Nearly half (43 per cent) of the respondents to ISPA’s 2019 US Spa Industry Study feel cannabidiol (CBD) products and treatments will be the industry’s next big thing.

CBD is an active but non-psychoactive compound derived from the hemp plant which has taken the spa industry by storm in recent years. It is used to treat stress and anxiety, insomnia, inflammation and chronic pain.

US spas are continuing to retail CBD products and also incorporate it into treatments, with the 2019 report stating that 86 per cent of facilities already using CBD oil have incorporated it into massages.

The ISPA study – carried out in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – revealed that a majority of US spas, 56 per cent, plan to add CBD offerings in the next two years.

If realised, those plans would bring the proportion of spas with CBD offerings up from 18 per cent to 74 per cent by 2022.

In the US, 50 states have legalised CBD oil but each has its own specific legislation. Legislation tends to rely on the CBD product’s THC levels, tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component.

Hemp is rich in CBD, and generally contains the low proportion of 0.3 per cent THC, or less. CBD oils which are processed from the hemp plant, are legal to possess under the new federal law following the 2018 Farm Bill providing they contain no more than 0.3 per cent THC.

However, not all states have changed their laws to match the new federal rules, creating a potentially confusing status for CBD.

Auberge Resorts Collection’s area director of wellness, Helen Brown, warns operators to take caution in choosing their CBD supplier.

“You must ensure suppliers have a history of working with these products and haven’t just jumped on the bandwagon when CBD started to get successful," Brown said.

"You need to know that it’s a clean product, which has been sourced responsibly and mixed with good quality products.

“Also, speak to your insurance company, as I know some have forbidden spas from offering CBD products".