Spa Executive - December 2021

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Adaptogens Adaptogens have been used to treat a variety of ailments, mostly in the Eastern world, for thousands of years, and are sitting in the spotlight right about now. These edible plant substances are said to help the body adapt to all kinds of stressors, including physical, chemical, and biological. So, after a very stressful and anxious couple of years, it makes sense that they would be of great interest. Proponents believe that “by strengthening our internal systems, adaptogens can promote vitality, stabilize mood and improve performance and focus (source, Forbes).”There are dozens of different adaptogens, including plants, herbs, and mushrooms (mushrooms were tagged as a trend to watch not too long ago by the Global Wellness Institute) like, ashwagandha, holy basil, rhodiola, reishi mushrooms, cordyceps mushrooms, ginseng, and more. All of these have different, specific functions, such as reduction of stress and anxiety, and improving immune health. They can be consumed as pills, powders, teas, or tinctures. They are being marketed as beverages and infused into skincare products. According to reports, stressed consumers seeking help for tired, irritated skin are turning to adaptogens and therapeutic blends have found their way into “everything from chakra-balancing body mists to stress-relieving moisturizers for inducing a state of zen for your skin.” Consumer interest in adaptogens reportedly grew 55% in 2020, with online conversations around adaptogens increasing eightfold. The market is expected to grow significantly between now and 2025. Self-acceptance In 2019 we tapped the death of “weight loss” and body neutrality as trends to watch. We noted the backlash against a “vicious cultural weight stigma,” and that the weight loss and diet industries were feeling the pressure. The body neutrality movement, meanwhile, took things in a different direction from the “body positivity” movement, away from the idea that “every body is beautiful,” and introduced the radical concept that “you don’t need to be beautiful, and physical appearance isn’t the most important thing in life.” Sure enough, it’s since become more common to see top brands using models with a range of body types and physical appearances in marketing campaigns, without defeating the purpose by drawing attention to it. Then, in 2020, came the TikTok trend of users embracing elements of their appearance that fall outside of cultural beauty standards like hooked noses and perpetually flushed cheeks. Also over the past few years, December 2021 Issue • p. 10
we’ve seen more and more women embracing aging, rejecting hair dye and allowing their hair to go naturally grey, and allowing wrinkles and lines to show on their faces. While the obsession with physical appearance and perpetual youth will probably never go away, user generated content is wresting control of the narrative from the hands of the mainstream media and more people are shutting down the voices telling them they’re not good enough as they are. This is good news. Low self-acceptance can negatively impact psychological wellbeing, disrupt emotional control, and increase stress and anxiety. So, this move towards self-acceptance could potentially have profoundly positive effects on mental health and wellness. Catching up on women’s health “By 2025, 1.1 billion women are expected to be postmenopausal. The space represents $600 billion of spending opportunity but is still largely untapped by startups and brands that could be creating new products and services for these women, according to data from earlystage investing firm Female Founders Fund.” The opportunity is huge, and investors are starting to take note. Support and advocacy groups have grown up all over the world and on all kinds of platforms and women are finally beginning to talk about the real and sometimes very serious symptoms that accompany these monumental milestones. Those in the wellness industry would be smart to pay attention to this potentially massive market. The cohort has immense spending power and is going to become more self-aware and assured. It’s only recently that women’s health has gotten the attention it deserves. For far too long women were told that their real, physical ailments were psychological or psychosomatic. Reproductive health was swept under the carpet, menstruation was fine, as long as you could do it while horseback riding on a beach and wearing white, and miscarriages, infertility and pregnancy loss were among the worst of conversational taboos. Meanwhile, perimenopause, which can cause debilitating symptoms like memory loss, verbal aphasia, insomnia, joint pain, anxiety attacks, hair loss, migraines, headaches, night sweats, weight gain, and mood swings, didn’t even exist. Recently, the pearl clutching around reproductive health has loosened, market interest has grown substantially. Femtech startups and venture capitalists have focused mainly on these areas, but more recently, even perimenopause and menopause have earned a place at the health and wellness table, and companies are looking to these are areas ripe for innovation. December 2021 Issue • p. 11
Page 1 and 2: Spa Executive For leaders in the bu
Page 3 and 4: Letter from Publisher Dear readers,
Page 5 and 6: People don’t want to work in hosp
Page 7 and 8: SEVEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2022 Cons
Page 9: Sustainability Sustainability is no
Page 13 and 14: For example: Benjamin Donat Spa Dir
Page 15 and 16: Stress, meanwhile, is also linked t
Page 17 and 18: Thermal bathing People have been ta
Page 19 and 20: Guest rooms offer sophisticated neu
Page 21: Stand out items on the incredible m
Page 24 and 25: As we look into the new year, I see
Page 26 and 27: FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE’S AMANDA FRAS
Page 28 and 29: What does your job entail? My key r
Page 30 and 31: Are you focusing on new or differen
Page 32 and 33: "We’re seeing more interesting tr
Page 34 and 35: People are seeking wellness more th

Spa Executive - December 2021

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