The latest spa trends

from A to Z

Wambo Mambo in the Snoezel room or perhaps a set of hot ears after a pretty cool cannabis massage? It's not so easy to keep track of all the new trend treatments...
We'll tell you how exciting relaxing can be these days!


A HOW TO AYURVEDA 2.0

Tradition meets modernity - according to this motto, the ancient Indian healing teachings are being gently revolutionized and brought into the 21st century, especially here in Europe. Special Ayurveda packages against stress, as burnout prophylaxis or for allergies and weight problems are now offered, as are classic Panchakarma cures. Also popular: interdisciplinary approaches in combination with modern Western medicine. Offered at the:
Panorama Royal Bad Häring
(Austria), www.panorama-royal.at;
Kempinski San Lawrenz
(Malta), www.kempinski.com


B HOW TO MOVE

Just leaning back and closing your eyes is a thing of the past. Today, (high-performance) sport is the order of the day in many spas - whether it's power yoga or electro-myo stimulation training, which not only burns fat but also builds up muscles. So it's no wonder that lactate tests are now almost as common in the wellness sector as determining skin type.


C HOW CANNABIS

Just too good to smoke: in addition to the intoxicating THC, the cannabis plant also contains a whole host of other substances that heal, care, protect and rejuvenate. Medical marijuana wellness is the order of the day! If you want to try it out, book a hemp facial or a cannabis oil massage during your next visit to the spa. Offered at the:
Quellenhof
(Italy), www.quellenhof.it;
Schlosshotel Life & Style Zermatt
(Switzerland), www.schlosshotelzermatt.ch


D WIE DIGITAL DETOX

Relaxing holistically on vacation and quickly checking your emails on your smartphone in between? Not a good idea ... That's why more and more spa hotels are offering less and less digital entertainment in the rooms and public areas. The most delicious and creative consolation for voluntarily doing without: the "radio silence" package at the Hubertus, where you swap your cell phone for an Allgäu mountain cheese at check-in! Offered at the:
Hubertus Alpin Lodge & Spa
(Germany), www.hotel-hubertus.de


E WIE ERNÄHRUNG

Eating and drinking keeps body and soul together, as not only the saying goes, but also nutritional science. And this is increasingly becoming the focus of wellness vacations. Many hotels now employ their own dieticians and offer cooking courses and lectures on health food, alkaline cuisine or vegan or vegetarian cooking. Offered at the:
Lanserhof Tegernsee
(Germany), www.lanserhof.com;
Vivamayr
(Austria), www.vivamayr.com


F AS FLOATING

Our tip for all those who want to take "refueling" quite literally: Simply book a bath in a floating tank! Hermetically sealed off from the outside world, you float in warm, highly concentrated salt water and enjoy gentle sounds and a soothing play of colors. Offered at the:
Dorint Seehotel Binz Therme
(Germany), www.dorint.com;
Therme Geinberg Spa Resort
(Austria), www.therme-geinberg.at


G WIE GANZHEITLICH

In addition to soothing massages and baths, a balanced diet is needed to bring body, mind and soul into harmony - and sometimes even medical support in the form of hormone therapies, body scans, blood analyses, etc. Still a (spa) hotel or already a (health) clinic? The boundaries are likely to become even more blurred in the future...


H HOW HOT YOGA

Doing your asanas at a sweat-inducing 38°C room temperature has lots of benefits: Muscles, ligaments and tendons are stretched more intensively and gently, the metabolism works at full speed and the oxygen supply to all organs and the skin increases. So it's no wonder that it's increasingly common to say "air conditioning off and heating on" before the first Ohmmm!


I HOW TO INTERVAL FAST

16:8? 18:6? Or even 20:4? Intermittent fasting, i.e. consciously abstaining from any kind of calorie intake for 16, 18 or 20 hours a day, is currently the trend in terms of weight loss and anti-ageing. However, it hasn't really arrived in hotel kitchens yet - or how else can we explain the still rigid meal times in some wellness temples?


K AS CRYOTHERAPY

Chattering teeth is part of the experience - even if you are undergoing your first cryotherapy session in the Arabian desert. But freezing for two to three minutes at -110°C is worth it: on the one hand, the cold is said to fight wrinkles and fat deposits, and on the other, the low temperature also reduces inflammatory reactions in the body.
Offered in the:
Thermes Marins Monte Carlo
(Monaco), www.montecarlosbm.com;
Emirates Palace
(Abu Dhabi), www.mandarinoriental.com


L WIE LICHT

Sure, no life without light. But too much of it is not good either. While science has so far focused on the harmful effects of UV radiation, the spotlight is now on HEV light. This is the blue-purple light emitted by computer screens and cell phone displays. According to the latest research findings, it is said to lead to hyperpigmentation, collagen disorders and premature skin ageing. So it's no wonder that cosmetics labels and spa experts are currently working on special skin protection products and their own "cell phone treatments".


M WIE MOXEN

A lot of smoke for nothing or fire and flame for a highly effective treatment option? Moxibustion divides the wellness community. What is certain, however, is that the burning of herbal cigars on certain acupressure points or in the ear canal goes back to traditional Chinese medicine and is said to help relieve tension, cheer up the mind or eliminate weakness. And if it doesn't help, at least it smells good when such a dried herbal mix gently sizzles away.
Offered in the:
Der Steirerhof
(Austria), www.dersteirerhof.at;
St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort
(Spain), www.marriott.de


N WIE NATURKOSMETIK

What once started out as a niche product has long since become a mass phenomenon - and has now also
arrived in the luxury spas: Today, nothing works without at least one genuine eco-label in the range! Just being free from parabens, silicones and synthetic fragrances and dyes is not enough, by the way. Green & clean now also means vegan and, where possible, produced regionally in small factories.


O HOW WITHOUT WORDS

Just keep your mouth shut ... What seems completely unimaginable to some is both a blessing and a wellness trend for others. The offer now ranges from silent yoga retreats lasting several days to week-long desert hikes where no words are allowed to be spoken. So, please spread the word: talk is silver, silence is the latest craze!
Offered at, among others:
Kurhaus Marienkron
(Austria), www.marienkron.at


P HOW PLANT NUTRITION

According to the Vegan Society, only 40% of the world's population will eat meat by 2040. Instead, 35% will consume "clean meat" from the lab and 20% vegan substitute products. This is not only good for animal welfare and our own health, but would also reduce greenhouse gases by 15%. Oh yes, and it also tastes really good, as many a vegan Michelin-starred restaurant now impressively proves ...


Q HOW TO EAT

Can you reinvent the sauna? Probably not. But you can bring a breath of fresh air into the sweat room with rediscovered old methods. And this is where whisking comes into play! This involves fanning with birch twigs soaked in water, which then release their beneficial essential oils in the sauna. Fancy something a little harder? In Russia and Finland, the home countries of Quästen, people also swear by light strokes with the branches, as they are said to open the pores and thus stimulate blood circulation and purification.


R WIE REGIONAL

Not so long ago, the best spas in the world couldn't be exotic enough. Hawaiian massages were just as common as peelings with Polynesian sea sand or baths in herbs and flowers that had traveled the world. And today? Trendsetters prefer to sink into fragrant hay, rub themselves down with ground apricot kernels and swear by mud packs. Regionality and authenticity are the watchwords of the moment! And we'll treat ourselves to a Hawaiian massage the next time we're on Maui.


S WIE SNOEZELEN

A trend from hip Holland: Snoezelen is made up of the two words "snuffelen" (for "cuddle") and "doezelen" (for "snooze") - and that's exactly what it's all about! But in a super-luxurious Snoezel suite with aromatherapy and sound and color installations. Bookable either in combination with other treatments or simply for "snoezeling in between". Offered at the:
Hotel Gams
(Austria), www.hotel-gams.at;
-Lindenhof
(Italy), www.lindenhof.it


T HOW TIME-OUT

Nothing against a relaxing spa weekend, but to really reprogram your body, mind and soul for the long term, it can be a little longer. To be more precise: three weeks plus, because according to experts, that's the time it takes to change habits in the long term and also benefit your health. But because hardly anyone can (or wants to) be away from work for that long, the "wellness sabbatical" was invented. With professional coworking spaces in the hotel, as well as treatment appointments in the spa tailored to Zoom meetings or important conference calls in different time zones, it should be possible to optimally combine time off and work. From the home office to the (spa) hotel office is the motto for post-corona times. And that's not such a bad prospect after all...


U HOW ABOUT THE WAVES

In recent years, more and more luxury cruise ships have been transformed into floating wellness hotels, some of which even offer multi-day packages with treatments on board and yoga or sports classes on land. Also increasingly common: special spa cabins and suites with a private sauna in the bathroom and the option of being pampered in the comfort of your own home.
Offered by, among others:
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
, hl-cruises.de;
Seabourn
, www.seabourn.com



V HOW VITAMIN INFUSIONS

Because beauty and well-being are known to come from within, more and more medical spas are relying on customized vitamin, mineral and amino acid cocktails that are administered intravenously. If experts and fans are to be believed, jet lag and stress can be combated just as effectively as signs of ageing or a sallow complexion. The little prick is also said to activate the immune system and provide a real energy boost.


W HOW WAMBO MAMBO

What sounds a bit like a jungle book is actually a traditional Aboriginal massage technique that is also becoming increasingly popular here. It involves working the back with bamboo sticks of different thicknesses. The rolling and pressure movements, which are carried out lengthways and crossways to the muscle fibers, are also intended to relieve deep-seated tension. Once conceived for tired hunter's muscles, Wambo Mambo is mainly a man's thing here too...


X AS XS-SPAS

Gone are the days when all that mattered was the size of the wellness area and a spa menu the size of a bible. Today, the trend is towards specialization - and also towards sustainability and environmental protection - to which megapools or all-day heated sauna landscapes the size of a village simply do not contribute.


Y AS Y-CHROMOSOM

Or simply: men are becoming more and more wellness and beauty fans! And that doesn't
only for the very young. While men with an incipient midlife crisis used to like to buy a motorcycle or a sports car, today
increasingly investing in a "daddy do-over". Particularly popular: Botox and laser treatments as well as needling treatments to combat hair loss and improve the general condition of the skin.
Offered at, among others:
Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol
(Austria), www.interalpen.com;
Mandarin Oriental Paris
(France) www.mandarinoriental.com


Z WIE ZZZZ

Ever breathed on the moon on a sleepless night? If not, why not give it a try? "Moon Breathing" is said to work wonders and is currently all the rage. In addition, more and more spa hotels are offering their own sleep programs, some of which have been developed in collaboration with renowned doctors. Also already available in some spa hotels: special mattress menus for a wide variety of sleeping and lying habits.
sleeping and lying habits.