Early last year, in an article entitled Putting the water back into spa, I expressed my sadness that the spa industry in general might be tending to focus on wellness without water. This shift is certainly partly related to economic factors.
There are obvious challenges for spas in providing safe water in abundance without incurring heavy financial costs and without further exacerbating increasingly evident problems regards our water resources in general.
To many, a statement like the one below from that article, might seem quaintly naive at best.
Can we imagine a spa industry that has something more than an economic motivator? A spa culture that models personal, communal, and planetary health? Spa with water flowing from its heart.
The latest Spa Business Digital Edition, issue 1, 2010, describes some heartening developments that indicate that economic and environmental issues can come together. In (spas using groundwater ), Emilie Filou presents four examples of spas celebrating and valuing water.
Here are some quotes from the article (click here to read in full):
‘The decision to opt for a borehole should be part of a sustainable water management framework that minimizes environmental impact.’ Emilie Filou
‘The issue at stake is the protection of groundwater resources: if you abstract more water than the natural recharge rate, aquifers will be depleted over the medium and long-term.’ John Findlay (water management services, UK)
At Peninsula Hot Springs, Australia:
‘The prime reason for our water practice is the environment. The geothermal water re-injection bore [currently being installed, meanwhile water is recycled for irrigation] enables us to leave the resource as we found it, minus some heat and minerals which are absorbed into the surrounds [by bodies during bathing] as it flows through the pools.’ Charles Davidson
On an island in the Maldives:
It’s a very fragile environment and to ensure we don’t drain the aquifer we try to recycle wastewater as much as possible. We also have rainwater reservoirs, so how much we draw from the aquifer varies depending on the season (rainwater is the main water source for us during the monsoon season). Ian Brewis
With cold water in the UK:
With a heat pump, it’s over three times more efficient than using gas or electric heating – and it comes from a renewable source. This would go a long way in recouping upfront drilling costs and minimizing your carbon footprint. John Findlay (Nirvana Spa, UK, is considering this option.)
Read more on Vision Spa Retreat about the value of water as nature’s sense organ.
Sara Firman – VisionSpaRetreat.