences and your purchases but also your biorhythmic data such as your resting heart rate, your lymphatic progress during a body wrap. The hydration level of your epidermis can easily be monitored and recorded in a facial scan or from a wireless wand making diagnosis of skin condition and treatment both easier and consistently quantified. With the addition of nutritional input, medical data, fitness goals and neurological information the whole person will truly be able to be assessed with comprehensive goals charted and measured.

While big data isn't popular among consumers when gleaned without their permission, when group data is scrubbed and allowed to form natural associations this collective wisdom will be harnessed to assist the individual to reach fitness goals, weight loss goals and wellness goals that individually a healthcare provider would be unable to create. Computers can do some things much better than people can even when you consider the individual's capacity for creativity. What we do in life echoes in eternity. Over time, algorithms used to sift through quadrillions of life experiences will become extremely sophisticated, accurate and easily accessible.

The promise of the genome and the end of disease is a reality. We are only beginning to see what potential the mapping of the genome will bring. This is true for aging, beauty, health and life as we know it. Disease may cease to exist in the future. Disease from dictionary dot com: A disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

Dis-ease is by its very nature something that is imbalanced. There are infectious diseases with an underlying pathogen and non-infectious diseases (like cancer), syndromes, imbalances and psychological problems. Will we be able to tweak the human genome to tidy up these issues? Is aging just a result of something that can be adjusted in our makeup? As medicine blends with wellness expect these challenges to become lessened and quality of life to incrementally improve.

SPA CHOICES INCREASE

FAST OR SLOW
Depending on the spa goer the demands are clear: some want to travel and spa slowly with a bespoke approach to beauty and healthy spa care. They wish to fully immerse themselves in the culture while engaging in traditional therapies that are offered in the manner that they have been enjoyed in a culture for hundreds of years. This spa goer wishes to savor the experience while also learning a new life skill, working on spiritual or emotional goals and feeling better both physically and energetically as a result of the spa journey. Spas will honor this type of spa goer by constructing treatment programming that embrace the goals of the spa guest at a destination facility by combining travel with cultural excursion, goal matching priorities such as weight loss, nutritional re-patterning, and stress reduction.

Experience on Demand, Life on demand, “The time savior” will be primarily on tap at day spas where busy executive, urban dweller and hectic soccer moms can get a natural pedicure, facial and brow shaping all expertly offered stat. The quick blow out, makeup enhancement and lunchtime express services will also be in demand. The important operations strategies for these successful spa offerings will include accurate and convenient booking. Retail and gift certificate purchases and delivery will also be in demand as well as corporate giving options.

SOCIAL SPA-ING VS. PRIVATE SUITES A personal yet distinctive choice at the spa is who you choose to spa with. While day spas and medical spas typically host the frequent spa goer who attends individually, resorts, destination spas and mindful retreats are most often attended by couples. While in spa services like couples massage and girlfriend side by side facials are more popular than ever, so is the trend of in suite spa-ing at the hotel or resort by couples, multi-generationals and VIP's simply seeking some privacy. Some spas have gone so far as to devote entire floors or wings of their facility for the purpose of those requiring the utmost of discretion or private small parties just as plastic surgeons have partitioned their practices over the many years that plastic enhancements have been an acceptable cosmetic choice for consumers.

BEAUTY VS. WELLNESS While there does finally appear to be some real synergy between that which is “beautiful” and that which is “well” or free of dis-ease, there is also a bit of a turf war in place. While some want fast results best secured at a surgeon's office, other consumers seek natural options at all costs even if the results are less impressive.

Creating a natural look with regular maintenance is also trending. Plastic surgeons offices are more than ever before offering injectables to soften lines, restore volume and create contouring that allow for a more youthful look without the severity of the traditional facelift. Dermal fillers such as Juvederm®, Voluma®, Radiesse®, Restylane®, Perlane® or Sculptra® are artfully being used to add volume to the face. Restoring facial volume can give the face a more youthful appearance. Also, injections of purified proteins such as Botox® or Dysport® are used to weaken facial muscles that cause wrinkles. A combination of medical homecare, monthly spa visits and tweeks like fat injection and slight lift procedures allow for little down time if any and a refreshed look that doesn't fade.

Another dramatic shift in aesthetic medicine includes creating strong features such as pronounced cheeks and chins. Micro-liposuction for the face and neck allows the surgeon to sculpt the desired look carving out unwanted fat and creating areas of prominence. Men want to look leaner, meaner and younger while women want to look refreshed and alive. Plastic surgery enhancements are being considered across the board for busy professionals in their thirties and forties who want that extra push in their careers. Ethnic looks of all sorts are becoming more requested as the global economy expands to embrace all nationalities and not a decidedly western European look. Strong noses, eye variations and features that tell of one's heritage are being embraced and flaunted.

Other popular medical spa procedures for 2014 include:

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)--PRP has been used for years in other specialties to assist with wound healing because it is rich in growth factors and is emerging in the non-surgical aesthetic industry. By applying PRP either in a minimally invasive fashion, or by injecting it into specific areas of the face, you can induce new collagen formation and create a beautiful more youthful appearance.

New Mom Renewal--A Mommy Makeover is a recently trending package of surgical options to reverse the effects of childbearing and age. It is a series of procedures, typically consisting of a tummy tuck, breast lift and augmentation that can be performed individually or in conjunction with one another to provide a refreshed image after childbirth. Having these performed at the same time decreases overall recovery time, reduces surgical fees, and in some cases, creates fewer incision sites.

Brachioplasty-- is the removal of excess, aging skin from the upper arms - often referred to as 'bingo wings' and gives tighter, more toned and youthful arms. An ever increasingly popular treatment among mature ladies who feel self-conscious about their 'flappy' upper arms or for those who have lost significant amounts of weight and want to tighten up the skin.

Lipotripsy-- is a non-invasive, pain-free treatment that works by stimulating the fat breakdown, collagen synthesis and lymphatic drainage. Lipotripsy treats the arms, saddlebags, thighs, hips, love handles and abdomen, having an ultimately slimming effect on the body. A clinically-proven method to reduce cellulite, the increase in oxygen levels results in an improvement in skin elasticity and the skin's smoothness is dramatically enhanced, which is a must for those seeking a beach-ready body.

WELLNESS Will corporate wellness programs work or not? Much of what is planned have to this point only impacted the upper levels of leadership in corporate settings. Many of those taking advantage of wellness programs like access to a gym were already using gyms. Nonetheless chronic disease is an exponential problem that can be diverted if lifestyle habits change. Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, heart disease and smoking related disease are all lifestyle alterable conditions and show immediate returns on the individual's health when habits are re-patterned. Corporate wellness programs offering employees health vouchers, choices of pre-fabricated medical plans and incentives for behaviors that increase the likeliness of low absenteeism, high productivity and improved general health. However the variances in these programs are not yet standardized to deliver accurate data on how such programs will affect the general population. For instance, many of the early adopters to wellness programming in the corporate arena were already proponents of workplace health programs.

Additionally, socioeconomic status—income, education, cultural heritage and similar factors weigh heavily on diet and lifestyle habits going into mandatory health care programs.
• Employer health insurance claims for obesity and related chronic diseases: $93 billion per year.
• $1.3 trillion in other costs annually due to lost productivity, absenteeism.
• Obesity alone was responsible for 39 million lost workdays and 63 million visits to the physician last year according to the National Business Group on Health.
• Productivity losses due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes linked to poor nutrition are more than $9 billion each year.
(SOURCE: PREVENTION INSTITUTE MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE: DCH COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK MEETING JULY 10, 2012)

According to the American Journal of Health Promotion's in-depth analysis, employers with work site health promotion programs see on average:
 27% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
 26% reduction in health costs, and
 32% decrease in workers' compensation and disability claims.

But the most important finding has to do with all-around wellness ROI. For every dollar invested in wellness, employers saw an average savings of $5.81 due to improved employee health and reduced medical claims. That's significantly higher than the wellness ROI figures of $3 to $4 for every dollar invested that are more commonly reported.

CONCIERGE VS. SOCIALIZED HEALTH

Inevitably as the Affordable Care Act in the United States hits full stride it will become difficult for the average consumer to receive the level of care that they are accustomed to or need based on their health profile. In most socialized economies those who can afford to do so pay more to enhance their individual care options. For the upper 5% of most consumers this isn't anything new. Concierge health and executive level preventative and diagnostic care has been around for decades. The emerging wellness paradigm will affect how premium care is offered, delivered and ultimately what price points will be most competitive.

If the rest of the world follows the European model for spa + wellness + healthcare + stress management, spas will be forced to adhere to modalities that are established treatments for preventing ailments as well as for treating known conditions like asthma. Furthermore, the type of profession that an individual is engaged in will suggest periods of rest or programs of care. For instance, first responders will be given more vacation time due to the physical and emotional toll taken on their bodies while practicing their profession.

GLOBAL BRAIN, LOCAL TRIBE

Global standards, medical regulation, scope of practice, level of care will increasingly become regulated if not by the countries that house these facilities and medical clinicians then by the consumers who chose to patronize them. International franchises that are broad based as well as those offering specialty care will go from small starts to broader reaching organizations in 2014 and beyond. Look for chains that excel in wet therapies, contouring, dermablasion, specialty massage as well as the standard laser spas, injectable kiosks and value massage with esthetics offerings.

SPA TRAVEL

Travel packages are now more tailor-made programs for clients to fulfil a more personalized approach for their requirements, rather than just selling fixed packages with set inclusions. Health and Fitness whether at home or while traveling are much more focused on mixing up the cardio, strength and balance mix with varying routines to keep the client entertained, burning calories and achieving rapid results. Spa hotels are finally creating programs for clients needing this tailored approach. That same personal touch is carrying over into dining options, made to specifications room service menus, lobby as a juice bar and in suite or in spa treatments.

Spas for many years now have offered indigenous treatments and personal growth seminar options. The want for personal growth, learning and spiritual enrichment has always been present in the spa and wellness genre. The change is the increasing number of individuals on their path. More now than ever spa goers want to see the tree that produced the root that their skin lotion came from. Increasingly spa travelers want to receive massage from a villager who has lived the modality that the spa is offering as an extension of the experience, the culture and the hospitality that comes with a traveler from one culture embracing the history and traditions of another culture.

Wellness tourism is becoming more substantial placing expenditures of: $800 billion to $1.1 trillion for cultural tourism, $350 billion to $550 billion for culinary tourism, $325 billion to $480 billion for eco-tourism and $250 billion to $375 billion for sports tourism.

SPA AND FITNESS

Travel for fitness such as yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, Nia, Feldenkrais or customized soft movement modalities has settled into individuals doing precisely as their body dictates. The mixture of types of movement is as diverse as the individuals attending these group fitness sessions. The rise of barre and boxing to the masses is simply another way that fitness is finding the individual where they can embrace their body type and enjoy their workout.

High impact may be out but high intensity is not out of favor. Group fitness weight training, boot camp styled training and some very stringent caloric programs have increased their tortured regimens now seeing more than a 10% increase across the board at away days and destination spas of those individuals ready to take the leap into a leaner, fitter self. The rise in Type 2 Diabetes has a significant portion of the global population, not just the United States, in a rush to decrease their visits to the physician and increase the longevity and quality of their lives.

Fitness for those who were already fit is increasingly becoming a cross-training extravaganza of climbing, rope training, aerial acrobatics, plyometrics, calisthenics, dance, martial arts, salsa and really anything involving movement, strength training and core stability.

Guided imagery has expanded to individual meditation as a lifestyle option. While it is common to gather for a sitting together it is more common than ever for individuals and couples to meditate in the morning, for lunch, at a stop light. Capturing moments of otherwise squandered relaxation is becoming for some a bit more like breathing. More than ever before fitness is becoming mindful with journaling and automatic writing offering the emotional cleansing, healing and renewal that comes with maintaining a healthful diet and balanced lifestyle. Many fitness/wellness consumers are trying to tackle chronic problems like stress and shifting unhealthy habits like smoking or overeating. In many ways the shift in fitness to embrace wellness offers a new spectrum of opportunity for clubs, trainers and fitness centers.

More than ever before fitness as an industry is offering services that fit their core market. In essence, fitness is about the participant and not the going trend. While the uber-fit tackle their workouts with personal trainers befitting an Olympian or starlet, many are embracing family fitness including hiking, skiing, running and biking together. Couples are enjoying down time with some up movement like biking through the Napa Valley or climbing a volcano. Fitness, wellness, mindfulness—these catch words are a part of living a holistic (or wholistic) lifestyle. Literally, embracing the whole person.

THE ENLIGHTENED SPA

Boomers comprise roughly 2 billion travelers worldwide. As boomers age they are not only attempting to age differently, but they are also starved for purpose. Some are legacy building while others are gracefully moving into a new stage in their lives. Iconic boomer Jane Fonda aptly titled this phase her, “Third Act.” Empty nesters are redefining their lives post children or entering both new relationships and virtual careers. Return on investment doesn't just mean the best value for one's spa visit, it also means putting your money where your values are. The authenticity that consumers crave lies in all of the smaller acts that make up a full life. It isn't just anti-aging it is what does your brand do? What are your core character traits and before I support your brand may I see the results of your corporate actions? Finally, boomers want peace and quiet. They demand high quality service. Boomers are by far the wealthiest group of travelers out there and are the first to complain if something goes wrong.

Millennials (18 to 30 year olds) are traveling much more frequently than other demographics have at this stage of life. Instead of settling down right away this group wants to branch out and experience different cultures. They are more apt than any other group has been to work abroad. They demand creative tourism, and seek out boutique urban spa experiences rather than destination spas. Away day spas and hot springs are favorites when paired with physical pursuits like climbing, marathon running, road racing, skiing or mountain biking. More than ever before this demographic is choosing international travel over domestic travel.

Multi-generational travel is on the rise as families seek what is really important which is relationship nurturing. This results in spa visits that can be communal, where a family goes to the spa together each experiencing what they would prefer at the spa. Also the use of the spa suite within the hotel is popular for this type of family travel where spa services are brought to the family's cluster of rooms or portion of the rented out resort. Cruise ships have taken the lead in exploring multi-generational travel experiences. Making the spa comfortable for 5 to 70 year olds is a challenging factor to this opportunity.

UTRA-LUXURY

The number of affluent consumers is expected to increase both in the United States and in emerging market sectors as the middle class continues to reach upper, middle class status. The number of affluent households in the United States is projected to increase from 10.5 million in 2012 to 20.5 million in 2020 and Japan and Western Europe and especially Germany are likely going to be the largest spenders in the wellness category. China, Russia and India are expected to surpass the current trends sometime around 2020-2025.

MASSTIGE

The concept of masstige, the marketing approach of taking a luxury brand and offering a specific line from the brand or a portion of a core brand at low enough price points that middle market consumers can purchase the goods, isn't working. Sadly, this approach often dilutes the parent brand sometimes leaving market fatalities. Of course, what works for one international market will not work for all and vice versa. With Asia begging for luxury brands it will be interesting to see how attempts at masstige will work or perish in China, India and other key Asian market segments.

HEALTHFUL FEASTING

2014 will ramp up like no other year for traveling with the pleasure of harvesting, cooking, raw dining and mastering one's own palette of mixing flavors and beverages. All rules put aside the focus will be on creating menus that are easy, fun and nutritious. Recreating ancient dining options including grinding nuts and grains by hand, gathering and blending herbal flavor boosters and fostering the production and tradition of heirloom species.

Villas, homestays and bed and breakfast like options as well as farm to table won't only be found for purposes of dining but also for all over body care. Spa treatments will be made up from the many garden options used for spectacular meals. Options for farm to spa care include beautiful cold pressed oils like flax and rape seed. Freshly gathered lavender, rose, verbena and marigold (calendula) will yield full bodied essential oil options for the nose as well as for the treatment room. Cedar and enzymatic therapies will offer natural options to resurfacing and collagen/elastin production in the esthetic room. Water for treatments will include sun drenched distilleries for the purest water options possible. Salt and herb scrubs, baths and soaks will be popular both at the spa and for home use.

On the nutritional front there is a flip side to organic farming which is synthesized food. What happens if food becomes a power house of what is good for you while tasting like something you crave? What if a bundle of alginates blended with amino acids tastes like a steak but uses very little water and production costs to create?

Fiona Harvey, environmental correspondent for The Guardian in the UK wrote, “Scientists from Oxford University and Amsterdam University suggest that lab-grown meat could reduce greenhouse gases by up to 96 percent in comparison to raising animals. The process would require between seven percent and 45 percent less energy than the same volume of conventionally produced meat.” While most would shun this idea and favor organic farming, what if an engineered process were better for the environment and more nutritious?

The Spa Association is your one-stop organization for information, industry resources, education, and community connections in the spa industry. No other organization unites medical spas, day spas, club spas, resorts, hotel spas, and wellness centers. SPAA is the premier association for spa owners and business-to-business providers and a trusted resource for consumers.

Contact:
Melinda Minton, Executive Director SPAA
1001 E Harmony Road, Suite A 167
Fort Collins, CO 80525
www.thespaassociation.com
www.spaaprofessionals.com
[email protected],
+970-218-5414