expand, conversations around purpose, fatherhood, aging, relationships, mental well-being, resilience and mutual support are becoming increasingly visible.

For spas considering ways to support those connections, possibilities include: l Men’ s retreats l Executive wellness forums l Fatherhood programs l Longevity cohorts l Recovery communities l Peer discussion groups The U. S. surgeon general’ s 2023 advisory on social connection identifies community, belonging and meaningful relationships as public health priorities. For spa leaders, the opportunity is to create welcoming settings for connection— not to position nonclinical programming as a substitute for mental health care.

The underlying need is not new. What is changing is men’ s willingness to engage with it.

The next frontier of wellness may not be recovery alone. It may also be belonging.

THE GUEST HAS ALREADY ARRIVED

The spa industry’ s first challenge was attracting men. Its next challenge is understanding them.

The opportunity is not hidden. It is standing at the front desk, checking into the locker room, sitting in a relaxation lounge, walking to a treatment room and moving through retail.

The question isn’ t whether men belong in wellness. The question is whether wellness experiences are evolving as quickly as the men engaging with them.

The businesses creating the next wave of growth will not be the ones that simply welcome men into existing models. They will be the ones willing to reexamine the assumptions those models were built upon.

The 2008 male guest needed permission. The 2026 male guest expects relevance. The next step is to make that relevance part of every visit. n

FOCUS INSTEAD OF STOPPING AT...

ASK...

Guest understanding A demographic profile

Why did this guest come?

Service design A list of treatments

Which offering connects to his goal?

Communication Ingredients and modalities

Does he understand the recommendation?

Retail Products on display

Can he experience, find and use the product?

Continued engagement A completed appointment

What in the relevant next step?

SOURCE CITATION

l Findings referenced in this installment are drawn from MG2’ s 2024 report, What Men Want: Store Experiences that Demystify and Bolster Confidence, which explored how male consumers engage with grooming, wellness and self-care products in retail environments.

MICHAEL BRUGGEMAN is an entrepreneur, organizational development practitioner, author and CEO of One Well World, a portfolio of wellness, skin care and purpose-driven brands. Bruggeman holds an M. S. in organization development from Loyola University Chicago and has more than four decades of leadership experience helping organizations navigate transformation, innovation and growth. An avid outdoorsman, he draws inspiration from nature’ s living systems, which inform his work, writing and leadership philosophy.

PULSE n NOVEMBER 2026 BONUS 4