Wellness tourism refers to travelling activities aimed at promoting individual wellbeing and preventing physical and mental disorders and diseases. Wellness tourism is different from medical tourism in that the first targets prevention and general wellness, while the second focuses on medical care and treatments.

Valued at $924 billion in 2023, wellness tourism currently represents 14.9% of the total health and wellness industry market, with revenues estimated to rise at a 12.4% CAGR from 2023 to 2028.⁷

“We’ve heard that wellness is now at the forefront of everybody’s mind, and self-care rituals are really important to everybody—and they’re taking that with them when they travel,” says Kenneth Ryan, vice president of global wellness and spa & fitness operations at Marriott International, in a Hotel Business article.²⁹ “This has had a profound shift in what’s going on and driving powerful growth. We’re seeing high demand in our spas and the best revenues ever—well over 2019—and really strong rates.”

Wellness tourism can be done by staying in resorts and retreats or cruise trips that offer a broad range of activities, including yoga, meditation, weight loss and detox programs, body massages, Ayurveda therapies, spas, saunas, hot springs, Turkish baths, and thermal waterparks.

The most popular routines take place in spas and baths inspired by other cultures, mainly the ancient Romans or the Ottoman Empire. These routines typically start with a warm temperature treatment.

A tepidarium, for example, is a low-to-medium-humidity room with walls, benches, and ergonomic loungers heated to provide temperatures ranging between 35°C and 40°C (i.e., at or just a little above normal body temperature). The tepidarium allows the body to pleasantly relax, relieve stress, and regenerate, and it is generally recommended for people affected by blood circulation issues or frequent colds.

In contrast to a tepidarium, in a caldarium, the temperature of walls, floors, and benches can be regulated so that the air can reach up to 60°C while humidity can go up to 100%. These warmer and humid conditions help with muscle relaxation, make the skin softer, and soothe and detoxify the body.

The laconicum (or laconium) is similar to the caldarium but has much lower humidity, between 15% and 20%. A variant is the herbal laconicum, which features herbs warmed on stones to enhance relaxation by the addition of aromatherapy.

In contrast to these humidity-based spa rooms, saunas use dry air at very high temperatures, normally between 80°C and 100°C, to reduce stress and boost the immune system. Finnish saunas are well-known for reaching even higher temperatures, as high as 120°C.

Steam rooms combine the same high humidity as a caldarium but at the same high temperatures as a sauna. This combination of high humidity and temperature helps achieve body hydration and better blood circulation while relieving stress. Relaxation can be further boosted using aromatic oils.

KLAFS (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany) sells and installs a broad range of the different heat-treatment rooms described above, with many incorporating ceramic mosaics and glass.

A Turkish bath, or hammam, is composed of two sections, one that emphasizes sweating and cleansing, and the other dedicated to mental repose and tranquility. The warm or hot treatment can be followed by bathing in the cold water (12°C to 20°C) of a frigidarium to bring pores and blood vessels back to their normal size and increase blood flow.

In addition to these traditional spa setups, many routines and facilities in wellness resorts are now being designed to conform to the new trend of biohacking.

“Biohacking is the targeted autoregulation and regeneration of the body,” explains Karl-Ludwig Resch of the German Institute of Health Research on KLAFS’ website.³⁰ “Stimulating environments with heat, cold, light, movement, or current pulses create stimuli that positively influence the body in a targeted and finely dosed manner.”

An example of ceramics and glass used in biohacking are the LED bulbs for red and blue light therapy. This therapeutic technique uses wavelengths of red and blue light to help treat skin conditions, such as scarring and loss of elasticity (red light) and enlarged pores and breakouts (blue light).

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• Factors driving demand in the health and wellness industry
• Sport, fitness, and recreational activities
• Traditional, complementary, preventive, and personalized medicine
• Wellness tourism
• Nutrition and weight management
• Beauty and personal care
• Wellness real estate
• Mental and spiritual wellbeing
• Workplace wellness