“Movement is the new fitness,” declared Jeremy McCarthy during a trends presentation at the Spatec Europe event in June. The group spa director for Mandarin Oriental references the work of movement guru Ido Portal as a revolutionary example. He explains: “Whatever kind of exercise you do – yoga, lifting weights or a certain sport – as soon as you start to specialise in one kind of movement, you’re sacrificing other areas. Portal’s approach is to practice a diversity of movement, to use your body is as many different ways as possible and not to repeat patterns which create imbalances.”
This echoes something we’ve picked up on in the global fitness arena in our sister publication Health Club Management – the emergence of multi-movement animal-inspired exercise classes. Relying on bodyweight, without the use of equipment, these new classes see people crawling on all fours, swinging from bars and leaping from obstacles to help them rediscover the joy of natural movement in a fun way. They’re a great option for spas and a number of providers are cropping up worldwide...
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2015 issue 3
Letters:
Investors better placed to make profits in spas than operators, says Roger Allen
News report: LivNordic
Raison d’Etre signs a deal with Viking Cruise Lines for its LivNordic spa brand
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 2015
The team behind Spa Business share their insights on what the world of wellness will look like in the future
Interview – Craig Cogut:
The founding partner of Six Senses’ investment firm Pegasus Capital Advisors reveals his vision for the spa operator. Rhianon Howells reports
Promotional feature: RKF Linen
Founder and CEO Riadh Bouaziz talks about the development of the linen company’s revolutionary
new Dreamsoft product and its uptake in leading hotels and spas worldwide
Thought Leaders: Expert predictions
Thought leaders from around the world, working in different industry sectors, talk about spa trends, challenges and growth opportunities
Promotional feature: Thalgo
After 50 successful years in the professional spa and beauty industry, the Thalgo brand is as strong and as innovative
as ever
Promotional feature: ManageMySpa
CEO Sudheer Koneru explains how a move from enterprise technology into spa
software resulted in the creation of a powerful system
ZUU ZUU is the Australian-born fitness concept based on primal movements. Designed by expert in human movement Nathan Helberg, it combines high-intensity interval training with exercises grounded in seven natural human movements: push, pull, bend, twist, squat, lunge and locomotion.
The full-body workout has been designed to develop mobility, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance while strengthening muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and fascia. It’s claimed that exercisers can burn up to 600 calories in 30 minutes.
ZUU has over 100 unique moves, with each one working the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems and named after the animal that inspired it: Gorillas, Bears, Iguanas and Frogs.
Helberg says: “Before ZUU, I was fit and strong but only in singular movements. When I tried exercises that worked multiple muscle groups, I found my joints were weak. I developed a more functional style of training that didn’t involve weights or machines, but used body weight to improve the range of motion and overall strength. The results were incredible.”
The concept is available across Australia and also internationally in the UK, France and North America. Health club partners include Goodlife and Virgin Active.
ANIMAL FLOW Originating fromºº the US, Animal Flow mixes quadrupedal and ground-based movement with elements from bodyweight-training disciplines to create a fun, challenging workout emphasising multi-planar, fluid movement. Its wide range of exercises are grouped into six components, with a typical class moving through each section and then combining them into a fluid ‘flow’ at the end.
The six components are: • Wrist mobilisations – particularly important as you spend a lot of time in the class on your hands.
• Activations: Static holds to connect the body, including Static Beast Hold and Static Crab Hold.
• Form-specific stretches are full body stretches that start in an animal form and then move through a wide range of dynamic motion to increase a person’s mobility and flexibility. Examples of the stretches include the Ape Reach, Beast Reach, Crab Reach and Scorpion Reach.
• Travelling forms are cardio exercises that mimic animal movements, starting with the ABC: Ape, Beast and Crab.
• Switches and transitions are dynamic movements performed one after the other, creating the ‘flow’ in Animal Flow. Examples include the many variations for Underswitches, Side Kickthroughs, Front Kickthroughs and Scorpions.
• Flow combines the moves, linking them together in a fluid sequence.
Originally launched as a signature class at US gym chain Equinox, Animal Flow is no longer exclusive to that operator and is now available in a number of other facilities across North America, Europe and Australia.
Animal Flow is built on six components which are then combined into a sequence
MOV’ With the popularity of parkour growing globally, Parkour Generations has launched MOV’ training – a group exercise programme based on the practice of parkour that’s for fitness operators who to offer something functional, effective and different.
The new programme encourages people to step out of their comfort zone using the fundamentals of movement in a fun, accessible environment, offering workouts that are instinctive and draw on a person’s natural physical abilities.
This style of training builds self-efficacy, which helps develop confidence and overcome fears. In addition, the combination of high and low impact movements is said to be great for burning calories and building a strong, lean body. This is achieved through performing key functional movements including jumping, climbing, running, vaulting and balancing.
The new programme can be delivered through five different modules to suit all fitness levels. The introductory modules are: FlowMOV’, which focuses on agility and co-ordination over obstacles; JumpMOV’, which involves jumping and plyometric techniques for individual or sequenced jump sequences; BalanceMOV’, reconnecting body and mind through a holistic workout; and TribalMOV’, a quadrupedal bodyweight-based movement programme based on natural motor patterns.
The class concept launched in the UK in September 2014 and is now available around the world.
Based on parkour, the classes push people to step out of their comfort zone
MOVNAT Based in New Mexico and launched in 2009, MovNat offers a fitness programme which encourages people to ‘reclaim your nature’. The cure for sitting at a desk is not sitting on a workout machine, the company claims – it’s moving like animals do in the wild to survive.
Founder Erwan Le Corre has spent a lifetime pursuing and studying ancient fitness methodologies resulting in Natural Fitness® – a discipline based on the practice of natural human movement skills. Everything at MovNat, including the coaching method, fitness programme and certification system, is centred around this.
The programme covers movement skills such as lifting, carrying, throwing or catching as well as climbing and jumping and episodes of high intensity metabolic conditioning. Its scalable, with an emphasis on progressions for various fitness levels. The overall aim is to make people fit, lean and strong – and for them to have fun in the process.
MovNat is offered via workshops, retreats and in gyms across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Living Earth Crafts
For over 50 years, LEC has been manufacturing award-winning spa equipment for the world’s finest spas [more...]
G.M. Collin
G.M. Collin develops superior skin care products, from preventive care to combating the first signs [more...]
“Movement is the new fitness,” declared Jeremy McCarthy during a trends presentation at the Spatec Europe event in June. The group spa director for Mandarin Oriental references the work of movement guru Ido Portal as a revolutionary example. He explains: “Whatever kind of exercise you do – yoga, lifting weights or a certain sport – as soon as you start to specialise in one kind of movement, you’re sacrificing other areas. Portal’s approach is to practice a diversity of movement, to use your body is as many different ways as possible and not to repeat patterns which create imbalances.”
This echoes something we’ve picked up on in the global fitness arena in our sister publication Health Club Management – the emergence of multi-movement animal-inspired exercise classes. Relying on bodyweight, without the use of equipment, these new classes see people crawling on all fours, swinging from bars and leaping from obstacles to help them rediscover the joy of natural movement in a fun way. They’re a great option for spas and a number of providers are cropping up worldwide...
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2015 issue 3
Letters:
Investors better placed to make profits in spas than operators, says Roger Allen
News report: LivNordic
Raison d’Etre signs a deal with Viking Cruise Lines for its LivNordic spa brand
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 2015
The team behind Spa Business share their insights on what the world of wellness will look like in the future
Interview – Craig Cogut:
The founding partner of Six Senses’ investment firm Pegasus Capital Advisors reveals his vision for the spa operator. Rhianon Howells reports
Promotional feature: RKF Linen
Founder and CEO Riadh Bouaziz talks about the development of the linen company’s revolutionary
new Dreamsoft product and its uptake in leading hotels and spas worldwide
Thought Leaders: Expert predictions
Thought leaders from around the world, working in different industry sectors, talk about spa trends, challenges and growth opportunities
Promotional feature: Thalgo
After 50 successful years in the professional spa and beauty industry, the Thalgo brand is as strong and as innovative
as ever
Promotional feature: ManageMySpa
CEO Sudheer Koneru explains how a move from enterprise technology into spa
software resulted in the creation of a powerful system
ZUU ZUU is the Australian-born fitness concept based on primal movements. Designed by expert in human movement Nathan Helberg, it combines high-intensity interval training with exercises grounded in seven natural human movements: push, pull, bend, twist, squat, lunge and locomotion.
The full-body workout has been designed to develop mobility, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance while strengthening muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and fascia. It’s claimed that exercisers can burn up to 600 calories in 30 minutes.
ZUU has over 100 unique moves, with each one working the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems and named after the animal that inspired it: Gorillas, Bears, Iguanas and Frogs.
Helberg says: “Before ZUU, I was fit and strong but only in singular movements. When I tried exercises that worked multiple muscle groups, I found my joints were weak. I developed a more functional style of training that didn’t involve weights or machines, but used body weight to improve the range of motion and overall strength. The results were incredible.”
The concept is available across Australia and also internationally in the UK, France and North America. Health club partners include Goodlife and Virgin Active.
ANIMAL FLOW Originating fromºº the US, Animal Flow mixes quadrupedal and ground-based movement with elements from bodyweight-training disciplines to create a fun, challenging workout emphasising multi-planar, fluid movement. Its wide range of exercises are grouped into six components, with a typical class moving through each section and then combining them into a fluid ‘flow’ at the end.
The six components are: • Wrist mobilisations – particularly important as you spend a lot of time in the class on your hands.
• Activations: Static holds to connect the body, including Static Beast Hold and Static Crab Hold.
• Form-specific stretches are full body stretches that start in an animal form and then move through a wide range of dynamic motion to increase a person’s mobility and flexibility. Examples of the stretches include the Ape Reach, Beast Reach, Crab Reach and Scorpion Reach.
• Travelling forms are cardio exercises that mimic animal movements, starting with the ABC: Ape, Beast and Crab.
• Switches and transitions are dynamic movements performed one after the other, creating the ‘flow’ in Animal Flow. Examples include the many variations for Underswitches, Side Kickthroughs, Front Kickthroughs and Scorpions.
• Flow combines the moves, linking them together in a fluid sequence.
Originally launched as a signature class at US gym chain Equinox, Animal Flow is no longer exclusive to that operator and is now available in a number of other facilities across North America, Europe and Australia.
Animal Flow is built on six components which are then combined into a sequence
MOV’ With the popularity of parkour growing globally, Parkour Generations has launched MOV’ training – a group exercise programme based on the practice of parkour that’s for fitness operators who to offer something functional, effective and different.
The new programme encourages people to step out of their comfort zone using the fundamentals of movement in a fun, accessible environment, offering workouts that are instinctive and draw on a person’s natural physical abilities.
This style of training builds self-efficacy, which helps develop confidence and overcome fears. In addition, the combination of high and low impact movements is said to be great for burning calories and building a strong, lean body. This is achieved through performing key functional movements including jumping, climbing, running, vaulting and balancing.
The new programme can be delivered through five different modules to suit all fitness levels. The introductory modules are: FlowMOV’, which focuses on agility and co-ordination over obstacles; JumpMOV’, which involves jumping and plyometric techniques for individual or sequenced jump sequences; BalanceMOV’, reconnecting body and mind through a holistic workout; and TribalMOV’, a quadrupedal bodyweight-based movement programme based on natural motor patterns.
The class concept launched in the UK in September 2014 and is now available around the world.
Based on parkour, the classes push people to step out of their comfort zone
MOVNAT Based in New Mexico and launched in 2009, MovNat offers a fitness programme which encourages people to ‘reclaim your nature’. The cure for sitting at a desk is not sitting on a workout machine, the company claims – it’s moving like animals do in the wild to survive.
Founder Erwan Le Corre has spent a lifetime pursuing and studying ancient fitness methodologies resulting in Natural Fitness® – a discipline based on the practice of natural human movement skills. Everything at MovNat, including the coaching method, fitness programme and certification system, is centred around this.
The programme covers movement skills such as lifting, carrying, throwing or catching as well as climbing and jumping and episodes of high intensity metabolic conditioning. Its scalable, with an emphasis on progressions for various fitness levels. The overall aim is to make people fit, lean and strong – and for them to have fun in the process.
MovNat is offered via workshops, retreats and in gyms across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
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...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Living Earth Crafts For over 50 years, LEC has been manufacturing award-winning spa equipment for the world’s finest spas [more...]
