Every culture surrounding the Mediterranean Sea lays claim to their specific methods of purification and healing. The Moroccan hammam, the 450 year old Turkish baths, the Greek and Roman baths, and the Italian grottos to name a few all have contributed to what we are now experiencing today as Mediterranean spa trends.
People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” Zig Zigler
Even as far back as medieval times, bathing in water and drinking spring water with minerals like iron for deficiencies and cures were common. Springs called Espa, meaning fountain, were the beginnings in the world of the baths called balneotherapy, which means taking the water.
Until very recently it was very much the norm for Europeans to take water cures on their holidays from working. This was not our typical American week or two weeks’ vacation, but rather a month, at least, taken to purify and rejuvenate. Businesses would close, as some still do, families would travel to centers to take the waters and individuals would heal the maladies of their day including circulatory and congestive disorders, muscular and systemic concerns, and of course stress.
Associated as a wet alternative to the Scandinavian sauna, the hammam is best known as the Middle Eastern version of the steam bath and rooted in the ancient Greek Roman world.
Created as a neighborhood retreat, one would purify in a tranquil atmosphere. First, one cleanses the body with a sudsy washing and scrub the body on a large stone in a central room in the hammam. At some point in the course of their experience a massage is taken. One then goes into rooms with varying levels of heat and is alternated with cold showers and cold plunge baths and pools.
The hottest room is called a caldarium. Next, there is a cooler but still very warm room called the tepidarium. The resting area room is called a frigiderium, where one can enjoy a refreshing drink of tea or water. Where available, one can nap in private rooms after their massage. With the exception of royalty, where bathing was in private, public bathing was a social happening for personal relaxation and cleansing. In the typical Hammam ritual, beauty and wellbeing, body care and relaxation of the mind can all be experienced together.
Similarly, the Turkish baths involved relaxing in a hot, dry air, warm room and moving to hot rooms and then splashing oneself with cold water. Both therapies include a full body wash and then an olive oil massage for total relaxation. By drinking the spring waters, inhalation therapies and extensive balneotherapies (bathing), healing for just about every condition known to man is experienced.
Moving to the south of the Mediterranean Sea into Greece, the Roman baths were called Balnea or Thermae, which were terms used for the public baths. Almost every Roman city had at least one, and again they were public and for socializing. Most would either go daily or spend at least a few hours in the bathhouse to enjoy the heated floors, bathing, massage, weight lifting, wrestling, running and swimming.
Because of the times and the battles that had to be won, we can now see where fitness was beginning to take shape and how our modern facilities with fitness, pools, hot tubs, massage, and steam and sauna baths have evolved.
Travel across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy where one would find intimate rooms surrounding grottos, which are cave-like rooms with pools of water. With covered balconies, these grottos are where public, social bathing took place. Once again, the waters were the key to the many therapies that could be taken and where a social experience could be enjoyed.
Might this have been the beginning of conversational networking or in today’s terms a place for social media networking?
Now as we travel east, west, north or south we find continued wellness thinking. Many facilities incorporate ideas of a Spa water world and include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, separate thermal bathing areas for men and women, the hot tubs, a steam bath, sauna, sun room and solarium.
Today more than ever, we still seek healing, socializing, enjoyment, relaxation and rejuvenation in every corner of the world and at the central core they are reflected in Mediterranean spa trends.
I believe the secret to youth is water and flexibility. Exercise, drinking water, bathing, playing in the rain, walking in the grass after a gentle rain and cooking with pure water all make for a happy, healthy body and mind. And so it made perfect sense that my work and passion continues with creating unique concepts that include water treatments, cures and therapies for spas.
A few such concepts still in development revolve around a traditional hammam in the Caribbean and bringing the idea of three water cures to choose from, including Russian banya, Korean jimjilbang and Japanese onsen bathing therapies in an American Hotel. Each revolve around a Mediterranean spa trend and the use of water in one shape or fashion, and each are unique onto themselves.
Even though some of us have not had the opportunity to visit Morocco, Turkey, Russia, Korea or Japan, we all now have the opportunity to enjoy traditional therapies when we go to a spa in our locale or when we travel to a resort or hotel spa in a totally different country from where the spa trend originated.
I think we have the world of travel to thank for that. Our cities are almost all multi-cultural, and it is indeed a joy that these cultures have brought their healing therapies to our cities to be enjoyed by all.
Today when we look at Mediterranean spa trends, we go vast and far in the world. The trends are indeed evolving to be almost an art form. From the therapies themselves to the spas, hotels, resorts, retreat centers, lifestyle communities and community centers, we see now that trends are being bridged from their ancient beginnings and handed down from family member to family member.
We also now see healing modalities of generations of practitioners and doctors who bring their knowledge and talents to cities around the world just as we find eclectic cuisine choices today. Who would have known there would be a Starbucks on the Great Wall of China?
Likewise, we now have the opportunity to experience a Turkish bath, hammam or sea salt hot tub soak without venturing out of our respective cities and countries. And, though many experiences in Europe seem to be medically therapeutic in nature, they are also catching on to the idea of the advantages and benefits of total mind, body and spirit relaxation.
Hot springs are making resurgence, and there is even Hot Springs tourism. Many hot spring businesses were started in the U.S. after learning the benefits of taking the waters on foreign soil. Because of the cost and time to travel in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this became the healthy alternative on American soil.
In Europe there are many spas continuing the ancient traditions born on the Mediterranean. We can be certain our modern day spas, though not medicinal, are steering towards wellness and therapies associated with water. As anti-aging and facilitating baby boomer health needs are becoming a primary focus, we can all look to these sources for tried and true spa trends that will become the norm in the next two to five years. Having the comforts of a grand hotel or resort will always be very popular, but what we see now too is the growth of lifestyle communities where we will see more wellness and anti-aging programs.
A complete mind, body experience now emerging is in the Spa Waterworld concepts including the Korean Jimjilbangs or bathhouses. These concepts are being used in spas in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles or New York City, where in these unique facilities is an array of treatments and therapies unlike anywhere you will find in a modern day spa.
Water is the primary focus as is the many saunas for relaxation. With common areas for family time and separate men and women bathing areas with lockers and private bathing, ancient traditions are now all under one roof.
The saunas are particularly unique where you might find an LED color sauna, gold, salt or ice saunas and an infrared sauna safe for any condition. Unlike traditional saunas, these have specific healing properties and can be enjoyed alone or in combination with other treatments.
The water experiences range from hot and cold pools to drench showers, personal scrub rooms. After a cleansing scrub, massage and bathing, retreating to the coed pool area is a unique experience in that the pool has specific areas with a different targeted focus. Called Bade pools, these pools are imported from Korea and Japan and combine the traditional benefits acupressure by way of jets configured to relieve tensions in different parts of the body.
Hydrotherapy and other unique and emerging spa trends can treat an array of different physical and emotional conditions from congestion to inflammation to insomnia, muscular aches and of course stress. If you are a true spa goer, you know the value and benefits of these ancient traditions of years gone by and are enjoying and using the latest spa trends for personal wellness and life/work balance today.
If you are new to the benefits and enjoyment of spa trends, you will find that the education, life experiences, personal healing and indigenous treatments can be wrapped up and enjoyed in a road trip or a short or long flight to a destination. Not only can you plan a European tour, you can include all of these experiences in one trip, and most usually in a package being offered to fit your wants and desires.
Whichever category you fall into, get online or go to a travel agent and you will find a place and a treatment or therapy that most likely is born out of Mediterranean Sea origins. Whether single or partners traveling together, we can now travel the world to spa, enjoying these ancient traditions, or check in our own backyard; there may be a far and away experience without flying far.
Holli Beckwith has had more than 20 years experience in the health and wellbeing industry. She has traveled nationally and internationally to assist opening spas in hotels and resorts, develop spa concepts and spa menus including signature treatments, protocols and trainings. Since 1996, she has trained spa treatments, yoga and meditation and was the spa director in numerous spas in the U.S., Asia and Mexico. Most recently she worked with WTS International as Director of Spa Concept and Planning where she still develops spa concepts independently, and this year created a ‘Green Spa’ for the Sundance Film Festival ‘Green Lodge’ in Park City, Utah. Her passion and special talent is in developing concepts and signature spa treatments with indigenous cultures, elements and materials and aspires to developing ‘Green’ and sustainable spas.
