Spafinder Wellness 365 has published its twelfth edition of the annual Top 10 Global Spa and Wellness Trends Forecast for 2015 – including medi-spa prescriptions for cannabis, spas targeting jet-lagged travellers and an increase in Islamic wellness rituals beyond hammams and argan oil.

The report is an in-depth forecast of significant global trends that will impact the industry and consumers in the year ahead. Developed by a team of research analysts, editors and industry experts, the forecast is based on ongoing surveys of the spa, wellness and beauty providers in the Spafinder Wellness 365 Network, travel agents and consumers. Susie Ellis, president of Spafinder, directed the trends project with Mia Kyricos – the company's chief brand officer. Research director Beth McGroarty and her team put together the evidence for the trends.

Increased development of environment-conscious residences and wellness cities is a forecasted trend by Spafinder. The trend is being fuelled by economic recovery and consumer demand for everyday wellness. In 2007, Spafinder named ‘spa real estate’ as a trend, after tracking the rise of developments that let people live at a luxury spa, however the recession stalled these projects. As the economy and stress levels rise, the wellness real estate market is back on track – with the help of new building designs such as Delos Living’s Well Building Standard and sustainable LEED-certified neighbourhoods.

One such sustainable community is called Serenbe, located outside Georgia’s capital Atlanta, US, which is developing a new ‘hamlet’ focused on wellness and healthy living, with special assisted-living services for older adults.

Wellness traditions from the Islamic world will be widely embraced by the spa world, according to another of Spafinder’s forecast trends. Professor Gerry Bodeker – chair of the Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health and the Department of Primary Health Care Sciences of Oxford University – is credited for inspiring the title and framework of this trend. His work has allowed Spafinder to predict that Middle Eastern, African and Malaysian medicinal plants, spices and ancient grains will be the next ‘superfoods’. Treatments beyond the hammam: from rasul/ mud experiences to sand bathing – including new sand-immersive massage tables – are expected to be particularly popular. More MENA spas will move beyond generic Asian menus to incorporate indigenous ingredients and design.

“The nutritional, healing and beauty traditions across Islamic cultures are the last, lost, great bodies of traditional health knowledge that must and will be discovered,” said Bodeker. “We’re just at the tip of the iceberg in uncovering the wealth of health resources that exist here.”

Spa Opportunities has also reported an increase in sharia-compliant resorts and tourism-related ventures. For example, Malaysia is working on a sharia compliance benchmark for tourism services, including those for spas and hotels.

Spafinder also predicts a deep focus on the science of the gut and the philosophy that by altering the makeup of our gut, we can improve our immunity and resilience while reducing changes for obesity. From diets to detox, spas around the world are offering different ways to change our digestive environment for the better.

There will be a ‘blue collar wellness wave’ according to Spafinder, suggesting that more companies in industrial, transportation, service and manufacturing sectors will recognise the benefits of healthy employees – offering them wellness schemes beyond custom-designed corporate wellness programmes for senior staff.

After decades of prohibition, cannabis-branded day spas are set to take centre stage in the wellness world – with cannabis wellness tourism packages to be in high demand. Cannabis businesses are also adopting the language of wellness and are adding free massage, yoga, meditation and acupuncture services for clients, according to another trend by Spafinder. Traditional medical spas are prescribing medicinal cannabis after partial legalisation led to an explosion of the cannabis market in the US.

Demand for custom blends of beauty products are on the rise, revealing the trend for hyper-personalised beauty. The industry is expected to adapt to new technologies such as 3D printing and Google Glass to customise products. Questionnaires and on-site counselling will be used more often to gauge client skin profiles to meet individual customer needs.

Other trends forecast by Spafinder include an expected boom in “forest therapy”, with doctors prescribing time in forests/ natural environments and governments and authorities developing trails and wilderness activity programmes to combat depression and other illnesses.

As the fitness landscape continues to evolve, spas are upping their boutique fitness offerings, according to another trend predicted by Spafinder. Social fitness, in evidence at yoga festivals, zumba parties and fitness retreats, are becoming more mainstream because it allows people to tackle fitness in a hub or community of people rather than in isolation. People value the motivation, feedback and encouragement they get from team activities and Spafinder predicts fitness businesses to increasingly offer global memberships.

Consumers want wellness anytime, anywhere and providers are starting to deliver it, according to Spafinder – which predicts a new travel ritual of treatments on arrival and en route for travellers. Across airports worldwide, first class lounges have always offered spa and beauty treatments but express spas in departure terminals have taken off as airport operators have expanded their focus on travellers’ health and wellbeing.

A whole host of new wellness-based offerings are set to redefine ‘luxury’, according to Spafinder’s ‘Beyond the Stars’ trend. Online review sites and social media allow hospitality services to be rated, however the “five-star” rating will no longer apply to some of the most daring designs set for the future. The redefinition of luxury trend is a prediction of a social shift that relies less on star rankings as the only measure of quality – thus the luxury travel industry will be challenged to provide the most outrageous and opulent service.

Pete Ellis, chair of Spafinder Wellness commented: "Our goal is to help every business in our 20,000-plus partner network thrive in a highly competitive global market. To be successful, management must understand where our industry is headed and how to take advantage of new developments–and the impact of cultural and social shifts.

He added: "We think this in-depth forecast report provides the insight and information companies in the wellness industry will need to make sound decisions in the year ahead."

In summary, the trends for 2015 are as follows:

- Forest Bathing

- Cannabis: New Spa & Wellness Connections- Wellness Traditions from the Islamic World

- Industrial Revolution: Blue Collar Wellness- Wellness Homes: Communities & Cities

- My fitness. My tribe. My life.- Spa On Arrival (& En Route)

- Hyper-Personalised Beauty- Gut Reaction

- Beyond the Stars

R Hotels plans AED500m sharia-compliant resort and spa

Serenbe sustainable living community to develop wellness hamlet

US medi-spa offers medical marijuana recommendation letters

Delos and Mayo Clinic pair up for wellbeing product testing lab

Spa product suppliers urged to take advantage of 3D printing

Malaysia to determine sharia compliance benchmark for tourism services

Anna Wintour leads the fashion industry into battle against Sharia Law in Brunei

The Brando resort aiming to become world's first sustainable design certified resort

Spa clients warming to Gharieni's new couch

FEATURE: Trends – Spa Foresight™ 2014