GWI Initiative names top hot springs trends worldwide
The Global Wellness Institute has released the top five trends in hot springs as identified by the GWI’s Hot Springs Initiative.
The new forecast draws attention to World Bathing Day, a celebration on 22 June of all the world’s water in which we bathe, and a rallying cry to create a world where bathing is possible for all.
“It’s crucial to remember that every generation benefits from hot springs — and worth noting that all five of the original Blue Zone Communities, places in the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives, feature hot springs in the community or very close by,” said Charles Davidson, chair of the GWI Hot Springs Initiative and founder of Peninsula Hot Springs in Australia.
GWI’s Hot Spring Initiative Top Trends for 2019
Multigenerational features—and accessibility—make hot springs a destination for all
Hot springs are being designed with infants and seniors in mind, providing environments, activities and accessibility for people at all stages of life. Experiences range from baby baths and walk-in pools to massaging hydro jets and water slides. Whether it is high energy fun or low impact and easy-entry pools, hot springs facility design is taking heed of visitors’ ages and mobility. In addition, facilities are providing separate spaces to pursue tranquil, low-energy activities or noisy, high-level activities without compromising either experience. Examples include renovations at the 130-year-old Glenwood Hot Springs (Colorado) and Chinese wellness real estate developers targeting retirees with villages that are centered around hot springs in China.
Hot springs take lead in connecting communityPublic bathing is inherently communal and, in keeping with their role as refuges for health, wellbeing and connection, hot springs are engaging with the broader community where they are located. This can take the form of providing health and fitness programmes with special midweek entry prices for local visitors as well as direct engagement with community organizsations for philanthropy and as a social service. In particular, hot springs are focusing on promoting the mental and physical health of the people in the community. The Esalen Institute in California offers a wide range of wellbeing courses, while Wilbur Hot Springs donated 10 percent of its revenue to water.org on World Bathing Day (22 June) in 2018.
More wellness programming increases appeal and revenues
Massage, yoga, Pilates, hot/cold experiences, forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku), hydrotherapy and many more activities are being woven into hot springs offerings, stretching their traditional appeal of relaxation and escape to reach a more proactive, self-help, wellness-motivated consumer. The increased appeal has manifested into “one-day” holiday concepts at some hot springs that can include a VIP hot springs experience that gives visitors more time and space to enjoy the waters. Austria’s Vitality World created a new “One Day Holiday” programme at its Aqua Dome, resulting in double-digit growth, while Glen Ivy Hot Springs (Los Angeles) offers a hot springs concierge during busy times to enhance the guest experience and help share knowledge about the water and correct bathing practices. In China, the government issued its “Healthy China 2030 Guideline,” which encourages hot springs facilities to provide more than relaxation and escape.
Hot springs maximise connection to nature and environmentIncreasingly, evidence-based research shows the connection between nature and mental and spiritual health. Hot springs stem directly from the earth with life- and health-enhancing minerals and natural warmth that provide an all-weather and all-seasons connection to the environment. Hot springs designs are focusing on providing an aesthetic and physical connection to the environment and, with that, comes a sublime and almost subliminal health outcome — a sense of being connected to and at one with the natural environment. Two hours out of Tokyo, the ancient hot springs town of offers a trail of hot springs (or onsens) where guests walk through the beautiful town in their traditional yukata robes and geta (wooden clogs) from hot spring to hot spring. In any season, guests feel connected to the surrounding space and find blissful relaxation.
Extreme bathing = extreme wellness
Pushing our bodies to extremes helps stimulate the immune system and the body’s self-healing mechanisms and is getting the attention of the global media and the global health-conscious consumer. Natural hot springs are playing host to extreme wellness retreats and adventures: The extreme comfort of natural hot pools provides a stark contrast to bathing in snow-covered mountain streams, or try a walking tour in the forest punctuated by the discovery of portable heated hydro hammocks or makeshift steam room tents. At New Zealand’s Maruia Hot Springs, guests can combine extreme hot and cold bathing experiences with talks on nutrition, walks, yoga, massage and mindfulness, while Peninsula Hot Springs in Australia has launched a Nordic zone with saunas, ice caves, cold plunge pools and an ice plunge pool supported by trained guides who take guests on Fire & Ice experiences.
Global Wellness Institute Hot Springs Initiative top hot springs trends World Bathing DayBlu Spas launches new social spa concept
First-ever US hot springs conference a success
Massive six-star hot springs project planned for Australia
First US Hot Springs Conference announced for November
The marriage of thermal bathing and entertainment: Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AU$13m amphitheatre expansion
World Bathing Day to take place 22 June
FEATURE: Event report – International Onsen Summit - Hot Topic
FEATURE: Spa tourism – Soaking in the scenery
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
Bionic leaves, breathable metals and selfgrowing bricks... Biomimicry in architecture has come a long way. Christopher DeWolf takes a look at the latest advances