“Never push them to do it. Share the invitation and allow that
person to decide,” Dr. Peeke says.
If a guest or peer is clearly demonstrating depressive behavior
and you are concerned that the symptoms are worsening, be sure
to inform a key contact on your team (e.g. supervisor or manager).
“Never ignore someone’s suicidal thoughts. If they state they feel
they would do harm to themselves or others, it’s important to ask
them directly if they are truly considering this kind of action. If the
answer is yes, immediately contact your supervisor so that he or
she may get help for the person, even if it means taking them to
the emergency department of the hospital.”
FACING THE CHALLENGES
For the spa industry to truly make an impact in helping raise
awareness on mental health, Dr. Peeke says spa professionals
need to know that more than 75 percent of the reasons why
people seek help during a visit to their primary care provider are
stress-related.
“As spa professionals begin to appreciate the enormity of
the new science showing impact of stress on the mind-body,
they can embrace an opportunity to help in a more comprehensive way,” she says.
The first challenge she sees facing the spa industry is
making people aware of this eye-opening new science. “To do
so requires packaging this new information in a consumerfriendly way that references credible, published science. This
data would reflect both the mental stress-body connection, as
well as credible interventions that the spas offer to help clients
improve their stress resilience,” she says.
In addition, she stresses the importance of building bridges
with traditional medical institutions. “Spas need to think about
ways to partner with traditional Western and complementary
institutions to change the spa stereotype from pamper to
prevention, from a one-way one-stay approach, to an
integrative spectrum of services. The global spa and w [