Anna Bjurstam, managing director of Swedish spa consultancy Raison d'Etre has predicted that personal treatment schedules and eye therapies will be among the top spa trends of 2012.
Listing "booking time, not treatments" as her top trend for the year, Bjurstam said: "There is an emerging trend towards booking spa time, not treatments, allowing therapists to design a bespoke treatment plan for each guest according to their needs and expectations.
"This meets spa-goers' shifting perceptions of luxury, away from expensive products and design and towards unique, authentic experiences. We predict that the book-a-time-trend will become increasingly popular in 2012 and suggest that spas appoint one or two experienced star-therapists to ensure they can deliver tailor made work to the promised quality."
Bjurstam's other predictions for 2012 include:
Eyes in focus
"Blink, the just-opened eyebrow store at Henri Bendel, New York, is an indication of another strong 2012 spa and beauty industry. Eyebrow bars, dedicated only to treatments in the eye zone including threading, tinting, waxing, lash extensions and eye massages, are opening in department stores in all major cities. Expect eyes to be a major focus next year."
Age adapted spas
"We expect more generation spas, adapted to the needs of specific age groups, to appear in 2012. Age adapted spas targeting younger groups will be focusing on the preventative aspects of healthy ageing, where as 55+ spas will be incorporating rehabilitation treatments and looking at how to prevent age related diseases such as osteoporosis."
Social Spa-ing
"2012 will continue to see a rise in community spas where socialising is a major aspect. The spas will be designed in ways that allow spa-goers to socialise and receive treatments at the same time. The growing trend for Hammam rituals and treatments is a great illustration of this, building on the traditions of communal bathing and cleansing."
Nutrition as a foundation
"One trend that we hope to see more of in 2012 is a focus on nutrition in spas. It is imperative that spas stress the importance of nutrition as we cannot expect to see proper results from spa treatments without the spa-goer making the necessary adjustments to their diet. The body needs to be looked at as a whole with nutrition being the most powerful way of working on the body, skin and mind."
