Thousands of years ago, the Romans made long journeys to the “Spa” in an attempt to obtain health and reduce the stress in their lives. The origin of the word SPA itself derives from the Latin “Sanitas Per Aquae,” the taking of the waters to obtain health. It was this experience of relaxing in the warm thermal waters, surrounded by a quiet, peaceful environment, that not only reduced stress but improved health in general. In the 21st century, the spa industry continues to grow exponentially supplying an essential niche for the overworked client seeking a respite from the fast paced, modern, stressful world.

It is this brief experience where spa-goers are encouraged to leave their worries and the intensity of their daily routine to an environment with minimal stress. It is the change in the environment at the Spa itself that is a major therapeutic factor for the experience. The changes included in today’s Spas are; a balanced and harmonious environment, a tasteful yet nutritious menu, mild exercise, and a profound sense of removal from the high intensity and rapid pace that we all experience as humans in the 21st century.

The present shortcoming in the spa experience is that despite the length of time that one experiences, it is usually temporary, and when spa-goers return home to their personal environment their experience at the spa is but a memory. It is difficult to maintain the same environment that the spa has provided to the client, and although introduced to lifestyle changes in many of the more medically oriented spas, these lifestyle changes are incorporated by few.

The demographics for spa-goers includes the baby-boomer population in the U.S., Europe and Asia. This particular group not only wants the spa experience to relax and help improve health, but to stay young and vital as well. It is here that the opportunity to introduce age management and anti-aging therapeutics at the spa level becomes both a desired and much sought after experience for most of today’s spa-goers.

Age Management Programs also offer a new, innovative service for the Spa to provide, which will not only generate another income stream but potentially generate a completely new source of clientele.

One of the major advances in anti-aging research directly relates to the Human Genome Project, which has highlighted the key importance of environmental effects on genes themselves. What has been discovered over the last few years is that the combination of the environment plus the genes we inherit dictate both our health and our longevity. It is at this level that the combination of the present relaxed spa environment and the advances in anti-aging medicine becomes important. The DNA that resides within each one of the 100 trillion cells in the human body can be activated in a positive or negative fashion based upon the quality of the environment in which it is placed.

IA Positive Environment + Optimal Gene Function = Improved Aging, Optimal Health & Quality of Life

Millions of cells are replicated daily in our bodies. The problem is that our newly forming cells look to their predecessors for their identity in a process analogous to photocopying..

© SPA MANAGEMENT JOURNAL - SEPTEMBER 2004

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