COVER STORY: INSIDE THE ROOM WHERE WELLNESS IS HEADED
That focus, she explained, is intentional in its timing too.“ The reason we chose a month to celebrate National Wellness Month is that it takes about thirty days to create a new habit. Research has shown that.” Her advice for readers: pick one thing, whether it’ s joining a walking club or simply trading a late-night scroll for a walk outside, and really check back in with yourself.“ It’ s very easy at the beginning of the year for people to set intentions, but by August, the year has already flown by. This is a good little reset.”
Live Love Spa itself was born out of a gap in the industry.“ We were connecting the best spa brands with the best spa buyers, that is what we love to do,” De Young said. The company now services around eighteen major US cities a year, from Los Angeles to Miami to Chicago to New York, and has expanded into international retreats in Fiji, the Dominican Republic, Cancun, Aruba, and, most recently, Seoul, where the company brought roughly sixty spa buyers and corporate leaders to experience the Korean wellness market firsthand.“ K-beauty is huge. Korean culture has influenced so much of what we’ re doing here in the US, and they’ re really ahead of the trends over there,” De Young said.“ It was really cool to see.” immersive experiences. Attendees could join Glow sessions with the Circadia Glow Studio, step into“ The Ammortal Moment” for a guided recovery experience, or slow down with“ Steeping with Purpose,” a tea ritual hosted by Magic Hour Tea. Nervous system wellness brand BioTune brought its immersive Blue Room experience to the floor, drawing attendees in for a firsthand look at their approach to recovery. A dedicated technology lounge showcased the latest in wellness devices, while the Growth Café brought together nutritional supplement brands, an entire wellness category unto itself. Guests could also sample the latest in lymphatic massage beds and even take part in an immersive sound bowl session, rounding out an experience built as much around feeling wellness firsthand as talking about it.
Flexzone Life Magazine sat down with Piper De Young, Creative Director for Live Love Spa, to talk about what makes this event different, and why the company built an entire month around the idea of choosing wellness.“ I love that everyone was covered, from media to creators, to hair and beauty, to biohackers, to nutritionists, I could go on and on, every single category,” Adrienne told her.“ It’ s just the right mix, such a good vibe here.”
“ Everyone is sacred here,” De Young said.“ A lot of us are healers in this industry. We want to see people feel better, we want to see people show up better for themselves, or their families, or their lives. And we want to go so much deeper than maybe what’ s aesthetically visible out there. It’ s internal, it’ s soul, it’ s mental health. It really touches every aspect of someone’ s life, and that’ s really what we want to bring focus to with National Wellness Month.”
In 2020, Live Love Spa also launched Shop Live Love Spa, a direct-to-consumer arm that brings the brands the company has spent years vetting with spa directors straight to everyday consumers.“ You know these are brands approved by some of the top spas in the world,” De Young said.“ You know you’ re going to find something great on our shop.”
For a closer look at where the industry is actually headed, Flexzone Life Magazine turned to Live Love Spa’ s founder and CEO, Lisa Michaelis, who established National Wellness Month back in 2018.“ The idea came since we all get so busy throughout the year, we need a reminder to take care of ourselves,” Michaelis said.“ Especially in the wellness industry, it came down to the adage‘ healer, heal thyself.’”
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