Hotel Spas Expand Into Mental Wellness Beyond the Staple of Massage
Photo Caption: New for spring 2022, The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North introduces Desert Bathing as part of the rotating calendar of weekly programming. Source: Four Seasons.
Skift Take
Is anyone up for some desert bathing? How about a cleansing ritual led by a shaman?
Some hotels used the pandemic pause to rethink their offerings. Some are broadening their spa services away from just body-based treatments such as massage. Properties in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Mexico have been adding hyperlocal wellness services and activities that appeal to mental well-being in tandem with bodily health.
The growing emphasis on wellness will help support the rapid growth of spas — an under-recognized contributor to revenue and reputation at hotels. The Global Wellness Institute forecasts that the annual growth rate of wellness tourism will be 20.9 percent, on average, through 2025.
One example of the mix-shift toward wellness can be found at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico in Rio Grande.
“Based on feedback and usage and interest in our spa, our guests are far more aware of how important well-being is,” said Nereida Amador, director of sales and marketing. “For [operations] growth, spa is a big component, including well-being, in the guest agenda. They’re more inclined to ask about that than anything else now.”
Grand Reserve's growth plans in Puerto Rico include a careful examination of monthly spa bookings. If numbers stay strong, the prope
