cover image credit:
Estelle Manor | The Well Bay Harbor Islands
STEAM | SAUNA | COLD | BATHS
Basic saunas and steam rooms are being upgraded to include multi-step bathing rituals. Wellness hospitality is drawing inspiration from ancient healing rituals often inspired by the site’s heritage. Baths modeled after traditional Roman, Moroccan, and Turkish bathing complexes are on the rise. Modalities are being combined within one treatment cabin to make the experience multipurpose and unique. Contrast therapy is becoming mainstream, and patrons of wellness spas are generally more educated on how to progress along the bathing circuit.
SOCIAL WELLNESS
Social wellness is becoming mainstream in the US, with friends choosing to meet at bathhouses instead of bars. European-style sauna rituals are appearing in urban bathhouses in major cities across the country.
POOLS
The pool, often indoor, has been reimagined and repackaged as a wellness space. These pools are designed as atmospheric, ultra-luxe spaces geared toward relaxation and are often found adjacent to other wellness amenities.
FITNESS & SPORT
Fitness has long been associated with wellness, but there is now a shift to include sports. Specifically, racket sports like pickleball and padel are gaining popularity due to their casual playability and social fitness benefits.
AGRI
Agricultural experiences are a growing sector within the world of wellness hospitality. People are becoming more aware that interacting with nature and animals contributes to overall wellbeing. There is an increase in interactive, experiential, and educational programming centered around plants and animals.
MARKET LEADER
The success of The Well cannot be ignored. The integration of their brand into three highly-rated Auberge Resorts and the upcoming opening of their first fully integrated luxury wellness residences at Bay Harbor Islands, Miami, is a significant marker in the wellness hospitality segment.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Estelle Manor | hammam - three traditional marble kurna basins surround the center table
+ The Well Bay Harbor Islands | halotherapy steam room involves breathing in air with micro salt particles to improve respiratory health
+ The Well Bay Harbor Islands | caldarium, a heated room that gently envelops you in warm, steamy air
+ One&Only Mandarina | temazcal, practiced by preHispanic indigenous peoples, a sweat lodge style steam heated structure traditionally made of clay and hay adobe used for therapeutic ceremony
+ Bathhouse Flatiron | banya, Eastern Europe-style steam bath powered by a furnace
TAKEAWAYS
Steam treatments are being influenced by global cultures.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Hotel Chalet Mirabell | infrared cinema
+ Hemlock Neversink | barrel saunas around the Spa Building, a space-saving & experiential solution
+ The Well at Chileno Bay | Himalayan salt sauna with exterior green wall
+ The Well Bay Harbor Islands | saunarium – gentle, lowtemperature sauna with 50% humidity & temperatures around 60° C
+ Bathhouse Flatiron | dry sauna that can accommodate 100 people, aufguss (sauna ritual) is performed
+ Grand Hotel Tremezzo | sauna featuring a notable view
TAKEAWAYS
Bathhouse Flatiron | dry sauna Grand Hotel Tremezzo | sauna
Saunas are becoming more innovative, social & European inspired.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Hacienda AltaGracia | Heirbas y Flores treatment by The Well | incorporates handpicked flowers & herbs
+ Hacienda AltaGracia | River Bath treatment by The Well | river aura cleansing, nature sounds, local coffee scrub
+ Six Senses Rome | Roman Baths style bathing circuit featuring a caldarium, tepidarium & frigidarium
+ Estelle Manor | Eynsham Baths, neoclassical architecture inspired by the Roman villa ruins discovered close to the estate
+ Peninsula Hot Springs | geothermal hot springs & day spa in Victoria, Australia
TAKEAWAYS
Bath rituals are taking cues from ancient bathing practices from cultures around the world. Natural water sources & springs are drawing interest.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ The Club by Bamford | outdoor ice barrels for group cold plunge sessions | branded Dryrobe
+ The Well Bay Harbor Islands | cold dip contrast therapy experience that is paired with the Halotherapy Steam Room
+ Asha Urban Baths | cold bucket shower | bucket of icy water is hung from the ceiling & poured suddenly over the body by pulling on a chain
+ TechnoAlpin | SNOWROOM & SNOWSKY
SNOWROOM | a room chilled to -10°C filled with fresh snow
SNOWSKY | snowflakes fall from the ceiling at room temperature.
+ The Well at Chileno Bay | Ice Bar
TAKEAWAYS
Cold exposure is here to stay with a focus on contrast therapy & hyper experiential design.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Wildflower Farms | indoor salt water pool with minerals and heat | water healing programming
+ Estelle Manor | breathwork pool | cold pool for Wim Hof inspired breathwork classes
+ Hotel Chalet Mirabell | 25 m natural swimming pond, in the winter, it becomes a plunge pool
+ Hacienda AltaGracia | Casa de Agua by The Well
+ The Well at Mayflower Inn | pool & spa area filled with plants
+ Ananti at Gangnam | indoor pool with brick arches and chandeliers
TAKEAWAYS
Pools are being positioned as wellness amenities with special care paid to the interior or exterior space. We are seeing a rise in atmospheric indoor pools.
Wildflower Farms
Hacienda AltaGracia | Casa de Agua
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay | outdoor workout equipment, Albizia Project + Design Labhi | fitness partner, Anatomy
+ Aman New York | Infrared Zone featuring a VacuTherm Stepper, VacuTherm Treadmill & Infrared Body Rolls
+ Padel Courts | The Club by Bamford & Estelle Manor (& more) | padel is a fast-growing racket sport popular in Europe & Mexico
+ Hemlock Neversink | Movement Building, flex use, beautiful design
+ The Ranch Hudson Valley | former 2,000 sq. foot ballroom of the historical estate
TAKEAWAYS
High-end fitness offerings prioritize a beautiful gym space. Outdoor fitness, racket sports, and bio-hacking equipment continue to trend.
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Wildflower Farms | guest ‘ritual’ of gathering fresh eggs & hand delivering them to the chef to be prepared for breakfast
+ Hacienda AltaGracia | cacao farming tour with local farmer
+ Hotel Chalet Mirabell | on site alpacas, ‘alpaca walk’ events
+ Hemlock Neversink | goat therapy hikes
+ Estelle Manor | foraging, gathering wild fruits, flowers, vegetables, fungi – learning about medicine, food & folklore
+ Estelle Manor | birds of prey, introduction to falconry lessons with the onsite Head Falconer
TAKEAWAYS
Agricultural experiences that allow guests to interact with local flora and fauna are gaining popularity and are being marketed as wellness experiences.
Wildflower Farms | fresh eggs
Hotel Chalet Mirabell | on site alpacas
WELLNESS HOSPITALITY
STUDY
+ Hotel Chalet Mirabell | sunning & view area, a simple but effective way to amenitize an outdoor space with a view
+ 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay | in room water stations
+ The Well Bay Harbor Islands | Sound & Infrared Dome | sound therapy utilizing various frequencies & vibrations along with near, mid & infrared light waves
+ Peninsula Hot Springs | reflexology walk - 10 different stones stimulate various acupressure points
+ snow table dining | winter snow immersive outdoor dining experiences
+ The Ranch Malibu | colon hydrotherapy | this is a new offering at The Ranch for 2024 which points to its rising popularity
GLOSSARY
aufguss | a sauna performance - artfully swirling and twirling towels that push warm, aromatic bursts of heat around the room
banya | an Eastern European sauna traditionally heated by a wood stove that includes the use of a venik, bunches of fragrant birch or oak tree twigs, to massage the body
bathing circuit | a term used to refer to the rotation through the spa treatments
caldarium | a hot plunge bath traditionally used in a Roman bath complex
colon hydrotherapy | the gentle infusion of water into the colon to eliminate accumulated waste material from the colon - administered by a technician
contrast therapy | a series of brief, repeated immersions in water, alternating between warm and cold temperatures
event sauna | large, communal sauna where entertainment like aufguss is often performed
frigidarium | a cold plunge bath traditionally used in a Roman bath complex
halotherapy | breathing in air with tiny salt particles to improve breathing
hammam | a humid, wet, steam bath experience for relaxing, detoxing, and socializing – most associated with Turkish and Moroccan traditions - in a traditional hammam experience, the therapist exfoliates the skin with a mitt called a kesa and a black soap
padel | a racket sport described as being a mixture of squash and tennis played within an enclosed space – considered one of the fastest growing sports
reflexology walk | a path, can be in water, where the user walks on a path of different stones that stimulate various acupressure points
saunarium | gentle, low-temperature sauna with approximately 50% humidity and temperatures around 60° C
snow room | a chilled room with snow
temazcal | practiced by pre-Hispanic indigenous peoples - the term translates from the Nahuatl language to ‘house of heat’ – it is a sweat lodge style steam heated structure traditionally made of clay and hay adobe used for therapeutic ceremony
tepidarium | a relaxation room with heated loungers made of stone, ceramic tiles or marble - the temperatures are between 30° C and 40° C, the room climate is dry - traditionally used in a Roman bath complex
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