What’s On Tap for Wellness Culture in 2014? World Wise Beauty Explores the Trendscapes…

Global Options in a Mobile Society: Medical Tourism is one of the fastest growing international industries and more and more countries around the world are emerging into Medical Tourism destinations, from Asian countries like India and Thailand to North Americas Cuba and to European countries like Hungary. With most of the world experiencing a healthcare crisis, patients and wellness consumers are traveling abroad to seek the best quality care and alternative options available. Health and wellness consumers are traveling worldwide and engaging in health tourism by visiting health spas, medical spas, wellness retreats and destination/day spas. In addition to the general health and wellness focus, the anti-aging trend fueled by baby boomers around the world are finding medical and health spas an appealing option in slowing down aging degenerative effects whether they be cosmetic or cellular. In the case of cosmetic surgery alone, its cost in countries such as India, Thailand or South Africa can be one tenth of how much it costs in the United States or Western Europe.

Navigating Culture Codes: The bright side of the health crisis is the global attention preventative, integrated and holistic care are receiving. Wellness Culture is now taking center stage and consumers are increasingly exploring global options and practices. The wellness phenomenon and preventative approach has been under way in recent years for the American spa market and for centuries in Europe and Asia. With diverse cultural drivers and motivators, people around the globe are now embracing wellness culture and reaching outside of their borders for treatment and therapies. Medical Spas, Health Spas and Wellness Centers exist all over the world and all operate uniquely in accordance with their focus and local culture. International associations such as IMSA, DSA and ISPA are defining guidelines comprehensively but cultural codes and standards still vary. The very differences in cultural standards may very well be the marketing appeal of medical tourism and the destination spa experience. Having access to complimentary treatments and modalities that may not be available to you at home or your country is one of the benefits of traveling across international borders.

A Healing Sense of Place and Milieu: In Europe (where the spa experience originated) you can find Medical Spas run by physicians and integrative practitioners who may combine holistic and alternative therapies to address everything from chronic health conditions to anti-aging prevention. The essential framework of the European spa industry is mainly based on the curative use of natural resources and healthy climate with contribution from medical and therapeutic care. Budapest already renowned as the “City of Spas” presents Medical Spas offering the healing benefits of mineral hot springs treating chronic musculoskeletal problems. Often the spa physicians have a specialty in Rheumatology or Internal Medicine as well as Physiotherapy (series of cures using electrotherapy, ultrasound therapy light therapy etc), Homeopathy (a system of therapeutics using natural substances such as plants, herbs and minerals), or Botanical medicine. You will also find treatments such as Climatherapy (focus on air purity for treatment of respiratory conditions), Balintherapy (a general term for water based treatments treating circulatory, musculoskeletal and immune sensitive illnesses) and Crenotherapy (treatment carried out with mineral water, mud or vapor). The attention to place and natural healing properties are paramount to the European wellness culture.

Bon Voyage Takes on New Meaning: Voltaire, the French philosopher and writer of the Enlightenment wrote “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease”. This philosophy is still relevant today and is the essence of a wellness inspired vacation. Medical and Health tourism is no longer a novelty and is quickly becoming a lucrative global trend. As wellness culture spreads around the world, expect to discover a cultural cocktail of treatments and services. Crossing borders allows the wellness consumer to enjoy the affordable cost of various healing options that may be much higher priced in their own home and region. The opportunity to experience a new culture in an exotic locale while healing, recuperating or revitalizing is a seductive proposition many wellness consumers will explore in the coming years. Bon Voyage has truly taken on new meaning and international travel could be considered a life saving and enhancing experience.