Trend: Watershed Wellness
Industry Takes a Leadership Role in the Water Crisis
As water scarcity becomes a growing concern worldwide due to climate change, population growth and pollution, the spa and wellness industry must rise up, both collectively and individually, to address the problem. Spas are intrinsically linked to water—the word spa is said to come from the Latin salus per aquam or “health through water.” However, as our planet becomes increasingly less healthy, and droughts and water shortages become more commonplace, it will become imperative for spas and wellness establishments to do more to help preserve, replenish and renew our water supplies.
Our new 2025 trend, “Watershed Wellness” takes a look at the issue of water scarcity and how the spa and wellness industry is responding. This is the biggest problem that nobody is talking about, affecting millions of people globally.
Across the world, demand for water is exceeding availability, and water resources are becoming increasingly scarce due to factors like climate change, population growth and pollution—globally, demand for water has more than doubled since 1960.
The growth in international tourism has exacerbated water stress in many areas, and hotels—and in particular luxury hotels—are some of the biggest culprits, due to the prevalence of both pools and spas. Spas and wellness centers use an incredible amount of water: in treatments, in facilities, and in laundry operations. A single drench shower, for example, uses up to 40 liters of water per guest, which can add up to 11,000 liters of water daily—or more than four million liters (over ten million gallons) annually. That’s just one spa.
Given the importance of water in spa and wellness businesses and treatments, the industry has a unique opportunity to lead by example in promoting water conservation and environmental stewardship. Many wellness destinations at the forefront of the movement are adopting sustainable practices to reduce their water usage, or even to implement processes to help with water shortages in their communities.
Wellness destinations are implementing graywater recycling systems, closed-loop water systems, and natural filtration systems for their pools. As more destructive droughts loom, and as the public becomes more aware of water shortage issues, it will become imperative for the spa and wellness industries to change their practices—or risk being seen as an outdated, ethically obsolete model of wellbeing that neglects this rising crisis in planetary wellness.
“Watershed Wellness” is just one of ten trends explored in our 2025 Future of Wellness Trends. Purchase the 2025 report here.
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