A trip to the spa is no longer an exclusive experience focused entirely on pampering – it is about wellness.
The new concept was on display recently at the official opening of the One Wellness and Spa at Solara Resort in Canmore.
Owner Hugh Simson was one of several industry professionals who spoke as part of a panel discussion on trends and the move towards a wellness-centric spa approach.
Simson said wellness is a continuum as opposed to a static point in time, however, having energy in our lives is key to maintaining wellness and people can develop strategies to promote both.
“Maintaining and managing energy is critical for well being,” he said.
Panel moderator and owner of Under a Tree, Amy McDonald, said the spa is becoming a place where people can work toward a sense of well being through multiple services like coaching and fitness, in addition to traditional offerings like massage.
“I think there is a misconception about spas; I think people think of it as a luxury and self-indulgent,” McDonald said. “I think more and more now, consumers are starting to understand that’s different.”
One Wellness spa director Jennifer Buckler said she feels that misconception is starting to shed and people going to spas are looking to be educated and engaged as part of the experience.
“People want to take something home from the spa experience, a tool or a product to have that experience transcend into everyday life,” Buckler said.
Founder and former editor of Spa Magazine Mary Bemis said she finds it interesting that the trend for spas currently recognizes a need to replenish one’s energy instead of a search for stress relief.
“We have seen a shift in consumers really looking for energy,” she said. “We have gone beyond a search for balance and it is truly all about energy now.”
Bemis said beauty products form a part of that, but clientele are more interested in knowing what is in the products as well as their benefits.
CEO and founder of Naturopathica Holistic Health, Barb Close, agreed, saying she thinks beauty’s role in the spa is changing.
She said it is less frivolous and more focused on wellness, including natural organic ingredients.
“It may be a cliché, but it is beauty from the inside out,” she said.
One Wellness fitness manager Cary Bohnet said exercise doesn’t expend energy, it in fact increases people’s energy levels in the long term.
He said it also helps people when they feel better versus a focus on looking better.
One Wellness also approaches life and behaviours through its programs like pathways to engagement and life strategy coaching.
Simson said it can be harder to stop doing something that is sabotaging your wellness than to begin a new healthy habit.
