From ice baths to addiction retreats, Thailand eyes title of ‘world’s wellness capital’

A star billing of life coaches, spiritual guides, psychologists and podcasters with tens of millions of online followers met in Bangkok for a summit as Thailand aims to become a global hub for the wellness crowd.

For decades, Thailand has been home to a large wellness industry centred around spas, massages, yoga and resort getaways.

Since the pandemic, the sector has taken off as travellers seek new experiences and Thais build businesses to provide spiritual and physical remedies to the various malaises of modern life.

The wellness sector, boasting a global value of hundreds of billions of dollars, has moved well beyond the yoga holidays and fat-busting Muay Thai camps of yesteryear. Experiences now include vegan festivals in Koh Phangan; ice baths, ecstatic dance and crystal bowl meditation in Phuket; and cannabis oil massages and addiction retreats in Chiang Mai.

Thailand now ranks just inside the top 25 in the Global Wellness Institute report from this January year, with a market worth US$35 billion, an 8.5 per cent on year growth surge between 2020 and 2022.

About 2,000 people paid up to US$645 to attend the two-day Dragonfly HEAL (Harmony, Empathy, Acceptance, and Love) summit, which concluded on Wednesday.