spa treatments of the future

Today's generation perceives going to a spa more as a necessity rather than a luxury. With over 72,000 spas all over the world, offering a variety of different treatments and privileges, spa-goers have a lot of options to choose from. These options are changing day-by-day, to accommodate the changing trends of the world, especially considering the current global economic crisis. Spas now offer more de-stressing treatments, "take-home" treatments, and DIY treatments. Some spas, in light of the economic crisis, also offer discounts and vouchers. Considering the ever-changing trends of the world, the spa industry is also expanding and diversifying allthe time. With trends that are becoming more unique and with the spa industry becoming more cut-throat, people now have the advantage of choosing from a wide array of treatments and services. Below, I have listed the top ten spa trends to look for in the future, all are unique, new concepts that are adapted from the different trends of the world.

• Energy Medicine. Reiki, chakra-balancing, healing touch, magnetic and sound therapy, are all new concepts that are being incorporated increasingly in modern spas. The main aim of these therapies is to clear any imbalances in a body's energy to help with the healing processes. The Canyon Ranch spas offer a detailed "Healing Energy" menu in the States. Many other spas in the Far East are also offering energy medicine treatments, and some have visiting practitioners as well, alongside of their conventional treatments.
• Casinos and Spas. Casino-spas seem to be growing more and more popular among spa-goers, preferring to have a casino and a spa under one roof. These A-list facilities cater to their exclusive clients with state-of-the-art treatments and high-rolling casinos. In late 2009, the Northern Quest Resort in Washington State is slated to open, which will be offering more relaxed, and more approachable facilities, for first time spa-goers. The Sentosa Resort and Spa will soon be also expanding into a casino-spa in Singapore.
• The Medicinal and Spa Tourism Shuffle. The thin line between medicinal facilities and spas is slowly fading away, integrating these two separate facilities into one. Hospitals, which are offering spa facilities within their vicinities, are now not only focusing on people who are ill and need medical attention, but also people who need massage treatments, and alternative therapies. Hospitals are now not just catering for patients, but for "guests", like in the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan where guests are treated hospitably and are offered a variety of spa treatments.
• Eco-Embedded Spas. Guests are offered an entirely environment friendly atmosphere, where spa guests do not need to demand any special requests as the hotels provide a complete eco-friendly ambiance. Most spas in Europe provide time-delayed key slots, which trigger when to turn off all the lights and air-conditioning of the rooms, freeing guests from the hassle of doing it themselves when leaving their rooms. The Six Senses Spa in Thailand, offers an extremely unique feature, where guests can eat any and all sorts of landscaping at the resort.
• In-Transit Spa-Going. Spa-goers are offered a whole new experience of spa-ing while travelling, where more and more different spas are being opened inside trains and planes, allowing spa-goers to avail massage treatments, and spa showers in-flight, or benefit from a full-fledged gym on a train. The Golden Chariot Train of India, offers a full gym and spa in its Ayurvedic Center on the train, and London's Heathrow Airport offers four different spas to choose from.
• Brain Health and Mind Games. The latest offerings in spa treatments are brain-workout techniques and mind relaxation therapies. "Gyms for the minds" will be offered increasingly in different spas in 2009, as spa-goers are becoming more and more aware of the effects of brain-workout techniques, which elongate the life of the brain and decrease chances of Alzheimer's disease. The Westin Resorts offer puzzles through out the hotel, as well as offer brain-workouts in its fitness center.
• Learning Labs for Stress Reduction. Spas are now offering new, innovative procedures to beat the constant stress of day-to-day life. DIY treatments, take-at-home relaxation procedures, breath work, meditation, and so many other different types of treatments and procedures are now being offered that ultimately aim to destress a person's mind, soul, and body. New medical evidence claims to suggest that on-going stress can eventually be detrimental to a person's physical health as well. This, and the fact that today's economic crisis has lead to a lot of stress on people, is actually beneficial to spas where the amount of customers have increased significantly.
• Mindful Spending. People have become increasingly conscious about where they are spending their money, and now they will be looking more carefully at the deals and discounts that spas offer. More luxurious spas have to work harder now to prove why their facilities are still worth the high price that they ask.
• Generation X & Y Spa-ing. Gen X and Y are both accustomed to spas, and do not consider spas as luxuries, its more of a necessity to them. Since they are used to seeing their parents start the trend of going to spa, to these generations, spa-going is a way of life, and they are dependent on it to a great extent. Gen X and Y have also started a new trend of going to spas in groups, bringingwithit a new and emerging trend and a term called "social spa-ing".
• Brands. There are almost 72,000 spas all over the world. Every spa needs to work especially hard now with their marketing strategies to attract clients. People are becoming more and more aware of which brands offer good services and money's worth and which don't, so spas now are developing innovative treatments and designs to gain the exclusivity of their services.