SpaEvidence.com Launches on 25 July

Spa Evidence.com Launches: World’s First Portal to the Medical Evidence for Spa and Wellness Therapies

SpaEvidence.com launched last week, the world‘s first online resource dedicated to the medical evidence that exists for spa and wellness therapies. With thousands of clinical studies evaluating the effectiveness of approaches like hydrotherapy, massage or meditation, SpaEvidence makes it easy (and free) for people — and medical, wellness and spa professionals — to research what‘s proven to work, what isn‘t and for what conditions.

SpaEvidence’s Key Features:

• • Research Channel: Users can search four of the most authoritative Evidence-Based Medicine databases for studies on 21 spa and wellness approaches: Natural Standard, The Cochrane Library, PubMed and TRIP.

• • Spotlight Channel: Highlights select medical studies for each therapy as a springboard to further research.

• • Studies-in-Progress: Visitors can investigate the clinical trials underway globally.

• “Conversations” & “Contributions”: Users can contribute studies about — and their own experiences/outcomes with — spa/wellness approaches.

The Site’s Realization:

SpaEvidence is an initiative of the Global Spa Summit (GSS), the leading annual event and advocacy organization for the worldwide spa and wellness industries. Integrative medicine leaders Dr. Marc Cohen (professor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, AU), Dr. Daniel Friedland and Dr. Kenneth Pelletier served as the site‘s medical consultants and were critical in shaping the resource.

Each year industry sponsors step forward to support the GSS‘s research initiatives, and SpaEvidence was funded by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International; Murad; Red Door Spas; ResortSuite; SpaFinder, Inc.; SpaSoft; Westin Hotels and Resorts Worldwide; and Yelo Spa. SelfOptima, a leader in online platforms for optimizing health and wellbeing, created the website and its technology. SpaEvidence was first unveiled at the 2011 Global Spa Summit in Bali, Indonesia, this May.

The Future:

The portal‘s functionality will continue to expand, and additional spa and wellness approaches will be added regularly. SelfOptima, the site‘s architect, is offering a ―white label‖ opportunity so businesses can fully customize and brand the portal‘s rich content. Award-winning destination spa, Rancho La Puerta, and the most-visited global spa information site, SpaFinder, represent companies already embracing this opportunity.

“SpaEvidence.com is a game-changer. Our industries have long been accused of soft, anecdotal claims, when what was really missing was a resource to access the clinical research that supports so much of what we do,‖ noted Susie Ellis, the GSS board member who spearheaded the initiative. ―Some of the medical evidence for spa and wellness approaches is powerful, some is inconclusive, some is negative — and certainly far more studies need to be undertaken. But embracing transparency is the path to true legitimacy and industry growth, and I hope every spa and wellness center worldwide will use this portal, link to it and spread the word.”

For more info, or to speak to one of the site‘s medical consultants, contact: Beth McGroarty @ beth@rbicom.com or (+1) 213-300-0107.

Jenny Lo