The rapidly emerging field of epigenetics will transform the personal care industry and the spa and wellbeing sector will be at the heart of this change, with huge opportunities to grow engagement with customers who are committed to prevention
Scientists are increasingly convinced that the majority of disease – potentially up to 95 per cent – is preventable through making healthy lifestyle choices and that even the prognosis for unpreventable disease can be improved by a better lifestyle.
It was previously thought that genes were fixed for life and that they determine our ‘biological destiny’, however, research carried out around the sequencing of the human genome has taught us that many genes change in response to how we care for ourselves during each second of our lives.
This includes everything from exercising to sleeping, to the pollution we’re exposed to, and from our stress levels to what we eat and drink and our state of mind.
Changes to our genes brought about by lifestyle – be they positive or negative – can either be specific to us, in that they alter how genes are expressed without altering the underlying DNA sequence, or they can be heritable and passed on to subsequent generations.
Increasing awareness of these findings make this type of research a huge game changer for industries related to self-care, such as the food and nutrition, sleep, spa, exercise, wellbeing and lifestyle sectors.
All stand to benefit from the fact that solutions to many ailments are cheap, available and straightforward to deliver and that – most importantly – prevention will be a huge industry in the years to come.
Who’s interested in this new thinking? Firstly, anyone who wants to live a longer, healthier life, free from disease and secondly insurance companies, corporations and governments which want to save money on healthcare.
And it’s likely to get complicated very quickly, because the greater availability of personal genetic testing kits means we’ll be seeing interested parties starting to identify those most likely to succumb to genetic disease with the intention of either helping them (in the case of health services and the wellbeing sector) or isolating them in terms of risk and potentially charging them more for services (in the case of insurance companies).
And just as our current fitness test from the gym or spa reports on our strength or cardiovascular fitness, in future, it will reveal how our diet, meditation and exercise regime has changed our genes, by how much and in what way. We’ll also discover if we’ve lowered our risk of developing a specific disease or increased our longevity.
This new thinking places our sector at the heart of a substantial and growing market for personal wellness services and will bring significant opportunity.
We have a robust knowledge base on which to build these new services and we need to tackle them head on by designing and introducing ‘test and prescribe’ modalities to ensure we’re at the heart of the drive for prevention.
Liz Terry, editorial director @elizterry
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
Marriott’s global head of spa talks exclusively to Katie Barnes about the new ‘game-changing’ Ritz-Carlton Spa brand and market domination
Promotional feature: Steve Kass Consulting
Steve Kass, founder and former CEO of American Leisure, has launched a new business, Steve Kass Consulting. The global leader explains his goals as an innovative concept and design creator
Research: Work it out
Ophelia Yeung gives a sneak preview of a new study on workplace wellness that debuts later this month
Fitness: Competitive edge
Could a touch of rivalry help spas to engage more people in fitness? Niamh Madigan finds out
Promotional feature: Ojmar
A growing number of spa operators across the UK are working with Ojmar to upgrade their traditional keyed locking systems to electronic solutions
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...]
The rapidly emerging field of epigenetics will transform the personal care industry and the spa and wellbeing sector will be at the heart of this change, with huge opportunities to grow engagement with customers who are committed to prevention
Scientists are increasingly convinced that the majority of disease – potentially up to 95 per cent – is preventable through making healthy lifestyle choices and that even the prognosis for unpreventable disease can be improved by a better lifestyle.
It was previously thought that genes were fixed for life and that they determine our ‘biological destiny’, however, research carried out around the sequencing of the human genome has taught us that many genes change in response to how we care for ourselves during each second of our lives.
This includes everything from exercising to sleeping, to the pollution we’re exposed to, and from our stress levels to what we eat and drink and our state of mind.
Changes to our genes brought about by lifestyle – be they positive or negative – can either be specific to us, in that they alter how genes are expressed without altering the underlying DNA sequence, or they can be heritable and passed on to subsequent generations.
Increasing awareness of these findings make this type of research a huge game changer for industries related to self-care, such as the food and nutrition, sleep, spa, exercise, wellbeing and lifestyle sectors.
All stand to benefit from the fact that solutions to many ailments are cheap, available and straightforward to deliver and that – most importantly – prevention will be a huge industry in the years to come.
Who’s interested in this new thinking? Firstly, anyone who wants to live a longer, healthier life, free from disease and secondly insurance companies, corporations and governments which want to save money on healthcare.
And it’s likely to get complicated very quickly, because the greater availability of personal genetic testing kits means we’ll be seeing interested parties starting to identify those most likely to succumb to genetic disease with the intention of either helping them (in the case of health services and the wellbeing sector) or isolating them in terms of risk and potentially charging them more for services (in the case of insurance companies).
And just as our current fitness test from the gym or spa reports on our strength or cardiovascular fitness, in future, it will reveal how our diet, meditation and exercise regime has changed our genes, by how much and in what way. We’ll also discover if we’ve lowered our risk of developing a specific disease or increased our longevity.
This new thinking places our sector at the heart of a substantial and growing market for personal wellness services and will bring significant opportunity.
We have a robust knowledge base on which to build these new services and we need to tackle them head on by designing and introducing ‘test and prescribe’ modalities to ensure we’re at the heart of the drive for prevention.
Liz Terry, editorial director @elizterry
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
Marriott’s global head of spa talks exclusively to Katie Barnes about the new ‘game-changing’ Ritz-Carlton Spa brand and market domination
Promotional feature: Steve Kass Consulting
Steve Kass, founder and former CEO of American Leisure, has launched a new business, Steve Kass Consulting. The global leader explains his goals as an innovative concept and design creator
Research: Work it out
Ophelia Yeung gives a sneak preview of a new study on workplace wellness that debuts later this month
Fitness: Competitive edge
Could a touch of rivalry help spas to engage more people in fitness? Niamh Madigan finds out
Promotional feature: Ojmar
A growing number of spa operators across the UK are working with Ojmar to upgrade their traditional keyed locking systems to electronic solutions
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
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...]
