20 wellness trends to embrace in 2020

Where is the world of wellbeing heading in the new year? Anne Fullerton offers a snapshot.

01.Bespoke retreats

Getting over a divorce? Writing a novel? Perhaps you want to be a better cook? Whatever the case, there’s a retreat for it. A slew of hyper-specific stays are popping up to support a range of goals. Rainforest Writing Retreat, nestled in Queensland’s picturesque Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, hosts sessions for writers of all experiences to hear from bestselling authors and learn about the publishing industry. If you want to cook the authentic Italian way, Castello di Montalero holds culinary courses in the rustic Italian hamlet of Monferrato, outside Milan, complete with accommodation in a medieval castle.

02.Water-based wellness

From the renewed popularity of natural hot springs to the resurgence of float tanks and Thalassotherapy (Greek for “sea cure”), the benefits of a good soak have been embraced by myriad cultures. The potential for aquatic wellness to combine relaxation with nature (as with hot springs) or community (as with bathhouses) means the results are two-fold. Opt for a bucket-list geothermal dip in Iceland’s Blue Lagoon or for something closer to home, dip into the Watsu pool massage at the Day Spa at Elysia Wellness Retreat in NSW’s Hunter Valley.

03.Lymphatic drainage

You might already be acquainted with fit-fluencers and celebrity facialists but are you across the latest A-list massage? Flávia Lanini, the California-based Brazilian masseuse known for her de-bloating lymphatic

drainage technique, has become almost as famous as her clientele (65,000 Instagram followers and counting). The treatment isn’t new – it’s been popular in France since the 1930s and is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine – but the idea is to stimulate the body’s lymphatic system, helping it to function more effectively and speeding up the loss of “water weight”. There isn’t a huge amount of data but aficionados swear by its ability to reduce swelling and improve the appearance of cellulite. If you’re keen to try it, Venustus in Sydney’s Paddington offers a 75-minute High Definition Bodywork treatment.

04. Skills-based exercise

Squats and treadmills may be effective ways to get fit but these activities can feel a little futile. Exercises with social and skillsbuilding elements, such as boxing or bouldering (rock climbing without a harness), have taken off in the past few years, with devotees emphasising that neither actually feels like a workout. Both require a high degree of mental focus, which has a positive effect on the brain as well as the body.

05.Clean beauty

Following in the footsteps of organic eating and eco-friendly home products, the beauty biz is the latest industry to get a non-toxic makeover – and it has some real star power behind it. Naomi Watts co-founded Onda, a clean skincare retailer with stores in Sydney, London, New York City and Sag Harbor, while Michelle Pfeiffer has put the focus on clean perfume with her own fine-fragrance label, Henry Rose, the first to be verified by America’s Environmental Working Group).

06.Light up

Seasonal affective disorder, the depressive state associated with the shorter, darker days of winter, affects up to one in three people in the United Kingdom. Not as big a concern in sunny Australia. Even so, the once-experimental SAD lamp has become commonplace. Proponents believe spending 30 minutes to an hour a day in front of very bright light can reset your circadian rhythms. The Spa at Ye Olde Bell in Nottinghamshire offers a lighttherapy treatment, Sabbia Med, complete with a fake beach and deckchairs.

07.Textual healing

Can a messaging service ever be as good as a real-life experience? From textbased counselling to American pharmacies that correspond via text message and post medications to your home, healthcare providers are going online to offer a more streamlined service and better access to information for their clients.

08.Face freezing

After cryotherapy comes the cryofacial. Briefly exposing the body (or parts of it) to extreme cold was designed to accelerate muscle repair in athletes but has been co-opted by the beauty industry as a way of stimulating cell turnover. During treatments, blasts of cold vapour are combined with light therapy to boost collagen and plump the face. Proponents say it can be effective in the treatment of everything from eczema to fine lines. Chill Space in New York City offers US$55 (about $80) single treatments, while Ritual Cryotherapy in Port Melbourne promises its “frotox” sessions will increase skin firmness and minimise wrinkles.

09.Healthy homes

Wellness architecture is taking over the hotel scene but plenty of people are looking for ways to make their own homes healthier. Whether you’re stocking up on air-purifying house plants (approved by both Instagram and NASA), switching your synthetic bed linen for breathable and eco-friendly bamboo sheets or decluttering, à la Marie Kondo, simple touches can boost mood and make a better home environment. It also creates a more comfortable space to wind down in at the end of the day.

10.RIP late nights

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington claims the secret to success is seven to eight hours sleep per night, while Oprah Winfrey aims to be in bed by 10pm. Burning the candle at both ends was once a badge of honour but thanks to a growing awareness of exhaustion, today’s high-flyers are more likely to be at home drinking chamomile tea than partying after dark.

11.

Festival circuit

If you need proof that wellness is the new self-help, look no further than once-niche mind and body festivals. Leading the new wave of blockbuster events is Gwyneth Paltrow’s globetrotting roadshow, the In Goop Health summit (above), which gives attendees a chance to get involved in talks, panels and “self-care stations” for US$1000 (about $1470) per day. Oprah Winfrey is also hosting her own event, Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus, promising to help you lead “a healthier, more abundant life”.

12.Self-care timeout

It’s been used to describe everything from elaborate 12-step skincare routines to cancelling plans and staying home with a glass of wine and a good film. But before self-care became a hashtag, it was the radical idea that marginalised groups needed to take care of themselves before they could take care of others. The self-care industry in America has moved away from its political roots and is today worth in excess of US$10 billion (about $14.7 billion), with millennials spending more on personal improvement than any previous generation. Any action that makes life more manageable – from gym memberships to meal-delivery services – can be considered

self-care but there’s no need to spend big. It could simply be making the time to read a book every night.

13.Secular pilgrimages

Traditional pilgrim trails, such as Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Kumano Kodo in Japan, continue to welcome a growing number of visitors, despite fewer people considering themselves religious. The trails – which consist of multi-day journeys – provide a physical and mental challenge as well as a rare opportunity for slow travel and mindfulness. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that pilgrimage sites are often in spectacular locations (see Pilgrim’s Progress about walking in Tuscany, on page 114).

14.New kids on the block

Watch out, Bali – there are new wellness destinations aiming to give you a run for your money. More than 2.3 million people visited Sri Lanka in 2018, drawn by its natural beauty, rich culture and history. Stunning beaches, a tropical climate and Ayurvedic traditions all lend themselves to a health-focused holiday – and hoteliers have taken note. Later this year, Harding Boutique Hotels is set to open a six-suite establishment in Ahangama in Sri Lanka’s south, while Sen Wellness Sanctuary, east of Tangalle, frequently appears on yoga best-of lists. Bhutan is also an upcoming wellness player, with the recent opening of four Six Senses resorts.

15.Nootropics

A relative of adaptogens (below), nootropics is the generic term for any kind of cognitive enhancer. Commonly known as smart drugs, they can be synthetic or natural, available by prescription or over the counter – the key feature being that they increase brain function. Where adaptogens reduce stress, nootropics are said to improve focus and productivity.

16.La dolce vita

If you follow social media, you may have seen Italy’s Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa, with its 16th-century, Moorish-style former watchtower perched above a sapphire ocean on Ischia. The isle has plenty of aesthetic appeal but its natural hot springs have attracted health-conscious travellers since Ancient Roman times. Writer Elena Ferrante’s bestselling Neapolitan novels and spin-off TV series, My Brilliant Friend, in which Ischia is a location, have boosted tourism to this once-sleepy volcanic outpost. The hotel’s oceanfront pool is a perfect spot for sipping cocktails but Mezzatorre is about balancing indulgence with self-care – the alkaline springs bubble straight into the spa and are good for everything from respiratory illness to arthritis.

17.Medical spas

Medical spas may sound very 19th century but this old-school concept is getting a cutting-edge update, especially in resort towns across Switzerland and other parts of Europe. Spain’s Sha Wellness Clinic delivers physiotherapy, regenerative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and a wide range of health programs in a setting so beautiful, you’ll feel better just gazing out the window. Packages are tailored to specific goals; for example, the anti-tobacco program takes a science-based approach to kicking the habit by measuring physical attributes including lung capacity and nicotine levels, creating a personalised health profile and developing individualised coping strategies to help prevent relapse.

18.Community connections

From Club W, a Sydney-based women’s-only tea house, social club and wellness centre, to The Assemblage, a New York co-working club that offers New Age lectures and nature retreats, there is huge growth in the group wellness sector. A sense of camaraderie helps members stick to their fitness goals but the benefits are greater than simply physical outcomes, with social networking playing an important role in mental wellbeing, too.

19.Recovery exercise

Exercise to help you exercise? That’s precisely the idea behind active recovery – exercises that assist muscles to recover from intensive activity. It could mean Pilates or strengthening workouts that complement your high-intensity cardio or improving flexibility in order to reduce the chances of injury. Stretch*d and StretchLab are just two of the new American companies getting in on the act, while Australian gyms and fitness studios are also responding to the trend. Sydney’s Flow Athletic provides NormaTec compression recovery systems (kits that includes massaging boots) to soothe weary runners’ legs and the One Hot Yoga group in Sydney and Melbourne runs Pilates Studio classes for tailored revival workouts.

20.

Adaptogens

Everyone from holistic healers to Silicon Valley biohackers are singing the praises of adaptogens. But what are they and what do they do? Put simply, they’re any non-toxic, plant-based substance that works to modulate the body’s stress response. Turmeric is an adaptogen and so is L-Theanine (found in matcha tea, left). There’s not much known about them but the popularity of adaptogenic supplement brands, such as Moon Juice from California, indicates they’re not going anywhere soon.