The gap between spa and medical tourism is closing. Filling it are destinations that have all the somnolent soundscapes and blond wood features we expect from spa destinations, but with the added promise of a medically backed reboot. Instead of simply offering detox programmes, they are now using state-of-the-art methods to analyse body and mind to create tailor-made preventative programmes.
This coincides with a growing interest in solo, transformative travel. Using the most up-to-date diagnostics – including DNA analysis, professional sports methods such as NeuroCom testing, and counselling – establishments such as Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence in Switzerland, the design-driven Lanserhof Tegernsee in Germany and Portugal’s picturesque Vilalara Longevity Thalassa & Medical Spa are making the medical makeover desirable.
In parallel, the medically grounded emotional boot camp (or ‘break-up break’) is a growing category, offered, for example, at Thailand’s Kamalaya.
Read part one of ‘Next stop’, where we ask: ‘Are smart homes making us stupid?’
Read part two of ‘Next stop’ on the uprising of autonomous door-to-door travel
As originally featured in the June 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*231)
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