DETOX WITH A SIDE OF BOTOX?

Wellness hotels and resorts have always been more about stress relief and sensory indulgence than scans and stem cells, but a growing number are transforming into medical wellness destinations, with science-backed therapies accompanying typical spa offerings.

- AARON DE SILVA

Picture this: You’re ensconced in a luxurious resort in a dreamy locale. As you step out of your private villa and saunter towards the spa, you’re greeted not only by spa therapists, but also a team of medical professionals. They’re there to welcome you on a multi-day programme that will address your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness.

These days, taking a spa-cation is no longer about indulging in an endless series of massages, facials and body wraps interspersed with dips in the pool; it’s about embarking on a total wellness journey. As more people seek out preventive treatments, and technological innovations make them more effective and accessible, medicine and wellness are coming together as never before. Enter the medical spa, or medi spa—what the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) defines as spas that operate under the full-time, on-site supervision of a licensed healthcare professional. Such facilities provide comprehensive medical and/or wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services with traditional, alternative, or cosmetic medical therapies and treatments.

As Beth McGroarty, GWI’s Vice President of research, points out: “Many diagnostics and procedures that used to take place only at hospitals and medical clinics (for example, blood analysis, genetic testing, gut microbiome assessments, and lymphatic drainage) are increasingly showing up on spa menus. Many consumers—especially wealthy consumers who can pay out of pocket—are turning to spas and wellness clinics for diagnostics aimed at early detection, for managing chronic conditions, and for other types of health and nutrition coaching.”