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Recovery has moved beyond elite sport into mainstream wellness. Fitness operators are already monetising the trend and spas are perfectly placed to also capitalise on it – if they can deliver it in a way that fits their model
Contrast bathing can be reinvented as part of a wider recovery package / photo: shutterstock/Michele Ursi
In the run-up to the second annual HCM Summit, I’ve been reflecting on how closely the spa and fitness worlds are now aligning under the wider wellness umbrella.
Leisure Media, the parent company of Spa Business and HCM, launched the all-keynote event to explore the future of fitness and wellness. This year’s summit features voices that bridge both sectors – from TV icon Angela Rippon, still performing the splits at 81 and promoting dance as a form of wellbeing, to Anna Bjurstam, a veteran spa innovator and L Catterton’s Marc Magliacano, who’s led many of the fund’s health and wellness investments, including Equinox, EGYM and One Spa World. Their presence underlines how connected these industries have become.
One of the strongest shared currents right now is recovery. Once the preserve of professional athletes, it’s fast becoming mainstream – fuelled by social media, self-optimisation culture and the public’s growing understanding that rest is an essential part of performance.
Fitness operators have been quick to embrace recovery as a commercial opportunity. Ice baths, compression therapy and infrared treatments are being packaged and upsold to drive secondary spend and membership upgrades with relatively low operational costs.
For spa and wellness operators, recovery represents a parallel opportunity. Consumers are already curious, so the question is how to integrate recovery in ways that suit each business model – touchless or guided, high- or low-tech, single service or curated experience.
As with any new offer, it will still need education, encouragement and powerful storytelling to drive uptake.
On page 44, we interview Chris Norton, CEO of uber-cool Equinox Hotels, sister brand to the fitness empire, which is basing its recovery strategy around science-backed Sleep Lab rooms and charging a 90 per cent premium for these for good measure.
On page 54, we spotlight other pioneers leading the way – from brands such as SIRO, which is building its proposition around recovery, to operators such as Sensei and RAKxa, which are using it to differentiate and enhance value.
Recovery may have started in fitness, but it’s rapidly finding its place in spa and wellness – and it’s one of the next big waves heading our way.
Spa people: Tim Fu
Leading a wellness architecture project in Slovenia that’s one of the first in the world to use AI in all stages of design
Spa people: Kayley Thomas
Lush is famous for its bath bombs and retail empire, but the co-founder of its day spa concept reveals why its 19 global spa facilities are so essential
Spa people: Colin Mcilheney
We find out more about Colin Mcilheney, the man who created the ISPA US Spa Industry Study and has been analysing the sector’s performance ever since
News report: Map of luxury
New research by WATG shows emerging wealth hubs in India, the Gulf, Southeast Asia and Africa are reshaping luxury travel demand
Interview: Chris Norton
The CEO of Equinox Hotels tells Katie Barnes how the uber-cool brand is scaling its bold fusion of fitness, spa and luxury
Ask an expert...: Recovery
From cryo to compression to contrast bathing, Julie Cramer investigates why and how spas and resorts are integrating recovery packages
Research: Behind the boom
What are the hidden messages in the latest US study by ISPA? Colin Mcilheney digs beneath the surface
Research: Bigger picture
Rising salaries and shifting consumer expectations – two new surveys by the UKSA and GSG reveal the trends impacting UK spa operators
Sponsored: Lemi - Good sensations
Lemi’s Venice Head Spa combines the beauty of Italian design with fine-tuned technology to provide the ultimate top-to-toe treatment station for spas
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN – Smooth operator
The new toner from G.M. Collin represents a ‘gold standard’ in leave-on liquid exfoliation for smooth and radiant results, without the irritation of a scrub
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin – Snow for all seasons
TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
First person: Costa Blanca cure
Jane Kitchen visits Spain to compare and contrast two world-class medi-wellness clinics: well-established SHA and ambitious newcomer ZEM
Sponsored: Gharieni Group – Tech-powered recovery
The new brand in the Gharieni Group portfolio – Metawell – is delivering what today’s wellness clients are seeking most – deep recovery and mind-body renewal
Sponsored: BC Softwear – Human touch
While touchless therapies are a positive addition to spas, nothing can replace the healing power of human touch, says Barbara Cooke
Sponsored: Yon-ka – A potent blend
Yon-Ka’s new Serum Omega is a potent blend of Omega 3, 6 and 9 to target
dry, stressed-out skin and deliver a calm and nourishing client experience
Menu engineering: At your service
Self-playing gongs in Sweden, surfing therapy in Morocco and Ananda launches holistic diabetes management programme in India
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...]
Recovery has moved beyond elite sport into mainstream wellness. Fitness operators are already monetising the trend and spas are perfectly placed to also capitalise on it – if they can deliver it in a way that fits their model
Contrast bathing can be reinvented as part of a wider recovery package / photo: shutterstock/Michele Ursi
In the run-up to the second annual HCM Summit, I’ve been reflecting on how closely the spa and fitness worlds are now aligning under the wider wellness umbrella.
Leisure Media, the parent company of Spa Business and HCM, launched the all-keynote event to explore the future of fitness and wellness. This year’s summit features voices that bridge both sectors – from TV icon Angela Rippon, still performing the splits at 81 and promoting dance as a form of wellbeing, to Anna Bjurstam, a veteran spa innovator and L Catterton’s Marc Magliacano, who’s led many of the fund’s health and wellness investments, including Equinox, EGYM and One Spa World. Their presence underlines how connected these industries have become.
One of the strongest shared currents right now is recovery. Once the preserve of professional athletes, it’s fast becoming mainstream – fuelled by social media, self-optimisation culture and the public’s growing understanding that rest is an essential part of performance.
Fitness operators have been quick to embrace recovery as a commercial opportunity. Ice baths, compression therapy and infrared treatments are being packaged and upsold to drive secondary spend and membership upgrades with relatively low operational costs.
For spa and wellness operators, recovery represents a parallel opportunity. Consumers are already curious, so the question is how to integrate recovery in ways that suit each business model – touchless or guided, high- or low-tech, single service or curated experience.
As with any new offer, it will still need education, encouragement and powerful storytelling to drive uptake.
On page 44, we interview Chris Norton, CEO of uber-cool Equinox Hotels, sister brand to the fitness empire, which is basing its recovery strategy around science-backed Sleep Lab rooms and charging a 90 per cent premium for these for good measure.
On page 54, we spotlight other pioneers leading the way – from brands such as SIRO, which is building its proposition around recovery, to operators such as Sensei and RAKxa, which are using it to differentiate and enhance value.
Recovery may have started in fitness, but it’s rapidly finding its place in spa and wellness – and it’s one of the next big waves heading our way.
Spa people: Tim Fu
Leading a wellness architecture project in Slovenia that’s one of the first in the world to use AI in all stages of design
Spa people: Kayley Thomas
Lush is famous for its bath bombs and retail empire, but the co-founder of its day spa concept reveals why its 19 global spa facilities are so essential
Spa people: Colin Mcilheney
We find out more about Colin Mcilheney, the man who created the ISPA US Spa Industry Study and has been analysing the sector’s performance ever since
News report: Map of luxury
New research by WATG shows emerging wealth hubs in India, the Gulf, Southeast Asia and Africa are reshaping luxury travel demand
Interview: Chris Norton
The CEO of Equinox Hotels tells Katie Barnes how the uber-cool brand is scaling its bold fusion of fitness, spa and luxury
Ask an expert...: Recovery
From cryo to compression to contrast bathing, Julie Cramer investigates why and how spas and resorts are integrating recovery packages
Research: Behind the boom
What are the hidden messages in the latest US study by ISPA? Colin Mcilheney digs beneath the surface
Research: Bigger picture
Rising salaries and shifting consumer expectations – two new surveys by the UKSA and GSG reveal the trends impacting UK spa operators
Sponsored: Lemi - Good sensations
Lemi’s Venice Head Spa combines the beauty of Italian design with fine-tuned technology to provide the ultimate top-to-toe treatment station for spas
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN – Smooth operator
The new toner from G.M. Collin represents a ‘gold standard’ in leave-on liquid exfoliation for smooth and radiant results, without the irritation of a scrub
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin – Snow for all seasons
TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
First person: Costa Blanca cure
Jane Kitchen visits Spain to compare and contrast two world-class medi-wellness clinics: well-established SHA and ambitious newcomer ZEM
Sponsored: Gharieni Group – Tech-powered recovery
The new brand in the Gharieni Group portfolio – Metawell – is delivering what today’s wellness clients are seeking most – deep recovery and mind-body renewal
Sponsored: BC Softwear – Human touch
While touchless therapies are a positive addition to spas, nothing can replace the healing power of human touch, says Barbara Cooke
Sponsored: Yon-ka – A potent blend
Yon-Ka’s new Serum Omega is a potent blend of Omega 3, 6 and 9 to target
dry, stressed-out skin and deliver a calm and nourishing client experience
Menu engineering: At your service
Self-playing gongs in Sweden, surfing therapy in Morocco and Ananda launches holistic diabetes management programme in India
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.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
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...]
