How do we tackle elitism in the wellness industry?
When scrolling through Instagram, it’s hard to miss it: soft-filtered yoga poses, CBD skin care, crystals, another advert for a meditation app. Wellness is everywhere, so why is it still not catering for everyone?
I have worked in the spa industry for over twenty years, studying wellness as an art. The goal has always been to help people feel better; creating a luxury space and using skill to provide a moment of escapism from society’s overwhelming pressures.
The kind of wellness we offer in the spa industry is, by its very nature, elitist. Guests pay more to be pampered in a specialised environment with specialists, the grandeur of the setting as important as the unique treatments.
For most people though, a spa visit is a one-off treat, gifted for a birthday or shared with friends on a special occasion. Many will never get to experience it. Recognising the disparities in our demographic is not only essential to the spa industry, but to wellness as a whole.
Where did wellness start?
The modern wellness movement is strongly linked to 1960s counterculture, but many ideas around self-care actually originate from marginalised communities.
Choosing to put your own basic needs first, both physical and mental, can be a radical form of communal activism and resilience against societal injustice. For decades it has been used by black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to protect against the dehumanising nature of discrimination, while also highlighting health system inequalities.
Nowadays, wellness has the opposite effect. Having been adopted by big companies and repurposed for mass consumerism, self-care is suddenly divisive and devaluing, sold mostly to a white western market on the belief that you’re only as good as your monetary — not mindful — investments.
The wellness market’s obsession with elitist products and advice creates an impossible goal post of perfection that tells us we’re never quite good enough, and that happiness must be bought. In extreme cases, this can even lead to mental illnesses like Orthorexia (an obsession with “clean” eating).
Health before wealth
Eating organic fresh foods, buying ethical skincare products or even going to the gym are options many cannot afford. Then there’s the issue of time; a luxury in and of itself. The ability to take a mental health day — or even relax in the bath before bed — just isn’t available to those working in minimum wage jobs or struggling to support their family on benefits. This is where the message equating self-care with happiness falls down, because those in need of it most are also those denied access to it.
Making wellness work for everyone
This is not to say that self-care isn’t important. In an age of heightened anxiety, non-stop connectivity and post-pandemic uncertainty, prioritising our health is a must.
Where we’ve lost our way is in the messaging and prioritisation of certain self-care methods. Getting a manicure is a lovely treat, but it is not essential to making us happy. There is a difference between luxury treatments and basic human care, a distinction that must be made clearer.
Spas and other wellness industries also need to reflect — can a multi-billion dollar industry still honestly say it has an individual’s wellbeing at its core? What are we doing to drive inclusivity across multiple demographics and differing socioeconomic backgrounds?
Companies such as Spa Breaks are attempting to combat elitism by offering recovery retreats for those undergoing cancer treatment, as well as providing more information on disability access in various locations. Yet still, there’s a difference between offering a nail polish treatment and a full wellness experience, the latter of which remains out of reach for most.
Moving forward, all aspects of the wellness industry must look to refocus their intentions on the origins of self-care — a method of protecting and prioritising those most marginalised by society — instead of furthering divides.
What are your thoughts on the wellness industry's elitism? And how do you think industries such as ours can work towards tackling it?