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The 2013 Top 10 Global Spa & Wellness Trends Report by SpaFinder was recently published. It reveals an interesting forecast for the health, spa and beauty industries. Mindfulness Massage and Where the Jobs Are are among the top 10 trends reported on. The following are a few highlights from the 68-page report.
Mindfulness Massage involves stress reduction techniques including breath work, guided visualization, and body scanning. This requires the therapist to be 100% present while facilitating a calm and tranquil state for their client.
Powerful Physiological Effects
• Stress is a top threat to the brain’s “innovative thinking” centers. Mindfulness and meditation can cause powerful gray matter alterations that improve memory, concentration and other cognitive processes.
• Clinical trials show that massage can lead to significant decreases in stress hormones and an increase in white blood cells that fight disease.
• Growing scientific literature on mindfulness indicates its positive impact on stress, depression, ADHD, addiction and eating disorders as well as protection against the shortening of telomeres (See trend: “Spa-Genomics”) to forestall cellular aging. (See SpaEvidence.com for the mounting evidence on massage, stress management and meditation.)
The forecast looks bright for those already practicing in or considering a wellness career such as massage therapy, personal training or skin care. “There is a global jobs crisis, but in the spa/fitness industry demand for talented professionals is outpacing the supply.” A wellness movement is gaining momentum with the increase of failing medical systems and a shift from reactionary approaches of fixing or treating a problem to a pro-active holistic approach of addressing the root causes. More evidence of the increasing demand for wellness professionals includes:
• The demand for talented spa directors, managers, therapists and aestheticians—and diverse wellness professionals and practitioners—will simply outpace supply in 2013 and beyond.
• Worldwide spa industry revenues grew 20 percent from 2007 to 2012.
• Spa locations jumped 22 percent from 2007 to 2012.
• As global waistlines continue to expand, so does the fitness job sector. For instance, in the U.S., fitness-training jobs are expected to grow by 29 percent from 2008-2018, much faster than the average job category.
With rapid growth in the spa and wellness industry, now is a good time to consider a certification in massage therapy, personal training or esthetics. In addition to the growing career opportunities for wellness professionals, facilitating improved health and appearance for others can be a gratifying career path.
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