Sauna and wellness trends at interbad 2018
interbad Career Center focuses qualification of specialist personnel / Spa Market Conference highlights current trends in wellness and spas
Wellness is very popular. Many people need regular time out to have themselves pampered. The demands made on these special moments are accordingly high. A survey of the Wellness-Hotels & Resorts cooperation and the wellness travel organiser beauty24.de in 2017 found that time out spent with friends is increasingly popular. More and more people can imagine enjoying a wellness holiday not only with their partner, but also with family or friends.
Wellness is becoming increasingly popular
Over 80 per cent of those surveyed treat themselves to at least one wellness break each year. The main reason given is time out from everyday life, but also the need to do something for one’s health and against acute stress. This development is also confirmed by the German Sauna Association. Surveys have shown that 74 per cent of sauna visitors go to the sauna to improve their sense of well-being, and 53 per cent see saunas as a health-promoting break from daily routine. In contrast, 40 per cent of sauna visitors said that going to the sauna is a communal experience.
Experience orientation still the trend
“The brand essence of saunas, such as health effects for the user, relaxation and bodycare, has in recent years been increasingly linked with experiences,” explains Rolf-Andreas Pieper, Director of the German Sauna Association. In particular, the traditional pouring of water on the hot stones is the main focus for the sauna operators. Events and special sauna themes are offered at many saunas. “The sauna is a synthesis of relaxation and experience.” Especially in hotels and spa centres, there is a clear trend towards special experiences. Whether grottos and caves, beach or jungle landscapes, or large glass windows with breathtaking panorama views – in general, wellness facilities are of increasingly elaborate construction. With regard to saunas, operators provide various rituals and variations of pouring water on hot stones, as well as events to make sauna visits a real experience. A Russian trend is now becoming widespread, namely, during the sauna session slapping one’s body with birch tree twigs to stimulate the blood circulation; in Finland, disco buses with integrated saunas are very popular, and in Germany the trend of saunas combined with events and special themes continues.
Main theme: Qualification of specialist personnel
In accordance with changing requirements, training and further training in the sector continues to develop. The European Wellness Institute and the IST Studieninstitut offer training courses for wellness and spa managers, or spa receptionists, sometimes with additional Chamber of Industry and Commerce certification. interbad 2018 will for the first time address the topic with the interbad Career Center, in which newcomers to the profession and specialists from spa, wellness or pool operators can obtain information on training and further training opportunities and meet companies with current job offers. “We offer educational institutions, training companies and employers the opportunity to obtain information on the diversity of the profession, as well as career opportunities,” says Joachim Sauter, Head of Medicine and Health at Messe Stuttgart. “Personnel management is still a central theme,” confirms Birgit Wolfhard, Managing Director of the spa business publishing house, which organises the Spa Market Conference, the industry congress for hoteliers, thermal bath operators, spa managers and wellness providers at interbad. “How do I find good staff, and how can I keep them?” A focal point of this year’s conference will therefore be the topic of management and values. “The focus in the spa and wellness sector is at present clearly on the soft factors,” says Wolfhard. “It’s more about current operations, and here about details and finer points for continuing the success of the spa business. In addition, a top issue and our keynote will be “soul luxury”: What does luxury mean today, when people have everything and know so much? How can we connect people today? What emotional aspects are the driving forces for customers and for the top wellness hotels and spa operators?” In addition to the current developments in the sector, the Spa Market Conference provides diverse know-how on facility management, as well as programme organisation, marketing and communication. With its coherent mixture of a trade fair, a congress and an extensive accompanying programme, interbad, the international trade fair for swimming pools, saunas and spas, provides an ideal setting to exchange professional experiences and information, carry out networking and find out about technical developments and innovative trends relating to swimming pools, saunas and wellness. The next interbad will take place from 23 to 26 October 2018 at Messe Stuttgart.
For more information, go to www.interbad.de and hashtag #interbad18.
foto: Freibad Hänigsen