I was happy to see James Clark-Kennedy’s article, “Taking the heat,” in Spa Business (SB17/2 p 56-58), which looked at research into the effects of thermal water on mood and mind.
This is important work that is most relevant, and research will become even more important in the future. It’s not enough to “know” that thermal water and other natural remedies help. It’s necessary to prove they work, both in preventive, as well as in curative terms – in competition with all sorts of pills claiming to deliver the same effects in an easier and quicker way.
This is especially true in Europe, where at least some spa treatments are still reimbursed by health insurance. Future research will also need to address causal relations to a greater extent – to explain why these treatments work. And wouldn’t it be great to have more evidence that spa treatments based on natural remedies are more sustainable?
We not only need more research, but also more exchange of ideas, cooperation and coordination – and more ways to transfer this information into practical business use.
One resource that can help move this forward is the e-library of the European Spas Association, which collects research from all over the world and is available as a free resource online at www.espalibrary.eu.
There is also a newly created conference – European Health Prevention Day – taking place 23-24 November in Wiesbaden, Germany. This event will include a roundtable of researchers who will discuss the future focus of research in this field. I hope stakeholders in the spa community will join the discussion.
PS: Yes – it’s the marketing guy writing a letter on research – because evidence is the strongest foundation of spa marketing!