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Upcoming Spa Trends

May 30, 2012 by

Article by Rohan Mistry

A spa, as known to us today, is a centre for treatments through various alternate medications, and has grown to include relaxation, unwinding and getting pampered. It has now become the hub of social mingling where we also try to catch up on the personal touch in our otherwise unconnected lifestyles. Each passing year has seen new trends emerging in the spa industry. So lets have a look at the upcoming ones.

Home or mobile spasWith people living life king-size, home spas are the next big thing on the scene. Thanks to personal bathrooms becoming more equipped – with hydro therapeutic showers, tubs and glass tiles – to cater to the needs of spa goers, people like spas coming to them instead of the other way round.

Infusion of zest for lifeWhacky teenagers and growing adolescents need to be educated about healthful food, fitness, exercise and alternate medicine. Indulging them in a spa treatment could well trigger off the inception of a healthy lifestyle that would take them a long way. Hence parents pamper their kids with a spa experience.

Hospital spasA hospital, after all, is a treatment centre. Integrating the alternative therapies of spas with the conventional allopathic treatments can speed up recovery in patients. Reasonable, quick spa treatments offered at the bedside of a patient initiate the patient towards better health, by relieving stress and raising spirits. Reflexology techniques used in the massage of particular parts heal specific areas of the deteriorating body. Manicures and pedicures making use of healing creams along with bedside hair wash and styling, and makeup application make the patient feel pampered and wanted. But having said this, it is necessary to keep the costs at a bare minimum to make these treatments affordable to patients.

Theme spasPeople are preferring themes in almost everything that they indulge in. Be it parks, gardens or parties, theme is the way to go. So why not theme spas? Themed venues allow consumers to forget everyday worries and indulge themselves. This trend definitely cannot be overlooked.

Resort spas or retreat spas. Destination spas are not new. For long, they have been conducting special week-wise seminars in various wellness categories such as yoga, ayurveda, special medical conditions such as arthritis etc. More resort spas will come up to cater to clients who need a getaway or a short break form everyday life. This trend will continue to garner support from patrons.

Fusion SpasSpas that offer a m?lange of trusted treatments are the next big thing. Some fusion treatments that have already found their way into spas are watsu (water and shiatsu), yogalates (yoga and pilates), and Thai massage (yoga and massage). Experts are expected to come up with a blend of more such treatments to enable clients reap benefits of all of them together.

Genuine spasSpas that are deeply rooted in the local culture and traditions will see increased clients. Like Indian spas that offer authentic oil or herbal massages that have been practiced in the countryside since many years or spas offering wellness packages seeped in traditional therapies.

Spas for menMen comprise of a large chunk of regular spa visitors. They are particular about visiting a spa during travel, mostly for relaxation. Spas meant to cater to their needs will boom in the coming years, realizing the importance of retaining their large customer base.

Beauty through nature With more and more people realizing the importance of inner beauty, spas offering beauty treatments through herbs, good foods or clinically enhanced products will rise. Spas will need to shun chemical and synthetic cosmetic products and focus on naturally found ingredients on various treatments.

Better spa cuisine Days of spas that offer or recommend bland, distasteful food are numbered. Attempts at making the food colorful, along with making it smell great will be definitely appreciated by clients. At the same time, spas should not lose focus on the nutritional value of this food.

Detoxing spasGetting rid of all the toxins inside the body through treatments at a spa will be among the major reasons for people to visit them. Lifestyle induced stress, bad eating habits, irregular sleep and deteriorating ecology have their toll on the body. Spas offering detox solutions – be it through diet, bonding, or sweating – will see a major client turnover.

About the Author

Rohan Mistry is the owner of a day spa in Mumbai. Being in trade for about a decade, he is the keen observer of upcoming trends in the spa industry. Owning a spa resort in Mauritius is on his agenda, where he wishes to provide a wonderful spa break in Mauritius to his clients.

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Changing trends in Spa Culture

May 3, 2012 by

Article by Genie PR

‘Ayurveda’ is a term that is embedded in the history of India. It is something that is not new to the Indian culture. The traditional system of wellness, Ayurveda has made a comeback supported by the scientific techniques in the form of Spas. There was a time when spas were limited to getting a body massage done, but now the changing trends in spa culture have widened the horizons of treatments offered by spas. Spa now means a sense of perfect balance and harmony of body, mind and soul. It not only offers a feeling of calmness and serenity but also treatments for a number of diseases; a skin, or a mental disease.

We all can see that the trends in India are changing with each day. The spa culture has gained a great significance over the years. They are no more restricted to the people from high socio economic status but have also spread its root across society. I personally feel that the increasing stress hectic schedules and busy routines have given humans a very lethargic lifestyle. But at the end of the day every human wants to get relaxed and refreshed to regain the charisma of their body. They want to get rejuvenated and relieved from the stress they come across in their day to day life be it at work or on the home front. Treatments like oriental, Balinese, Swedish, ayurvedic etc are some of the treatments that help you to get refreshed and re-energized. These treatments help to relax muscles, aching joints and calm the fatigued nerves. The therapist applies intense pressure concentrated on areas of tension and pain to relieve your body from stress. Spas also offer treatments that can help you to regain the charm of your body. The most common treatments that the spa offer like berries hydrating glow facial, organic clean up of champagne, anti ageing facial etc help you to get a healthy glowing skin.

In the Changing scenario what I feel the most vital is the ‘Customer satisfaction.’ The success of a spa depends highly upon how pleased your guest is and his overall experience post and pre treatment. Anyone can go and get a spa treatment done from any spa located in the city but what makes them come back to the same location is the experience which should ideally exceed the expectation. Customer satisfaction depends upon a number of different factors like the quality of services a spa provides, the quality of products being used, the ambience of a spa, among other. It may even depend upon how knowledgeable is the spa professional. Say for instance if we talk about a therapy called’ ShiroDhara’, how much a customer is satisfied with it will depend upon different factors like the quality of the oil used, height of the bed, the distance between the pot and the forehead. Most spas collect the oil used in shirodhara for reuse. This is not right – shirodhara oil is for one time usage only as it can spread various dermatology related infection. All these factors determine the level of customer satisfaction and the success of a spa in the competitive market.

The growth of spa culture in India has even driven spas to the homes. People now desire to get their own home spas at their place. Due to lack of time they can’t afford to visit the spas but at the same time increasing stress demands a need of spas. As a result they find it quite convenient to get their own home spa. A place that is secluded and has minimum disturbance and noise level and ample amount of natural light is used to create a spa like environment. White sheets on the bed with white pillows are used to create the massage bed. Soothing and relaxing music, dim lights and burning mild relaxing aroma gives them a perfect ambience to their home spa.

According to me spa industry is one of the booming industries. It can be a lucrative platform for the aspirants. One can have a good scope of career in this emerging field. Due to demand of spa goers, a number of spas are mushrooming all over the city which can give mileage to the ones who want to opt for being a spa professional.Inputs by Pooja Puri, Director, Mystic- Lifestyle Spa

About the Author

Ms. Pooja Puri is the Director of Mystic Lifestyle Spa

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Hotel Preferences In Recent Leisure Travel Trends

April 1, 2012 by

Article by Kelvin Kong

Leisure travelers and vacationers mostly try to minimize the cost of lodging, which is quite understandable especially during a time of economic decline such as we have now. Most people are focused on the sights and the itinerary, rather than the hotels and other types of accommodation where they will rest up for the night in. Let’s take a look at some of the trends for hotel preferences when it comes to leisure travelers.

The first main trend is that people seem to be leaning more towards staying in independent hotels compared to the bigger branded hotels that are, conversely, more expensive even if they have more in terms of accommodations and luxury. The main reason for this is perhaps the inherent character and unique flavor afforded by independent carriers, compared to the standard fare of their branded counterparts.

The Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2009 National Travel Monitor found that 20 percent of respondents preferred independent establishments, a figure up from 16 percent in the 2008 survey. Still, the cut is clear-80 percent of respondents still prefer the hotels that are affiliated with larger companies or associated with bigger hotel chains.

Peter C. Yesawich, the chairman and CEO of Ypartnership, attributes this trend to two main factors. “First, a growing number of consumers appear more interested in the novelty and/or special character many independent operators have scripted into their properties,” he said. “Second, the quest for better value, now defined in terms of a more attractive price, appears to be motivating many leisure travelers to evaluate independent alternatives.”

Indeed, independent hotels offer the kind of “attractive price” that potential guests nowadays are looking for. With the financial crunch, many people and even some of the most hardcore leisure travelers are considering the payoff of paying more when one could get quality accommodations for considerably less.

Additionally, respondents to the survey were more inclined to choose limited-service hotels and resorts rather than go to full-service hotels with restaurants. That shift is also indicative of the importance many people started giving to their respective travel budgets.

While the trends point to a bigger patronage of independent hotels, the fact is that bigger chain-affiliated establishments still have many things going their way. When you consider reputation, proven quality, and reliability, then it’s still natural for people to choose those. That’s why the National Travel Monitor survey shows that preference for such hotels are down a mere 4 percent.

With the deep impact of the global economic downturn, should be noted that the budget-conscious traveler is becoming more aware than ever of the need to put a high priority on the price tag when choosing the hotel he or she will end up staying in. It should be noted, though, that there’s no compromise for the kind of service bigger hotel chains can offer, which is why business is still relatively doing well for those kinds of hotels.

Still, it is perhaps safe to expect a subtle continuation of the trends above in the coming quarters, however, as people continue to put their budget first in an economic landscape that is slow to recover.

About the Author

Manila Hotels provides fantastic reviews of the hotels available in Manila, Philippines.Do also checkout London Hotels and Singapore Hotels for excellent budget accommodation.

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