COVID-19 has rocked the world. More than 119 million people from 230 countries have contracted the virus and 2.7 million have lost their lives, according to statistics from the World Health Organization.

One legacy of this crippling pandemic will be a long-term need to support those affected – people facing bereavement or loneliness, the millions battling Long COVID and those who are now hyper aware of the importance of self-care, wellness and health.

Operators in the spa and wellness industry can make a vital contribution in supporting people through this challenging time, by providing dedicated recovery and support services in calming, healing environments.

Medi-wellness operators are already offering packages to help people who’ve had COVID-19. Lanserhof was one of the first, while in the Czech Republic, both Ensana and The Hotel Savoy Westend are using local mineral-rich spring water, along with physiotherapy and other medically supervised treatments in their ‘Respiratory Recovery’ and ‘Life After COVID-19’ programmes.

Other well-known spas, such as Chablé in Mexico, Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland and Sha Wellness in Spain, are adding immune boosting programmes aimed at strengthening both body and mind and reducing the risk factors for severe cases of COVID-19 – obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

It’s clear the potential there is for spas to help the world to heal, however, for these services to be accessible to all and not just an elite few, we need a rapid upskilling of the workforce to enable us to deliver across the board as a sector.

Spas of all sizes need to be ready to support customers as they return, because their needs – in terms of their physical, mental and spiritual health – will be far more complex and challenging than before.

We need both technical knowledge and shared experience to carry out this work effectively and we call on operators across the industry to openly share best practice and learnings for the benefit of all.

We must also be aware of the importance of supporting our spa teams, as they will find the burden – especially of dealing with the bereaved – extremely challenging.

The world is full of hope now we are on the road to recovery and we have a purposeful, powerful role to play in people’s personal journeys back to health.