From “amusement park” spas to coldtreatments like “snow showers” to the arrival of beauty coaches,SpaFinder today released its annual Spa Trend Report™ forecasting theglobal trends and ideas that will reshape spa and wellness in 2012.
Now in its ninth year, the influential annual report is basedon analyses from SpaFinder Research and its team of experts whovisit hundreds of spa and wellness businesses around the world everyyear, as well as interviews with leading industry analysts and data andfeedback collected from SpaFinder’s partnership with over 15,000 spas,yoga, Pilates and fitness studios, wellness practitioners and salonsworldwide.
The Spa Trend Report™ is developed under the direction ofSpaFinder President Susie Ellis, a contributing editor to NewBeautymagazine, a foundingboard member of The Global Spa & Wellness Summit and author ofthe widely read industry blog, Susie’s Spa Blog. Ellis is credited withforecasting numerous industry “mega-trends” that have taken hold inspas around the world.
“Overall, we see two distinct themes emerging. One is theindustry innovating with diverse, new sensory experiences andtreatments — from cold and ‘vibration’ therapies to new services forhealthy feet. The second is how spas are re-imagining and extendingtheir connection to customers, moving beyond the sporadic visit, toprograms aimed at developing long-term relationships such as coachingand online wellness gaming,” Ellis said.
To view short descriptions of each trend with photos, visit www.spafinder.com/2012trends.htm. To viewSpaFinder’s full 2012 Spa Trend Report™ click here.
SpaFinder’s Top 10 Global Spa Trends for2012 are:

1. Healthy Feet Treatments
2. Cold and Ice Are Hot
3. Wellness and Beauty Coaching
4. Online Wellness Gaming
5. Pairing Fine Dining and Spa-ing
6. Vibration, Sound, Music, Light and Color Therapies
7. The Glam Factor
8. Spa Evidence: Showing the Science Behind Spa
9. Spas Become a Family Affair
10. Spas Go for the "Wow"
SpaFinder also highlighted one emerging trend that was notincluded in the report, as it is primarily a U.S. phenomenon —Employee Wellness Programs & Spas. SpaFinder Researchwill release a special report summarizing the significance and state ofworkplace wellness in the printed edition of the 2012 Spa Trend Report™available in January 2012.
“After four tough economic years that made experimentationchallenging, we are seeing the industry once again pushing the envelopewith exciting ideas, ever more valuable services, more fun and quiteserious wellness innovation,” Ellis added.
About SpaFinder
The world’s largest spa media, marketing and gifting company,SpaFinder, Inc., connects millions of wellness-focused consumers withthousands of spas, yoga, Pilates and fitness studios and wellnesspractitioners worldwide. SpaFinder’s media properties include theaward-winning http://www.spafinder.com, the Club Spae-newsletter and blog and the annual NewBeauty SpaFinder Guide toGlobal Spa, Wellness & Beauty. SpaFinder and its spa-beautygift division, SpaWish, offer gift certificates and cards that areredeemable at a combined network of over 9,000 spas, yoga, Pilates andfitness studios, wellness practitioners and salons worldwide, and areavailable at nearly 100,000 unique retail outlets in 79 countries.SpaFinder Europe and SpaFinder Japan offer regional spa marketing andgifting programs, including localized websites. Currently celebratingits 25th Anniversary, SpaFinder is a privately held companyheadquartered in Manhattan.
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