2018 Spa and Wellness Trend: Crystal Craze

By Heather Mikesell Dec 12, 2017 3:32pm

Crystal treatments, crystal-infused products, crystal design elements, crystal jewelry, and crystal elixirs are all trending in spas these days thanks to their energetic and vibrational healing properties. “I believe crystal therapy has been embraced because of its healing aspects,” says Kristin Petrovich, cofounder of Själ Skincare and author of Elemental Energy: Crystal and Gemstone Rituals for a Beautiful Life (HarperCollins, 2016). “Clients see and feel the results and are provided with a unique, oftentimes transformative experience.”

Tapping into a much-needed desire for healing, crystals facilitate the movement of energy. As a result, they’re especially helpful during meditation or any type of energy work. “I think a lot of people are waking up,” says Donna Vincenti, a reiki master who specializes in crystal energy healing at Beyond Beautiful Aesthetics (New York City). “We’re having such a huge shift in consciousness that people are realizing how the natural elements of the world that we inhabit create such a strong foundation of healing for ourselves, too, and how we’re all interconnected.” According to her, crystals can help provide an emotional release and a sense of peace.

That’s just one of the reasons Miraval incorporated crystals into its recently launched Path of the Jaguar ($205, 50 minutes) service. “In the treatment, guests select a crystal at the start of their treatment,” says Simon Marxer, director of Miraval Spas. “The therapist, a shaman, asks guests to set an intention and breathe that into the crystal before beginning the energy work. At the conclusion, guests are invited to bury their crystal on property as a symbol of leaving something in the past, or take it with them as a reminder of the experience and the intention they set.”

At Chiva-Som (Hua Hin, Thailand), spa-goers can choose between two crystal therapies: Crystal Massage and Quantum Healing ($135, 50 minutes), which relies on warmed white jade stones and therapeutic oil to relieve muscular tension and release trapped emotions, and Reiki Gemstone Therapy ($138, 50 minutes), which combines Reiki with specially programmed gemstones to draw out negative energy and rejuvenate the mind and body.

Manufacturers are also incorporating crystals into skincare products to take advantage of their skin-rejuvenating benefits. From rose quartz-infused cleansers and creams to tourmaline masks and micronized ruby crystal serums, this feel-good New Agey trend is growing. Driving the trend is the fact that spa-goers are becoming more open to alternative treatments.

They’re also gravitating toward more personalized treatments, and crystals serve as an ideal form of customization. Each has its own purpose and carries its own energy. Body Bliss recently launched Crystal Infusions, a custom gemstone therapy for its Aroma Design Bar and Intentional Aromatherapy App. Spa-goers can now create their own blends of essential oils and gemstones for use in a convenient roll-on tube. “Gemstone vibrations have been used for healing for centuries, and each crystal has specific benefits or qualities of attraction, from rejuvenation and relaxation to tranquility, prosperity, and love,” says Thalia A. Walkup, business development manager for Body Bliss. “The healing and relaxing benefits of crystals go hand in hand with the spa industry’s core values of health and wellness. Crystals are simply another approach to wellness, and therefore, a natural fit for spa.”