Saunas are wonderful. We love them. We also love the opportunities they present for playing with innovative and experimental design.

There are many incredible and aspirational sauna designs around the world (many in Scandinavia, of course), by renowned architectural firms, by artists, and by laymen.

Here are five of the most beautiful and/or intriguing sauna ideas and designs we’ve seen.

Solar Egg, Kiruna, Sweden

Stockholm-based artist duo Bigert & Bergstrom created an amazing sculptural chamber in the form of an egg-shaped sauna and installed it at Luossabacken in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town. The sculpture was created in response to economic developments affecting the area and townspeople.

“In the arctic climate of Lapland the sauna occupies a key position, as a room for warmth and reflection.”

The temperature inside the egg varies between 75° and 85° Celsius.

Amazing Egg-Shaped Sauna in Kiribati by Bigert & Bergström #solaregg #kiruna #sweeden #fubiz #inspiration Mention @fubiz if you want to be featured on our Instagram

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Sauna Gondola, Ylaas, Kolari, Finland

The amazing Sauna Gondola starts from the top of Yllas and takes four people at a time on a 20-minute tour in a gondola lift.

At the top of the lift there is another sauna, as well as a fireplace, Jacuzzi and showers.

Remember those windy, freezing cold days of you chattering your teeth whilst the chair makes its slow climb to the summit? Well those days are officially over with the Sauna Gondola in Yllas.. Yes it is exactly that – a sauna in a Gondola. Where else but Finland! Visit velvetescape.com for details. #velvetescape #Yllas #SkiYllas #SkiFinland #SaunaGondola #ski #powder #snow #Snowboard #toasty #Alpine #alpinelife #thealpineway

A post shared by The Alpine Way (@thealpineway) on Oct 13, 2014 at 5:06am PDT

Ice sauna, Kuusamo, Findland

This incredible sauna is at Rukan Salonki, and is made of ice cubes from the nearby Lake Salonkijärvi. The temperature reaches 60° Celsius. The steam is apparently “softer and wetter than in a regular sauna” where temperatures typically reach 80° Celsius.

The ice sauna seats up to 10 people, drinks are served, and there’s a hole in the ice for winter swimming next to it should you wish to take the extreme temperatures thing further.

One for the bucket list: the ice sauna in northern Finland. Read about this exotic steamy experience in Finnair’s blog. Find the direct link to the blog from feelfinnair’s bio. Photo by Rukan Salonki #feelfinnair #finnair #bluewings #inflightmagazine #kuusamo #ruka #rukansalonki #sauna #icesauna #instatravel #travel

A post shared by Finnair (@feelfinnair) on Feb 18, 2016 at 11:18pm PST

wa_sauna, Seattle, Washington

The floating sauna – a.k.a. wa_sauna – was funded by community and by a crowdfunding campaign, and created by GoCstudio, with a focus on “primal concepts of fire, water, and community.”

wa_sauna can be seen regularly on Lake Union and Lake Washington, and is a registered vessel, powered by a battery-powed motor and heated by a wood burning stove.

According to the studio website, “Boaters and kayakers can venture out and tie off to the surrounding deck, allowing for the sauna tradition to take place on Seattle’s lakes.” (Also featured in the above image)

The recent winner of a @aianational Award – WA Sauna by @go_c_studio is a Floating Sauna on Seattle’s Lake Union, and provides a year-round community space for up to 6 people to warm up before plunging into the cold lake! Encouraging engagement of the local waterways, and following a trend among architects to look for ways to build on water, the project was created through crowd funding site @kickstarter | Photo by @k7scott

A post shared by The Design Traveller (@thedesigntraveller) on Jul 13, 2016 at 6:38pm PDT

Sauna building, Gotherburg, Sweden

Berlin-based architects Raumlabor created this sauna which sits in the harbour at Gothenburg’s Frihhamnen port.

It features a rough exterior of corrugated steel, an interior lined with timber, and a shower room surrounded by walls made up of glass bottles. The building is part of a wider regeneration of Frihamnen, which is being transformed into a public park ahead of the city’s 400th anniversary in 2021.

Sauna pública en el puerto de #Göterborg #suecia de #raumlaborberlin #espacioscomunitarios #saunapublica #espaciosocial #arquitectura #arquitecturapovera #göterborgbathingculture desde #canalfuctura

A post shared by Arquitasa (@arquitasa_) on Apr 26, 2017 at 2:22am PDT

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Five more incredible and aspirational sauna designs

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

(Feature image: GoCstudio)

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Professor Marc Cohen is Professor of Health Sciences in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne. He is also a Board Member of the Global Wellness Summit, and Past-President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA).

Professor Cohen will be speaking at the Global Wellness Summit, which takes place from October 9-11 at the Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida. And in January of 2018, he and Wim “The Iceman” Hof (famous for his ability to withstand extreme cold) will attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in world-record time with Cohen’s two sons, age 14 and 16.

We spoke to Marc Cohen about the role of wellness in spas, the need for peer-reviewed wellness research, and the trends he believes are currently shaping the spa and wellness industries.

How did you get involved in spa and wellness?

I was interested in how I could help people, particularly myself, become really well. I studied Western medicine, then Chinese medicine, physiology, and psychology. Then I studied biomedical engineering, nutrition, yoga, and lifestyle change, all with a view of learning how to be as happy and healthy as possible. I spent 20 years getting university degrees. For the last 20 years I’ve been working as an academic.

What trends are you keeping your eye on in the spa and wellness world?

The trend I’m doing a lot of research with at the moment is the move away from just seeking out comfort — you know, going on a holiday just sitting by the pool and drinking cocktails. It’s the trend to push the limits of human performance and to find comfort in uncomfortable situations, where you’ll see extreme sports, triathlons, and Tough Mudder events. Wim Hof, who I’m working with at the moment, promotes breathing exercises to cold exposure in an ice bath.

There’s an old tradition of that — in Scandinavian, Russian, Japanese culture — of going from the sauna to an ice bath or frozen river, putting your body through extremes of temperature. Having your body adapt to those extremes can make you more resilient the rest of the time. I see that as a strong trend within spas.

The idea is also there in yoga, where you go to the edge of your limit of stretch, and it’s not comfortable, but you stay in that position and you breathe and relax and become comfortable with that discomfort. Or, if you’re having a deep tissue massage, you’re pressing to a point until it hurts, and you just breathe and find comfort with that pain.

It’s finding that limit of your endurance and realizing that if you can be comfortable with your discomfort, you’re going to be stronger because of it, and more fulfilled and healthier, and be able to enjoy the rest of your life at a greater level because you’ve trained yourself to be comfortable in these uncomfortable situations.

What could the spa and wellness industry improve upon?

The health retreat and spa industries don’t have a lot of data from controlled trials and peer reviewed research. In most countries, health retreat experiences are not tax deductible, they’re not subsidized by health insurance or the government. People pay out of their pocket and don’t get referrals from doctors. They’re seen as an indulgence rather than as an essential health treatment.

I would like to see that change. I’m interested in bridging that gap between the wellness world, the spa world, and the medical world. And the way to do that is with data, with scientific research, and with evidence. So that’s what I’m seeking to establish.

What are you excited about?

I’m super excited about the Kilimanjaro climb. I’m doing training at the moment. I’ve just spent the morning in my swimming pool at 10 degrees, exposed myself to cold and doing breathing practices.

And in citizen science, I’m excited about the potential for people to use the super computers we’re all carrying around in our pockets to collect high-level biometric data that can then be used for research. Our smartphones and wearable devices, they’re now dirt cheap and the sophistication is increasing at an incredible rate.

When I was working as a doctor, the cardiac and oxygen monitoring equipment in the coronary care unit cost tens of thousands of dollars and it was very restricted. Now you can get all that monitoring in essentially a throw away consumer device that’s under $100, and the amount of data you can collect is incredible.

I’m looking to tap into that resource, to use the powers of smartphones and wearable devices to explore people’s lifestyles even further.

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

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Many people don’t get nearly enough sleep, and lack of sleep has a massive impact on body systems, health and wellness, and quality of life. Click here to read about seven terrible effects of insufficient sleep that you might not know about.

If you can help people sleep better, you can change their lives.

For inspiration, here are five examples of spas offering treatments and programs to enhance sleep.

Where: Six Senses

What: Sleep With Six Senses

The recently introduced Sleep With Six Senses program was designed in collaboration with sleep expert Michael J. Breus, to assure better rest while staying with Six Senses, and beyond. The program includes optimal bedding, an assigned “Sleep Ambassador,” a sleep tracking device, and a customized program of spa treatments.

Where: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley

What: California Dreaming

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley offers this sleep wellness massage developed in collaboration with “Sleep Guru” Robert Michael deStefano and local skin care line Longeva.

“The innovative new massage incorporates proprietary breath-work, sleep-inducing techniques and a special blend of essential oils designed to relax the mind and body.”

Following the massage guests receive a collection of sleep enhancing aids, including a sleep ritual guide by deStefano; ZBLISS Sleep Music Therapy; and Anoint Trigger Point Sleep Serum (1 oz.) from the Longeva NightSPA.

Where: YeloSpa NYC

What: YeloCab nap

YeloSpa offer the opportunity to nap in comfort at $1.00 a minute. The YeloCab nap is a sleep therapy system that takes place inside of YeloSpa’s patented treatment cabins.

“It may be experienced on its own for rest and rejuvenation or combined with a YeloCab massage to balance, heal and energize your body and mind. Customize your Aromatherapy and Sound settings and recline in our YeloBed for a Zero Gravity experience that will leave you feeling Alive,  Beautiful.”

Research suggests that there are numerous benefits to napping during the day.

Where: Canyon Ranch

What: Sleep Enhancement

Canyon Ranch offers sleep consultations in which a licensed sleep therapist assesses your issues and helps you work through them. The Ranch also offers and a formal All-Night Sleep Study on site which is helpful for assessing multiple awakenings, snoring, possible sleep apnea and unexplained daytime sleepiness.

Where: Celebrity Cruise ships

What: Mindful Dreams

Canyon Ranch has also teamed with Celebrity Cruises to launch Mindful Dreams, a program of four spa treatments using  a variety of products and sleep aids to promote healthy sleep. Among these are Voya’s Mindful Dreams, from the luxury brand’s Tranquil product line.

Spa staff will also offer nutritional seminars on food choices and holistic methods for mindful sleep.

The eponymous 75-minute Mindful Dreams treatment incorporates sleep-inducing massage, meditation and breathing techniques combined with products such as essential oils of lavender and rosemary designed to induce relaxation and sleep.

Other treatments will include a 55-minute lavender and seaweed sugar glow; a 50-minute age-defying restorative facial; and the 45-minute lazy days detox seaweed bath.

Six terrible effects of insufficient sleep

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

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All of our senses are connected with memories, and smell is particularly connected with emotional memory. Smells can evoke powerful emotional reactions, and with that understanding comes the opportunity for smart scent branding for your spa. Hotels do it, car companies do it, even sportswear companies do it. Used well, olfactive branding, or scent branding – the use of scent as a branding tool – can be an effective way building emotional loyalty. But it’s not easy.

Dawn Goldworm, a nose, and the co-founder of olfactive branding company 12.29, has created scents for Lady Gaga, Valentino, Mercedes, Porsche, Citizen M Hotels, and more (I’m so jealous. Dream job). She says that , while scent can evoke psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical reactions, these are based on generational and cultural experience – something to be aware of when attempting to create an experience.

What does your spa smell like now? Probably some combination of lavender or tea, maybe orange blossom, rose, sandalwood and/or eucalyptus? Am I right?

There’s a reason for this. These scents are regarded as therapeutic and relaxing, and in some cases there is scientific evidence to back this up.

Yes, some ingredients, like lavender and rose, can have calming effects. But as they’re used in a variety of different ways around the world, they might not create the experience you’re after in some populations. In Central and South America, for example, lavender is used in baby products, Goldworm explains.

“So,” she says, “if you have young children, and you’re looking to have a relaxing day at the spa, and everything is scented with lavender, you’re going to be thinking about your kids the whole time. Not that you would ever not think about your children, but maybe you wanted an hour or two to yourself.”

It’s good to be aware of these things, since your guests might come from anywhere in the world.

A lot of North American (and probably British) Gen X-ers also associate lavender with the smell of “old ladies,” thanks to the bath salts and sachets our aunts and grandmothers had around their houses. This — with great respect to old ladies (I hope to join your ranks in the not-too-far-off future) — might not be what you’re going for.*

The scent in a spa, obviously, should make you feel relaxed.

“It should make you feel soft,” says Goldworm, “It should make you feel clean and fresh and beautiful. The spa is a lot about emotion, and so is scent. I would encourage people to be conscious of that when choosing scents, that people are going to a spa for a certain emotional experience, so the scent should match that.”

Standing out in a sea of lavender and tea

Cultural differences aside for a moment, how does a spa manage to create a relaxing scent but maybe stand out from all the other spas out there using lavender and tea notes?

Ed Burke of scent marketing company ScentAir says, “There is value both in the familiar and in the unique, each of which scent can evoke. The scent should make sense contextually to a guest and so using classic materials like lavender and eucalyptus can help create that familiarity and contextual sense. Then, we can also add notes that are perhaps not so familiar: a unique tea blend, or a more exotic citrus note than is commonly used. While standing out is very important, creating a welcome and inviting arrival is really the top priority for the scent service for most of our spa customers.”

Creativity is key.

Goldworm describes the scent experience at the Guerlain Spa in Paris, where the guest chooses from among Guerlain’s core fragrances, such as Shalimar and Jicky, and the experience is then scented with that fragrance throughout, after which they spray the guest before they leave.

“So you have this whole scent experience the whole time, which is a different way to use scent than what most spas do. I think it’s very romantic, and it’s a lovely individualized addition to the experience,” says Goldworm.

Another example of creativity is the Blend Bar, created by Paul Heslop at Salt of the Earth in Salt Lake City. The blend bar allows spa professionals or their clients to mix products, including scents, creating their own product, which they can then take home.

Try coming up with your own ideas to create a unique and memorable experience.

Three tips for using scent in your spa:  

Think of the whole picture: Goldworm says, “I would encourage the spa to make sure that whatever scent they put in the air matches the scent of their products, to create a seamless experience.”

Maybe this means variations on a theme, rather than using the same scent all over the place.

Personalize: Personalization is everything these days. With scent, many spas offer a choice of oils for massage. Create several signature brand scents and provide a choice.

“I would also encourage spas to look at who their client is, and what culturally makes sense for whoever they are in the world.”

Understand the experience you want to create: Relaxing floral and tea notes might not work for every experience.

“A sports massage might use more menthol, citrus, and maybe even some dynamic wood notes to relax the muscles,” says Goldworm. “It really depends on the experience you’re looking to create.”

*Note please that I love lavender and am wearing it right now.

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

(Image: Copyright: alenkasm / 123RF Stock Photo)

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Amazing news for the spa and wellness sector this week, as spa visits in the U.S. hit an incredible all-time high of more than 180 million in 2016.

ISPA has released its annual findings of spa industry financial indicators, reporting that the number of spa visits is estimated to have increased to 184 million in 2016, up from 179 million in 2015, a 2.5% increase.

The industry also continues to experience steady growth in overall revenue, locations and revenue per visit, according to the release. And of course, where there is growth there are job opportunities.

The study, conducted by PwC on behalf of the ISPA Foundation, looked at five key metrics, or the “Big Five:” total revenue, spa visits, spa locations, revenue per visit, and number of employees for the United States spa industry.

“We are thrilled to see our industry’s hard work and dedication truly pay off with more and more consumers enjoying spas,” ISPA President Lynne McNees is quoted as saying. “An increase in visits means higher demand of spa services, which demonstrates a very positive outlook. As jobs are created to meet this demand, we will continue to promote the benefits of a career in the spa industry.”

Overall revenue reached $16.8 billion, a 3.1% increase over the previous record of $16.3 billion in 2015. Total number of locations grew from 21,020 in 2015 to 21,260 in 2016, a 1.1% increase.

“The ISPA U.S. Spa Industry Study reflects a pleasing picture of steady growth in the industry. The key metrics are all continuing their upward trend and the numbers in employment highlight the importance of the spa industry to the U.S. economy,” said Colin McIlheney, Global Research Director for PwC.

The number of employees increased by 1.6%, from 359,300 in May 2016 to 365,200 in May 2017, and there are currently 32,930 vacant positions for service providers in the spa industry.

As we know, finding and keeping talent is often cited as the biggest challenge for spa directors and managers. And McNees says that effective communication of these openings and opportunities will be a priority for ISPA in the future.

“According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are still seven million people unemployed throughout the country. Promotion of careers in the spa industry will be an important initiative for ISPA moving forward,” McNees said.

Lower than expected starting salaries are one potential hurdle, while practitioners often think they’re better off working for themselves than in a spa. Stress and burnout are also high in an industry that can be both physically and psychologically demanding on its practitioners.

On the other hand, ISPA points to benefits that include “schedule flexibility, opportunities to work in a international environments, exceptional training, and career growth.” They also point to advantages to working in a spa over freelancing, which include opportunities for continuing education, as well as administration benefits like advertising, accounting, and booking.

The complete ISPA U.S. Spa Industry Study will be released in September.

Related: How to attract and keep top talent at your spa

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Video games can have a negative impact on the brain, says a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

For years we’ve been told that concern over the impact of shooting games is unfounded.  Scientists have in fact said that action video game players exhibit better visual ability, motor control, and short-term memory than non players. A new study, however, says that, sure, that may be true, but certain games also have the potential to deplete the hippocampus. And depleting the hippocampus is bad as it can lead to dementia-related illnesses, among other things.

According to a media release, in a series of studies Véronique Bohbot of McGill University and Greg West of the University of Montreal demonstrate that the manner in which players navigate first-person shooter games has an impact on the nervous system that can result in loss of grey matter.

Sixty-four participants between 18 and 30 years old, were recruited to play 90 hours of different types of video games: first-person shooters like Call of Duty, Killzone, Medal of Honor and, Borderlands 2, or 3D-platform games like Super Mario 64. None of the participants had ever played before.

“Thanks to navigation tests and brain scans, our studies show that response learners, those players using their brain’s autopilot and reward system to navigate, experienced grey matter loss in their hippocampus after playing action video games for 90 hours. The hippocampus is the key structure involved in spatial memory (orientation) and episodic memory (autobiographical events) within the brain. On the contrary, spatial learners, those using their hippocampus to navigate, increased their grey matter after playing for the same amount of time,” said Greg West in the release.

This only applied to the first person shooter games. Playing 3D-platform games actually increased grey matter in the hippocampal memory system, no matter how they learned.

“The same amount of screen time with 3D-platform games caused only increases within this system across all participants.”

Interestingly, Veronique Bohbot says that action video game players are nearly twice as prone to be categorized as response learners (83%) compared to non-video game players (43%).

“This matters a lot when you know how important the hippocampus is for a healthy cognition,” she says.

Lower amounts of grey matter in the hippocampus are correlated with increased risk of neuropsychiatric illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, PTSD and Alzheimer’s disease.

This is the sort of thing that’s going to matter to those in the wellness industry in the future as we move further into more integrated health and wellness offerings, and as spas and wellness destinations become purveyors of preventative therapies.

I don’t believe that’s the only impact of these games either. Violence, whether real or fictional, is understood to have an impact on those who witness it. This can be either in the form of trauma or desensitization, neither of which is ideal. Anecdotally, I personally find violent imagery to be immensely disturbing both psychologically and physically. It affects my mental wellbeing, my sleep, and my stress levels. It’s a stress that I can feel in my breathing, in my skin prickling, and in my increasing heartrate and pricking skin. It’s why I can’t watch Game of Thrones with the rest of the world. It’s too stressful. (Well, that and we cancelled our cable. I’m not going to keep it just for HBO.)

Other factors that have been associated with shrinking the hippocampus include stress, anxiety, depression, and obesity.

Factors that have been demonstrated to increase the hippocampus include exercise, yoga, and mindfulness meditation.

Another factor in Alzheimer’s disease is genetics. In our report on the Spa of the Future, we discuss with futurist James Canton how consumer genomics in the spa industry may play a big part in such things as Alzheimer’s prevention.

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

(Image: Copyright: georgerudy / 123RF Stock Photo)

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“In wine, truth” — Alcaeus of Mytilene

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” — John Keats

Wine. It’s the nectar of the Gods, and the liquid of celebration, a social staple and a conversational lubricant – and, of course, a health and beauty tonic. Though we know that drinking too much wine can lead to disastrous outcomes – some research even says drinking any wine at all is a bad idea (I choose to ignore those studies), its use as a beauty treatment  makes perfect sense. If we believe Alcaeus of Mytilene and John Keats, who respectively said that wine is truth, and truth is beauty, then it only stands to reason that wine is beauty.

We hear a lot about wine baths, and wine-based spa treatments and skincare these days, and about “vinotherapy” dating back to the 1990s, but using wine as a health and beauty treatment has been around for much, much longer than 25 years.

Women of ancient Rome used wine dregs as makeup, to colour their cheeks. Rather than a luxury treatment, however, it was used by the poor a cheap alternative to rose and poppy petals and Tyrian vermillion (cinnabar).

Later, in the 16th Century, ill-fated Monarch Mary Queen of Scots is said to have enjoyed taking baths in white wine, either as a means of whitening her complexion, or pain relief, or perhaps both.

More recently, an 1890 article in the Pittsburg Dispatch, stated that “A few favoured beauties in California know the tonic of the wine baths,” which were taken by bathing first in warm water and, “when the pores are open, entering a wooden tub containing a cask of red wine.” Alternately, “bath towels are soaked in wine and laid on the person after a warm dip.” These treatments were said to be refreshing and refining to the skin.” The article also said that soaking the hands in a basin of red wine would whiten and soften them.

A 1902 article in the St Louis Republic refers to a circular stating that “for the wealthy a wine bath is recommended,” going on to explain that “a twenty minutes stay in 100 liters of Malvoisie wine can be used a hundred times without losing its invigorating properties… after the 100 baths the Malvoisie may be distilled, and the result will be found to be a delicious brandy.”

And in 1908, an article in the Jasper Weekly Courier stated that the French fashion of washing the hair occasionally in wine, “white wine for blondes, and red for brunettes,” would leave the hair “wonderfully stimulated.”*

Today, you’ll find wine baths in luxury spas around the world, and in skincare products such as those made by French skincare company Caudalie, which established its first wine spa in Bordeaux, France, in 1999, and is largely credited with popularizing contemporary “vinotherapie” (a “caudalie” is said to be a unit to measure how long the flavour of wine lingers n the tongue). The purported benefits of vinotherapy come from polyphenols in the grapes, particularly resveratrol, which has made quite a name for itself in recent years for its alleged anti-aging and cancer fighting properties.

Caudalie offers baths in red vine extracts at its spas, not in actual alcohol, as founder Mathilde Thomas says alcohol is “not good for the skin.” I would make a joke about drinking your bath water but those are tired. Others mix wine into the water.

According to Caudalie, grape-seed polyphenols are the most powerful anti-oxidant in the plant world, resveratrol from grapevine stalks are the anti-ageing revolution, and viniferine from grapevine sap is the most effective natural molecule against dark spots – which may give credence to the 19^th Century tales of skin whitening.

In Tribeca, New York, Aire Ancient Baths offers a Red Wine Bath, also without the alcohol. Spokesperson Sylvia Barnett tells us,  “The experience is magical. You enter a private room that transports you to wine country. With wine bottles, barrels, a vine….You enter an Antique stone tub surrounded by candles and there you soak for 30 minutes while you enjoy some Spanish wine and get a scalp massage.” What does it feel like? “Like being immersed in cream, your skin feels extremely soft and glowing. It is an instant feel.

In Argentina, France, and the USA, here are three examples of spas and skincare companies offering wine-based therapies, baths, treatments, and products.

Where: Entre Cielos, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina

Entre Cielos offers grape-based treatments in one of the largest wine regions in Latin America, the Mendoza countryside, “overlooking Malbec vines and the snow-capped Andes.”

Treatments include Divino, which “Reinvigorate the senses with the essence of the finest grapes,” and includes a body exfoliation using grape seeds, a wine bath of grape extracts, and a 50-minute oil massage.

Where: Caudalie, Spa Vinothérapie® Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux France

Treatments include the Merlot wrap, a “detoxifying and perfecting wrap for skin in need of intensive pore cleansing,” in which “a warm mixture of bentonite clay, five deep-cleansing essential oils and nourishing grape-seed oil envelopes the body in a sumptuous, soothing cocoon.” And “In minutes, impurities are gently dissolved and pores breathe free. When the wrap is removed, tone, color and texture are visibly improved.  Your skin feels wonderfully clean, refreshed and balanced, aglow with a deep sense of health and well-being.”

Where: Aire Ancient Baths New York, New York, USA

At Aire, the Red Wine Experience uses products from the grapes in the Matarromera winery in Spain. Aire says, “Immerse yourself in the antioxidant qualities of the Ribera del Duero tempranillo red grape.”

The experience includes a soak in a private antique thermal tub in a concentrate of tempranillo grapes while you enjoy a soothing scalp massage as well as a facial massage. This is followed by “a relaxing full body massage using grape seed oil to nourish and hydrate the skin.”

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

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Forbes Travel Guide is the global authority on luxury travel, and earning a Forbes Five Star rating for your spa ranks you among the most prestigious in the world. It’s like winning the Best Actress Oscar, but for a spa.

Both hotels and spas may receive four or five-star ratings. Some of the criteria for hotel ratings is explained here. How does one go about achieving the highest ratings for a spa? We asked Forbes’ Senior Vice President of ratings, Amanda Frasier, to share some insights. This is what we learned.

Always be prepared

First, as you likely know, Forbes inspectors are actual spies, sneakily travelling incognito, getting massages and pedicures and collecting information, then reporting back with their ratings on the service and facilities based on a proprietary system. (Not a bad life.) So, any one of your guests may be an inspector. And they are looking for the best service in the world – literally. So, there’s no room for bad days.

According to Frasier, who I talked with via email, the system algorithm is heavily weighted toward service; 75% service to 25% facility, to be precise. (I believe, based on this Tweet that was sent out in March, that this must be a new development.) And she explains that, “While having a beautiful facility is absolutely necessary, spas that go above and beyond when it comes to service rise naturally in our system.”

There are more than 200 service and facility standards in Forbes’ spa evaluation. All spas are assessed against the same standards, and the final composite score determines the star rating. Spas achieving 82% or higher are awarded Four-Star status while spas that achieve 92% or higher are awarded Five-Star status.

Imagine yourself in your guest’s place – always

Frasier says, “Our standards are all carefully constructed to assess the spa experience from the guest’s point of view, and while we do look at some important technical steps, it’s very much an ‘experiential’ approach. We measure multiple behaviors throughout the spa visit, such as acts of graciousness and signs of guest comfort. When executed well, in a natural and intuitive manner, there is the ability to elevate the overall guest experience – and therefore the score.”

Personalize the experience as elegantly as possible, and be detail oriented

We’ve talked before about how personalization is the key to customer experience, and it’s also one of the keys to a Forbes rating.

Frasier says, “We look to see what each spa is doing to not only set itself apart from the competition, but how they create unique, personalized service moments for each guest based on their specific needs or guest profile.

“It’s always memorable when staff introduce some unexpected element that helps to enhance the overall experience. We have seen spas inviting guests to make their own scrubs upon arrival to the spa, which is then incorporated into the treatment and then packaged and gifted as a take-home keepsake. It is all in the execution of course but when these high touch points are layered naturally on top of a beautiful facility and a technically well executed and effective treatment, it can combine to deliver some of the most memorable spa moments.”

You can’t fake caring, so don’t try

Asked how a spa could fall short and miss out on Forbes stars, Frasier said, “When service becomes robotic, or feels like a check list, the guest notices this and it detracts from their level of comfort. Our evaluators are meticulously trained to notice the subtle differences between genuine interest and service that is forced and scripted. This, along with facilities that show signs of deterioration or are generally not well cared for are the biggest areas that can negatively impact scores and overall guest experience.”

Be creative and innovative, stay on top of advancements

I asked Frasier if technological innovation plays a role in Forbes rating and her reply was a definitive “Yes, very much so.”

She went on to say, “We see spas innovating with technology all the time. Sometimes, the technology is very much behind the scenes and the guest is unaware their experience is being positively affected with its use. Other times, the technology is there for the guest to use and play with – on the most simple end it may be the provision of noise cancelling headphones in the relaxation lounges, the use of tablet technology as part of registration – or the latest treatment equipment that gives the ability to offer the more innovative wellness based treatments.”

Check out the latest recipients of Five Forbes Stars: Spa Botanico at Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve, and the Spa at the Ritz Carlton, Shanghai, Pudong

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com

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According to The Forbes Travel Guide, the spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, Pudong – a recent recipient of a Forbes Five Star Rating — “looks more luxe spaceship than spa, with futuristic white geometric cutouts and bold red furniture in the reception area.”

Located on the hotel’s 55th floor, the spa features 10 treatment rooms, including nine multi-function treatment rooms and a Harmony Suite for two guests to relax and enjoy treatments together.

Designed by world-renowned interior designer Richard Farnell, the spa at the Ritz Carlton combines striking, modern lines and Art Deco detailing with high-quality finishes in the spa and relaxation areas. Floor-to-ceiling windows in each treatment room offer guests unparalleled views of Shanghai, an experience that that Forbes dubs “out of this world.” There is a 24-hour fitness studio, an indoor pool, a steam room, and a dry sauna.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa “combines the essence of ancient and modern Chinese, Indian, European and Balinese spa cultures and uses luxury products that harness the best of nature’s essential oils, botanicals and marine supplements.”

Among the signature “Experiences” is the Pearl Oriental Treatment, in which, “using indigenous pearl powder, your therapist will lead you through a journey unlike any other. Inspired by the amazing force of pure pearls, this original and symbolic treatment provides your skin with complete rejuvenation.” This treatment includes full body exfoliation, body wrap, back massage, express skin brightening facial and scalp massage.

Another is the Foot Reflexology Ritual, “Far from the common foot massage, this foot ritual exemplifies luxurious pampering for Shanghai’s well-heeled locals. The feet and lower legs are gently exfoliated. Traditional Chinese foot reflexology is combined with a green tea and jasmine flower foot soak that will detoxify and soothe aching feet and legs. A uniquely local and indulging experience.” This treatment includes lower leg exfoliation, foot reflexology, and neck and shoulder massage.

Male guests can enjoy all of the treatment experiences, and The Ritz-Carlton Spa also offers an exquisite selection of treatments designed to help address men’s specific treatment needs and common areas of concern including 90-minute Stress buster; 60-minute Men’s Purifying Facial, Shoulder and Scalp Massage; 60-minute Muscle Relaxer Massage and 40-minute Muscle Reviver.

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Cannabis — marijuana, dope, hashish, weed, grass, etc.– is one of the most controversial substances on Earth, but it hasn’t always been that way.

Smoked, ingested, and applied topically, for millennia the flowering plant has been used as an anti-inflammatory, an analgesic, an anesthetic, an anti-emetic, and a mood enhancer, among other things. And the ailments cannabis has been used to treat include gout, glaucoma, parasites, earache, rheumatism, leprosy, and, perhaps amusingly, “absentmindedness” — some, no doubt, with higher degrees of success than others.

The mythological Chinese Emperor Fuxi (or Fu Hsi) is credited with making the earliest reference to the herb as a popular medicine around 2900 BCE, while the earliest reference to the same in Greek and Latin literature dates to Herodotus’ description of the ancient Scythians’ hemp vapor baths in the fifth century BCE.

To say that there have never been detractors would be a lie. Though weed was apparently used medicinally across the Arab world in Roman times, the Arab physician Ibn Wahshiyya is said to have considered hashish a “lethal poison.” Still, Barney Warf, a University of Kansas geography professor and author of High Points: An Historical Geography of Cannabis reportedly states that “The idea that this is an evil drug is a very recent construction.”

These days, while some may be shocked and dismayed at the world going reefer mad for the devil’s weed, cannabis is enjoying a loosening of laws and a cultural mainstreaming. It’s been legalized for both recreational and medicinal use in several states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, with more pending. In Canada it’s legal to possess medicinal cannabis, while the federal government plans to have an established plan for legalization by July 2018, and we see varying degrees of tolerance in a locations from Amsterdam (of course) to Peru to South Africa.

With all its purported healing powers, it’s only natural that the spa, wellness, and skincare industries would be integrating cannabis into products and treatments.

Note there are two main chemical ingredients we talk about when we talk about cannabis: THC and CBD. THC has psychoactive properties, while CBD is non psychoactive. Both are attracting attention for their potential healing properties but it’s the non-psychoactive CBD that people are getting really excited about as it shows promise as a medicine for many ailments — without the buzz. Among the most exciting of these developments is as a treatment for epilepsy. CBD is also gaining popularity as a skincare ingredient.

To be clear, hemp in beauty products is nothing new;The Body Shop, Dr. Bronner’s, and Hempz have been doing it for years. Nor is getting stoned and getting a massage. But as these products become better understood and more widely available, their usage profile is rising (sky high).

See Lord Jones, a Los Angeles based company selling topicals and edibles containing either CBD, THC – or both – in lovely, regal cigar-box style packaging, one example of the welcome contemporary departure from the moldy tie dye aesthetics that have plagued the pot industry for so long. (See also Beboe, which sells vaporizers and pastilles in equally pleasing packaging.)

Lord Jones recently partnered with L.A celebrity fitness hub Equinox to produce a series of events, integrating cannabis infused topicals into classes. And Lord Jones CEO Cindy Capobianco tells me they’re currently working on a program with The Spa at Equinox to incorporate a Pure CBD Topical into the massage practice.

Over in Longmont Colorado, Nature’s Root claims to be the first hemp-based spa in the world. The company’s own body care products include a therapeutic, organically grown, industrial hemp oil extract line of massage oils, lotions and sore muscle salves.

And in Denver, LoDo Massage Studio has become famous for offering a “Mile High Massage” using Apothecanna’s Pain Crème, which is infused with THC and CBD (and Arnica, Peppermint and Juniper).

Lord Jones’ Capobianco believes the cannabis industry will continue to grow, and the plant will gain more traction as a bona-fide healing agent.

“This is just the beginning as far as we are concerned,” she says. “We run a non profit collective in California and have hundreds of patients who utilize our topicals for a variety of reasons ranging from skin conditions to muscle and joint pain to headache. We have patients who have leg and foot cramps, arthritis sufferers, and last but not least endometriosis and menstrual cramp sufferers.”

She continues, “Cannabis has so many dimensions. It is natural medicine. It is an anti-depressant and mood stabilizer. It is a coveted intoxicant. It is a health and wellness miracle and a sacrament to be shared among friends. Expect high-end offerings to come in all of these forms.”

Lord Jones 1:1 Pain and Wellness Formula Body Lotion
Each 100ml/3.4oz bottle contains 20mg of CBD and 20mg THC

“Soothing, rich luxurious lotion designed to be penetrating and readily absorbed. Lord Jones signature fragrance, fresh with notes of sage, mint and green citrus. Formulated with Frescolat, a natural agent that creates a cooling sensation upon contact . Non-psychoactive when used as directed.”

Nature’s Root Vital Hemp Oil Capsules

25 or 50 mg capsules

“Our capsules contain a high grade CO2 industrial hemp oil extract, delivering a whole plant extraction, providing the power of a broad spectrum of cannabinoids. A pure, true product, we ensure that each capsule contains less than 0.3% THC, so you can rest assured they are completely non-psychoactive.”

Apothecanna’s Extra Strength Relieving Creme

“Double strength moisturizing body cream with anti-inflammatory plant extracts. Cooling and invigorating, perfect for use on sore muscles, swollen joints and distressed skin. Use with full body massage or apply directly where it hurts.”

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