MODERN MAYAN WELLNESS

Following the Global Wellness Summit, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to join a post summit trip to the newly opened Chable Resort in the Yucatan region of Mexico. Ten years in the making, Chable first opened its doors in November 2016 and was already heralding international acclaim, so I was certainly looking forward to the journey. 

Based on ancient Mayan culture and set on the most exquisite 750 acre property, complete with remnants of ruins to remind one of centuries past, a beautiful blue hacienda houses the reception, retail boutique, a bar and some other spaces. Beautiful furnishings, artworks and sculptures grace each room and meet us upon our arrival to this other worldly resort. 

After check in I am escorted along a winding path to my private villa, set in amongst the jungle. The room is spacious and well appointed with a bathroom that connects to the outdoors, a comfortable king size bed and sitting area, along with a private plunge pool and terrace. I am in heaven! After a very social 10 days of travelling I am ready to rest and sink into the surrounding nature. 

A light lunch is served at the restaurant that sits by the most magical pool, before I make my way to an afternoon in the spa. The treatment menu is like nothing I have ever seen before so I book 8 treatments in the space of 3 days. I want to take in all of this mayan healing. I have Janzu, Rain Goddess Ritual, a Bio Energy Lift Facial, Mayan Herbal Compress Massage amongst other things. The menu also offers a Traditional Ceremonial Temazcal, however unfortunately the shaman is unable to perform the ceremony on the needed day which gives me a reason to return. I could hardly imagine going to stay at Chable without having at least one spa treatment from this amazing spa menu. 

The stand out feature of the resort for me is the day spa, but then perhaps I am biased as I am sure a cigar smoker or tequila drinker might say otherwise. In any case the central spa facilities are stunning, with treatment rooms branching off along a circular path overlooking the central cenote, which is a fresh water hole considered to be sacred in Mexican culture. Having other facilities such as the fitness centre, a café, swimming pool and yoga deck connected to the day spa keeps the wellness activities nicely connected. There is also a café located at the spa which offers a complimentary daily tasting of small bites. 

The men’s and women’s change room each have an outdoor thermal bathing area with sauna, steam, salt room, showers and hot and cold pools. Near the entrance to the relaxation lounge is a small open room that displays the local ingredients and herbs that make up the spa products and smoking ceremony mix. A large white conch shell set in the middle of a pond resides in the centre of the spa. Here and before my first ritual I was guided across the stepping stones and into the centre of the conch for a Mayan intention setting and smoking ceremony. Depending on the ritual chosen, some rituals began with drumming, sounding of the conch, rattles or other instruments. Definitely the most unique ritual experience I have encountered to date and I loved it!

The resort had a visiting yoga teacher who offered a number of classes during the day that included yoga, meditation, guided visualisation, journaling and talks on mindfulness. Most classes were on the yoga deck that sat on the edge of the sacred cenote. There were also another couple from Spain that facilitated a qi gong class accompanied by live spiritual music. This was both unique and wonderful. Led in the courtyard under the expansive shade of a large tree I was transported to another place with the movements, breath and sound.

Chable has found a way to successfully offer wellness alongside other cultural traditions of Mexico such as a cigar bar and Ixium, the fine dining restaurant, which has a tequila collection of over 3600 bottles. The food menu’s were not entirely wellness focused, but they were small portions of Mexican style food and the staff always enquired as to whether I had any dietary requests, so they were ready and able to cater to dairy, sugar and gluten free options.

Overall, Chable Resort has found a way to merge authentic wellness, mayan spirituality and healing, along with traditional Mexican culture, which is what makes it the perfectly balanced wellness getaway. 

GLOBAL WELLNESS SUMMIT

This year I had the fantastic experience of attending the Global Wellness Summit, which has held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. The professionals that attend this amazing event are at the forefront of the global wellness movement across a wide array of industries. The speeches, presentations and forums were of the highest calibre, with future thinking, ground breaking technology and what is happening across the planet being discussed and discovered. We had glamorous evening events to attend, round table lunches and the opportunity to meet the best in the spa and wellness industry. Inspiring on all levels! 

The eight wellness trends that emerged this year were the most left of field I have ever seen and can be found on the GWS website, so if you are reading this blog I will let you discover those for yourself. My personal favourite take homes were as follows;

Healthy Building Design: Why It’s a Smart Decision for Businesses and Investors - Delos presented research on guest satisfaction, loyalty and behaviours related to staying in hotels that offered a wellness environment via the stay well rooms. The results were very impressive and should certainly have hotels considering this approach.

Millennials are not Wellness Newbies: Presented by Good & Well - This was a fantastic presentation on the trends and behaviours of millennials in regards to wellness. Influencers have a major impact on a business having millennials as followers and are more likely to attract attendees to their retreats.  

Other Interesting Points Learned at GWS were;

Energy is 4 dimensional - Physically energised, spiritually aligned, mentally focused, emotionally connected

Energy expenditure has to be balanced with energy recovery 

Depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion dollars in lost work days 

People actually become happier as they age

Technology opens up Wellness and mental support to all people 

Eyes are direct connection to the brain and if we can stimulate the brain through the power of nature it will have a positive affect

Hotels need to integrate authenticity and sustainability 

When sustainability is only an economic drive the intention is upside down 

Equanimity within and compassion without are the core of living a well life 

Anytime we judge someone new we are judging them on... high warmth and high competence 

Move away from anti-ageing to age embracing 

We are sinking in data but starving in wisdom 

Fear is not a sustainable motivator to change. What is sustainable is fun, freedom, pleasure and love

Hot spring tourism has been emerging and developing rapidly over the past 20 years

There is great potential for virtual reality to be brought into the wellness space

The 2018 GWS will be held at Technogym HQ in Italy so a little sojourn to Europe may be on the cards.  

HOT SPRINGS TOUR

My trip to Japan earlier this year, along with two other client projects, a couple of random meetings and then an invitation to Peninsula Hot Springs for the launch of Synthesis skincare, have all drawn me into the world of thermal bathing and hot springs. Therefore in following this new path of discovery I decided to join the Global Thermal Think Tank, which was a tour of 4 hot springs resorts in the USA right before the Global Wellness Summit.

Meeting with 20 other hot spring resort owners, developers, suppliers and enthusiasts we began our tour, with a two night stay at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in California. This resort offers a variety of bathing pools, a grotto, mud bath, cold plunge pool, magnesium pool, sauna, steam room and day spa with a menu of assorted treatments and therapies. A well stocked retail store, cafe, restaurant, yoga deck and labyrinth also add to the properties experiences.

The itinerary for this tour included free time to soak in the pools and explore the various facilities and activities. Glen Ivy management organised delicious health fulfilling meals and I had the opportunity to meet my co-travellers and learn of their interest and connection to this industry. In addition we had group forums, presentations and lectures in the schedule.  

Our next two day stay was at Two Bunch Palms, an oasis in the middle of the Californian desert which is quite literally named after the two bunches of palms that sit in the middle of this landscape and mark the hot springs. We were welcomed with an intention setting and smoking ceremony lead by the resident shaman, and then had time to soak and relax before meeting for dinner. The following day various presenters talked of the history, trends and progressions in the hot springs industry. 

Our final destination was two flights and a road trip away to Ojo Caliente located near Sante Fe, Mexico. Nestled in a valley on 1,100 acres, Ojo is deemed sacred by the Native Americans of Northern New Mexico. The legendary waters here have been soothing body, mind and spirit for centuries and are the only hot springs in the world with 4 unique, sulfer-free mineral waters. 

Throughout history, people have used thermal and mineral springs for bathing, healing, socializing, and spiritual reasons. Those traditions are the roots of today’s spa industry, and are finding a resurgence of interest as consumers increasingly seek authentic, natural, and place-based experiences.

There are over 26,000 establishments in 103 countries that have wellness, recreational, and therapeutic facilities and services built around thermal/mineral springs. Collectively, these establishments earned more than $50 billion in revenues in 2013. Only 6,500 of these establishments offer spa-related services such as massages and facials and because they earn much higher average revenues, thermal and mineral springs establishments that offer spa treatments account for nearly two-thirds of industry revenues.

Asia leads the world in thermal/mineral springs revenues at $26.7 billion, with the two main markets—Japan and China—accounting for 51% of global revenues. The Asian market is dominated by the thousands of onsen in Japan and the ongoing massive investments in hot springs resorts in China. The second largest region is Europe, estimated at $21.7 billion, with a mature industry of sanatoria, health resorts, and thermal stations that use thermal and mineral waters primarily for therapeutic, curative, and rehabilitative purposes. 

As the renewed interest in the special properties of thermal and mineral waters continues to pick up momentum, we expect to see a growing number of businesses built around springs in countries where the industry is less developed. In the well-established markets in Europe, many countries are refurbishing their facilities and modernizing their offerings to appeal to modern wellness consumers and travellers. 

I certainly now know that my preference from this point of discovery will to be have a combined hot springs and spa resort experience. Its just so fulfilling to have a connection to a life giving source of wellness whilst being outdoors in the sunshine or under the stars. And with the addition of a day spa ritual, there really isn't too much more one could want.