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
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [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
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.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
