Crystals for Health: Wellness Trends

Crystals for health are popular, and wellness tourism to find treatments is growing in popularity. Wellness was a $5.6 trillion economy worldwide in 2022, including $651 billion spent on wellness tourism, and the nonprofit educational foundation Global Wellness Institute (GWI) projects wellness travel will continue to grow by 21% annually.

GWI first pioneered measuring the wellness economy in the 2014 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, also underwriting original research that has defined and quantified seven sectors of the wellness economy: wellness real estate, workplace wellness, physical activity, mental wellness, wellness tourism, spas and thermal/mineral springs. GWI also produces Wellness Economy Country Reports and Country Rankings, tracking the trajectory of the wellness economy across 150 countries including Brazil, Canada, Japan, Thailand, the UK and the U.S.

The 2024 Wellness Tourism Initiative forecasts an average annual expenditure growth of 16.6% all the way to 2027 including some “rocking” wellness trends whether you’re a rockhound looking to indulge or a rockhound business that can provide the “rocky tools” needed at destinations around the world.

What’s Swell in Crystals for Health Wellness Trends

1. Enrichment for Kids

Family vacations are putting passive entertainment aside for immersive experiences that offer both fun and learning moments.

Big points to programs that include creative and hands-on workshops, biodiversity or conservation lessons, and personal growth elements that teach kids how to adapt to new environments or challenges.

Try a family day at a fossil park like Penn Dixie in Erie County, New York, or Dinosaur State Park in central Connecticut, where the real souvenirs are the memories literally millions of years in the making.

2. Crystals for Health: Recovery Retreats

“Recovery” retreats are popular among those seeking to turn away from the fast-paced, often stressful nature of a modern lifestyle toward better self-care. It’s a coast-to-coast trend, thanks to the world’s first urban wellness social club, The Remedy Place™ and its “curated holistic experiences to match your individual lifestyle and needs,” in West Hollywood, California and New York City.

Or downshift at the Jewel Grande in Jamaica and immerse yourself in the healing warmth of quartz tables as Himalayan singing bowls bring healing vibrations to align energy points. Warm quartz-filled poultices are pressed along guests’ backs, providing soothing heat before a full body massage. Soak in an oceanfront mineral pool, or opt for 20 minutes in the Himalayan Salt Lounge and enjoy the benefits of its thick pink salt blocks in detoxifying the body and stimulating cell repair.

3. Crystals for Health: In Search of Calm

Mental wellness is a trend driven by two desires: to escape the hectic pace of modern life leading to stress and burnout and for more authentic experiences encouraging a deeper connection to self.

One path can be through crystal therapy. Placed intentionally on the body and/or its chakras, crystals help guide subtle energy centers back to a natural, healthy resonance.

Quartz Therapy and Baltic amber offer paths to peace at the Larimer Spa at the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. A state-of-the-art Gharieni® MLX Quartz table is filled with a mixture of ocean quartz sand and Baltic amber heated to 108°F.

“Known for mental harmony, detoxification, and immune system boosting, this anti-inflammatory ‘golden mixture,’ featuring quartz sand and high-quality Baltic amber, feels like warm beach sand and is known for its calming effects on the mind and stimulation of the metabolism. For centuries amber has been recognized for its healing powers and as a stone of security, trust and salvation,” says Britney Guertin McCraw of Hayworth PR about what makes Larimer Spa special.

“There’s also the Illuminating Sol Facial, which harnesses the power of citrine gemstones charged by the sun with effective skin brighteners to activate a ‘Sol-full’ radiance. This unique skin therapy utilizes micro-crystal exfoliation with a spicy enzyme peel, a luxurious massage, and a cocktail of brightening antioxidant serums.” Calmly leaving you with skin that shines.

4. Wellness for Men

Millennials and Gen Z are advocating for more integrated approaches to wellness and de-stigmatizing mental health issues, and men especially are exploring different, more mindful experiences. They’ll find them in Iceland, where Eleven Experiences at Deplar Farm offers men-only experiences complete with Viking saunas and geothermal pools in the wild tundra of ice and ancient volcanoes.

5. Indigenous Healing

From a massage to the power of blessed stones to a deep soak in a mineral-rich geothermal pool, Indigenous healing experiences have gained prominence as part of the broader trend in holistic wellness and the search for authentic experiences. “As the world becomes increasingly globalized and homogenized,” cites GWI, “the practices of indigenous cultures offer a powerful counterbalance to other competitive wellness travel offerings.”

6. Crystals for Health: Dream On

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine says 58% of people feel unsatisfied with the quality of their sleep making sleep tourism an emerging trend in crystals for health catering to that demand. Fortune magazine adds that hotels have responded to a rise in sleep-focused travelers by upgrading their sleep services and even hiring sleep experts.

That’s why The Lake House On Canandaigua, in central New York, and the Sage Wellness Center, in San Mateo, California, offer amethyst biomats. In addition to the calming metaphysical benefits of amethyst and its use as a meditation stone, TheAmethystBiomat.com says studies show the use of an amethyst biomat assists in a 78% improvement in stress and cortisol reduction, and better sleep. Amethyst/tourmaline mini mats are also available.

7. Post-Natal & Menopause Retreats

Sam-chil-il is a 21-day tradition focused on a mother’s postpartum recovery and well-being and is the basis of South Korea’s sanhu-joriwons (postpartum care centers). The word for postpartum is sanhu and has inspired the newest idea in luxury wellness, the first mothers’ post-partum retreat, Sanu, in the Washington, D.C. area, and includes daily foot baths with salts to improve circulation and rosemary oil scalp massages.

According to the North American Menopause Society, by the end of 2025, roughly 11 billion women worldwide will either experience or have been through menopause and its more than 40 symptoms. Hospitality groups are catering to this segment by offering menopause retreats in Portugal, Australia, Costa Rica and the UK. (Closer to home, placing amethyst or rose quartz under a pillow may help minimize the frequency and intensity of menopausal symptoms).

8. Hot Potting

‘Hot potting,’ the practice of soaking in mineral-rich natural hot springs (like the thermal pools of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland) is a popular option for easing sore muscles and increasing circulation. Formally referred to as balneotherapy, it’s also good for rheumatoid arthritis (just don’t try soaking at Yellowstone, please).

Let’s Rock

Planning a crystals for health retreat isn’t so different from a rockhound excursion: define your goals, know your budget, choose your location and duration, and read some of the reviews and testimonials in advance.

Then start chipping away!

This story about crystals for health and wellness trends previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by LA Berry.