In 2021, when the world was baking sourdough bread and hoarding toilet paper, Movara was riding a pandemic high. The fitness and weight-loss resort in the red rocks of Ivins, Utah, was packed, sold out for 18 weeks straight. It wasn’t alone. Hilton Head Health, another such resort in South Carolina, similarly had a six- to eight-week wait-list. So did Skyterra Wellness Retreat in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The dog days of lockdowns, it turns out, were a boom time for many destination spas in the US.
Wellness destinations are increasingly looking to support GLP-1 users. Photo: @hiltonheadhealth/InstagramNot long after life returned to normal(ish) for most people, things got weird for detox retreats. People got vaccinated, shed their masks and started heading to Italy en masse for indulgences such as seaside spritzes. On the other hand international guests, already skittish about US travel, hesitated further. Then, before business could rebound, a new disrupter entered the scene: the GLP-1.The Type 2 diabetes drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, that have become widely used off-label for weight loss now seem to promise what spas had never been able to ensure: effortless, long-lasting results for about US$500 a month, depending on insurance. No sweaty hikes, rigorous callisthenics classes or calorie counting needed.
As a result, only five years after their highest high, some wellness resorts are scrambling to avoid a lowest low. And it’s not just detox retreats: GLP-1s have sent shock waves through the US$6.3 trillion global wellness market. The secret to avoiding a crash of the destination spa industry, it turns out, might be embracing their current pharmacological threat as a key part of their programme.
GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro have helped millions of people combat Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as shed weight. Photo: @glp1training/Instagram
Movara co-founder Michelle Kelsch initially wrote off GLP-1s as a fad and shunned them, as she did with trends like Atkins, HCG, Whole30 and intermittent fasting. “If it’s something you can’t do for the rest of your life, it’s not going to work,” she’d tell clients, reinforcing her 30-year mantra of exercise, discipline and unglamorous calorie maths.
But as adoption skyrocketed with amazing results, Kelsch started to learn more. “Over the years we have seen many things come and go claiming to provide results, but nothing ever like this,” she says. “Most things caused more frustration and contributed to a negative experience. This is the first thing I’ve seen in 25 years that aligns with what I’ve always taught.”
The Great GLPivot
With GLP-1 use so prevalent, especially in the US, wellness resorts are beginning to cater to users of the medication. Photo: @hiltonheadhealth/Instagram
At Hilton Head Health (also known as H3), new guest arrivals dipped in 2023. A year later, thanks to marketing efforts and new programmes, representatives for the resort say they were back up, though they declined to share figures.