ABOVE: Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond
We asked a team of trend-casting Futurists what’s in store for wellness in 2019
Along with treating guests to chic rooms, gourmet eating and drinking, and one of the best spas in town (the stunning four-level ESPA Life), the Corinthia Hotel London engages both visitors and locals with its unique In-Residence program, where experts host panels, talks and interactive sessions on a variety of topics.
In 2019, the program will focus on the future—thanks to a partnership with The Future Laboratory, a consultancy of trend-casters who work with top global companies to help them expand and innovate.
Throughout the year, in-house Futurists Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond (cofounders of The Future Laboratory) will bring in a handpicked roster of experts to examine everything from trends in luxury travel to what’s defining “the new masculinity.” They will also host insider Black Cab tours of London and other standout experiences. (Check the hotel’s site for a schedule of upcoming events.) First up, though, is a spotlight on wellness—and we got a sneak peek at their comprehensive report. Here are five of the wellness trends the Corinthia Futurists say to look for in the coming year.
ABOVE: The lounge at ESPA Life
INCLUSIVE FITNESS. “As a healthy lifestyle becomes an embedded mainstream mindset, it is becoming more apparent that the raft of fitness influencers and gurus tends to be biased toward white women of a certain class status and body type,” the Futurists report. Luckily, they see that changing, as a new crop of more diverse and body-positive fitness influencers have found “a voice on social media, (then expanded) beyond online into the physical fitness environment.” The Lab also cites facilities like Los Angeles’ Everybody gym, which aims to welcome all clients with non-gendered locker rooms and community-specific programming, as further evidence of the shift toward inclusivity. They also see that trend being applied to the industry as a whole, as there is increased acknowledgement that “wellness should work for everyone, not just those who can afford a daily yoga session.”
THE 21st-CENTURY APOTHECARY. The traditional neighborhood apothecary format is back—with a modern twist. The Futurists see a growth in supplement brands that are re-imagining the storefront formula, and putting “an emphasis on community and education.” Examples include London’s anatome, which stocks products for nutritional, emotional and physical wellness and also offers one-on-one consultations with an in-store nutritionist, for a more bespoke experience. CAP Beauty, which has outposts in New York and LA, also caters to beauty inside and out with spa, skincare and grocery sections—the latter including areas for medicinal items, house-blended adaptogens and healing “Potions and Powders.”
FERTILITY AND PREGNANCY WELLNESS. The Futurists see consumers taking their fertility and pregnancy health into their own hands—and a host of companies are ready to help support their journeys. With people “increasingly heading online for advice and to track their fertility,” services that have launched include the MedAnswers site (where healthcare professionals personally address user questions) and Modern Fertility, which grants subscribers access to doctor-grade fertility tests and other information that helps “empower women to take control of their reproductive health at an early stage.” Women are also navigating their pregnancies armed with more options and support, thanks to everything from maternity-specific beauty lines (like the all-natural Hatch Mama, created by moms for moms-to-be; and facilities like New York’s Fit Pregnancy Club, a fitness studio focusing on safe and targeted pre- and post-natal workouts.
ABOVE: The sauna at ESPA Life
HIGH-TECH FITNESS. “As consumers continue to look for new ways to optimize their fitness routines, boutique gyms are introducing previously inaccessible technologies to help clients reach their physical limits,” notes the Futurists’ wellness report. Examples include the self-proclaimed “human upgrade center” Bulletproof Labs in Santa Monica , which takes a scientific, “biohacking” approach to mind-body training and employs modes such as compression and cooling technology and an atmospheric cell trainer to boost both physical and cognitive performance. Elsewhere, gyms like Equinox have introduced Halo Sport headsets—which send mild electrical currents to the brain to stimulate physical activity—while tech companies like Idaho-based Black Box VR are merging fitness with virtual reality gaming to create immersive workout experiences and “virtual reality gyms.”
WHOLE-SYSTEM WELLNESS. In the wellness industry at large, the Futurists see brands recognizing that “there is a contradiction in creating products that cater to consumers’ personal well-being, but which have a detrimental effect on society or the environment as a whole.” As a result, they are seeing more awareness of how wellness extends beyond the individual to impact our communities and the planet, as well as brands “ensuring the well-being of both people and place at every stage in the supply chain.” Elsewhere in their report, the experts also cite trends such as “healthy architecture” and sustainable residential developments as further examples of the growing inter-connectivity of wellness.