The arrival of weight loss drugs could remove a USP for some health club operators, but our wider purpose is evolving to be far more holistic and also prevention- and wellness-based
Health clubs can deliver wrap-around obesity interventions / photo:SHUTTERSTOCK/SeventyFour
The UK government is exploring the use of weight loss drugs, such as Semaglutide – dispensed under the brand name Wegovy – in a large-scale £40m pilot designed to establish the optimum way to deliver them to the target population.
When prescribed alongside a healthy diet, physical activity and behavioural support, people with obesity can lose up to 15 per cent of their bodyweight in a year on Semaglutide, making it an attractive proposition for a health service grappling with a million obesity-related admissions a year, costing £6.5bn.
NICE originally concluded that Semaglutide should only be made available through specialist weight management services, which tend to be based in hospitals, but the scale of the obesity challenge means this approach wouldn’t deliver the volume required, so other solutions are being investigated, leaving the door wide open for health clubs and leisure centres to become delivery partners.
Getting involved with the Wegovy pilots would be a powerful way to make our intentions and potential clear to the health service, with all the opportunities that would create for the sector to mature, raise standards, gain new income streams and deepen its levels of professionalism.
Writing on page 72, Andy King – chair of GM Active – makes the case for the physical activity sector stepping up and applying to take part in the pilots, saying we can deliver levels of wrap-around care, such as exercise interventions, that no other sector can match.
This opportunity comes at a time when disruptive questions are being asked about our wider purpose, with momentum increasingly behind a move from being a predominantly ‘vanity-based’ industry, to one which is focused on wellness, taking us closer to the health service.
Evidence shows many consumers’ needs align with this, with a significant percentage now exercising as much for their mental as their physical health and with an increasing focus on their vitality and overall wellbeing.
We must hear this feedback and adjust our business models, so we tune into wellness and earn a reputation akin to that enjoyed by disciplines such as physiotherapy.
At both the Elevate event and Evolve conference (see page 50), the mood in the room was very much that the sector needs to formulate a new vocabulary to describe what it can do – both for consumers and for government – and that this purpose must be centred around wellness, prevention and holistic lifestyle change.
We begin the debate about our wider role in delivering health interventions on page 68 and welcome your comments for our letters page We’re also interested to hear if you see the arrival of Wegovy as a threat or an opportunity.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
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Sommerhuber GmbH
Sommerhuber specialises in the manufacturing of heat-storing ceramics for spas. [more...]
The arrival of weight loss drugs could remove a USP for some health club operators, but our wider purpose is evolving to be far more holistic and also prevention- and wellness-based
Health clubs can deliver wrap-around obesity interventions / photo:SHUTTERSTOCK/SeventyFour
The UK government is exploring the use of weight loss drugs, such as Semaglutide – dispensed under the brand name Wegovy – in a large-scale £40m pilot designed to establish the optimum way to deliver them to the target population.
When prescribed alongside a healthy diet, physical activity and behavioural support, people with obesity can lose up to 15 per cent of their bodyweight in a year on Semaglutide, making it an attractive proposition for a health service grappling with a million obesity-related admissions a year, costing £6.5bn.
NICE originally concluded that Semaglutide should only be made available through specialist weight management services, which tend to be based in hospitals, but the scale of the obesity challenge means this approach wouldn’t deliver the volume required, so other solutions are being investigated, leaving the door wide open for health clubs and leisure centres to become delivery partners.
Getting involved with the Wegovy pilots would be a powerful way to make our intentions and potential clear to the health service, with all the opportunities that would create for the sector to mature, raise standards, gain new income streams and deepen its levels of professionalism.
Writing on page 72, Andy King – chair of GM Active – makes the case for the physical activity sector stepping up and applying to take part in the pilots, saying we can deliver levels of wrap-around care, such as exercise interventions, that no other sector can match.
This opportunity comes at a time when disruptive questions are being asked about our wider purpose, with momentum increasingly behind a move from being a predominantly ‘vanity-based’ industry, to one which is focused on wellness, taking us closer to the health service.
Evidence shows many consumers’ needs align with this, with a significant percentage now exercising as much for their mental as their physical health and with an increasing focus on their vitality and overall wellbeing.
We must hear this feedback and adjust our business models, so we tune into wellness and earn a reputation akin to that enjoyed by disciplines such as physiotherapy.
At both the Elevate event and Evolve conference (see page 50), the mood in the room was very much that the sector needs to formulate a new vocabulary to describe what it can do – both for consumers and for government – and that this purpose must be centred around wellness, prevention and holistic lifestyle change.
We begin the debate about our wider role in delivering health interventions on page 68 and welcome your comments for our letters page We’re also interested to hear if you see the arrival of Wegovy as a threat or an opportunity.
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Sommerhuber GmbH Sommerhuber specialises in the manufacturing of heat-storing ceramics for spas. [more...]
