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Young people who reported higher levels of loneliness had more online-only friends / Bader Oleksii/shutterstock
Loneliness is believed to be as unhealthy as obesity and smoking, and last May leading operators told Spa Business how the industry can help (see SB18/2 p58). By adopting a thoughtful, more inclusive approach spas, with their touch-based treatments, mindfulness therapies and group sessions, are perfectly positioned to reach out to those feeling isolated.
While operators would be forgiven for assuming that older adults are the biggest audience, a new survey reveals that young people between the ages of 16 and 24 experience loneliness more keenly.
Around 55,000 participants from 237 countries took part in the BBC’s Loneliness Experiment, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The results show that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds around the world feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘very often’, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged between 65 to 74, and 27 per cent of 75 and overs.
The survey also shows that young people who report higher levels of loneliness have more online-only Facebook friends than those who report lower levels.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Telegraph Claudia Hammond, who instigated the project, says the findings challenge the stereotype of the isolated elderly, suggesting, instead, an epidemic of loneliness amongst the young.
“I wondered where there is something about the stress of modern life, or young people’s ability to cope with it, that makes them feel lonelier. Or is youth simply a time of life when people feel isolation most keenly?” she asked.
“Young people today have social media. They are more connected than ever before. But this can bring its own problems. If you’re feeling lonely, looking at pictures of other people appearing to have endless fun isn’t going to help with those feelings of isolation.”
Spa Business identified loneliness as an industry trend in 2014: http://lei.sr/H5P3A. It also reported on the impact of loneliness and how spas can position themselves to help address the problem in more depth in issue 2 2015: http://lei.sr/3v3r8 and issue 2 2018: http://lei.sr/H3K1p
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
Young people who reported higher levels of loneliness had more online-only friends / Bader Oleksii/shutterstock
Loneliness is believed to be as unhealthy as obesity and smoking, and last May leading operators told Spa Business how the industry can help (see SB18/2 p58). By adopting a thoughtful, more inclusive approach spas, with their touch-based treatments, mindfulness therapies and group sessions, are perfectly positioned to reach out to those feeling isolated.
While operators would be forgiven for assuming that older adults are the biggest audience, a new survey reveals that young people between the ages of 16 and 24 experience loneliness more keenly.
Around 55,000 participants from 237 countries took part in the BBC’s Loneliness Experiment, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The results show that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds around the world feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘very often’, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged between 65 to 74, and 27 per cent of 75 and overs.
The survey also shows that young people who report higher levels of loneliness have more online-only Facebook friends than those who report lower levels.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Telegraph Claudia Hammond, who instigated the project, says the findings challenge the stereotype of the isolated elderly, suggesting, instead, an epidemic of loneliness amongst the young.
“I wondered where there is something about the stress of modern life, or young people’s ability to cope with it, that makes them feel lonelier. Or is youth simply a time of life when people feel isolation most keenly?” she asked.
“Young people today have social media. They are more connected than ever before. But this can bring its own problems. If you’re feeling lonely, looking at pictures of other people appearing to have endless fun isn’t going to help with those feelings of isolation.”
Spa Business identified loneliness as an industry trend in 2014: http://lei.sr/H5P3A. It also reported on the impact of loneliness and how spas can position themselves to help address the problem in more depth in issue 2 2015: http://lei.sr/3v3r8 and issue 2 2018: http://lei.sr/H3K1p
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
Gran Hotel Taoro in northern Tenerife, Spain, has completed the final phase of its three-year
renovation with the debut of its Sandára Wellness Centre.
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the spa business with more than 650 locations across
the US and Canada, has appointed franchise expert Carrie Walsh as CEO as the company plans
to expand.
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has published a non-regulatory global industry
framework designed to ensure the retreat market offers responsible experiences.
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and
wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Anna Bjurstam has left her role as Wellness Pioneer at Six Senses Hotels and Resorts and
launched a new wellness, longevity and “consciousness consultancy” called Wahayla.
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has opened today (10 July) in the Northwest of England
with a
1,715sq m Fairmont Spa that has been designed using a ‘Wellness without Walls’
concept.
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
