Medispas, express treatments and on-demand services among top consumer spa trends

Beauty on demand, medical wellbeing and treatments with minimal downtime are key current spa trends, according to new research.

The trends were identified in consumer lifestyle analyst Stylus’ Future Beauty: Evolution of the Spa report, as among those shaping the present and future of the industry.

The sector, the report concluded, is being driven by consumer demand and expectations. One such expectation is “beauty on demand,” with consumers looking for what Stylus describes as “the Uber model to services like massage, drawing them out of the salon and into offices and homes”.

Time is a key element in a number of spa trends, including the demand for express treatments. Adam Ross, founder and chief executive of New York-based Heyday, which specialises in facials, told Stylus: “Any concept that you see resonating with today’s consumers involves time, cost or convenience.”

This demand for quick but noticeable results lies behind the growing popularity of technologies such as microcurrent and radiofrequency, the report found. Trish Carey, sales and marketing manager at Nouveau Skin Therapy, said in the report: “Today’s consumers want results for their spend, and there’s no time for downtime.” The report also highlighted the growing interest in treatments involving intense heat or cold. This includes using heat for detoxing purposes, such as at LA’s Shape House, which refers to itself as “an urban sweat lodge”.

The increasing popularity of cryotherapy, using extreme cold to smooth lines and wrinkles on the face and freeze and expel fat cells from the body, is another example.

The report also singled out drawing inspiration and technologies from the medical field as a core trend: as seen in the rise of medi-spas and medical wellness destinations.

Treatments such as vitamin drips are becoming increasingly popular in urban settings, while both city and country-based medical wellness centres now offer DNA testing to allow for the complete customisation of treatments and programmes.

Image: Grand Resort Bad Ragaz