ClassPass And Mindbody Surveys Point To The Future Of Wellness For 2022

Bookings on fitness and wellness platform ClassPass are up 10% higher on pre-pandemic levels, according to a new survey focusing on US consumers
Since January 2021, fitness reservations have grown 329% and spa and beauty reservations are up 428%
In-person classes and appointments account for nine of the 10 most booked reservations on the app, with strength workouts and nail treatments topping the charts
Immune health, intellectual wellness and the once-taboo topic of sexual wellness are all trending up according to the annual Mindbody Wellness Index

NEW YORK CITY, United States — Two recently published reports by leading wellness platforms ClassPass and Mindbody point to a healthy picture for studios, salons and spas in 2022.

The reports — focused on the US market — indicate consumers are increasingly eager to return to in-person classes and appointments in the new year, while a growing number are investing in their immune, mental and even sexual wellness.

The 2021 ClassPass Fitness and Beauty Trends Report, published last week, revealed that in 2021 bookings were up 10% on pre-pandemic levels, with strength training and nail treatments the most popular categories, and dance classes trending strongly.

Promisingly, for owners of physical studios and wellness services, nine of the 10 top reservations on ClassPass were for in-person classes and appointments, such as massages and yoga workouts.

Meanwhile, this month’s annual Mindbody Wellness Index — one of the industry’s most comprehensive studies — found 37% of Americans have incorporated physical fitness into their routine, followed by yoga (14%) and wellness treatments like acupuncture (9%) to help support their mental wellbeing over the past year.

One in five have tried a new service or treatment that supports immune health, nearly three in 10 are doing facial exercises to tone their face muscles, like FaceGym or face yoga, and three in 10 are also likely to try new sexual wellness activities.

ClassPass And Mindbody Surveys Point To The Future Of Wellness For 2022 — Image: ClassPass

According to Mindbody, these formerly taboo topics include individual or group therapy sessions, workshops, sexual performance therapies and treatments for sexual health.

The survey also found that almost half (49%) of the 16,000 Americans surveyed said the pandemic has negatively affected their mental wellbeing, with it taking the greatest toll on women, Gen Z and Millenials.

ClassPass X Mindbody
The new reports follow the acquisition of ClassPass by Mindbody in October this year.

The deal saw both executive teams merge with ClassPass continuing to operate its app and website, and Zach Apter, Mindbody SVP Consumer Revenue and Growth, believes the partnership can only benefit consumers and wellness providers in the coming months and years.

“Our teams are thrilled to be working together,” Apter told Welltodo. “Mindbody and ClassPass are moving our consumer-facing products under one umbrella with former ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman at the helm as President of Mindbody and ClassPass Consumer.

“These products will continue to be separate, but our teams are enjoying meeting and starting to think through how we lean into each other’s strengths and provide the best possible product for our studio and spa partners, as well as our corporate partners and direct consumers.”

Among the key fitness and beauty trends highlighted by the ClassPass survey, strength workouts and nail treatments proved the most popular in-person classes and treatments in 2021, while Livestream yoga was revealed to be the most favoured digital workout.

The ClassPass report also found:

In-person strength training, yoga and cycling topped the charts for the most booked workouts of the year, with Livestream yoga the only digital class in the top 10
Dance classes made it into the top 10 workouts of 2021 for the first time, with cardio dance, pole dance and hip hop the most popular type of activity
ClassPass data showed people are 45% more likely to continue with a new workout routine if they take a class with a friend during their first month
Nail care, massage and facials topped the charts for the most booked salon and spa appointments of the year, with nail treatments the most likely repeat reservation
“Sports recovery” is a growing trend, with experiences such as recovery boots, light therapy and chiropractic services on the rise

Working Out From Home
Commenting on the results of the ClassPass trends report, Apter highlighted the return of the 5.30pm “after work workout” and remote professionals using their work-from-home days to explore new studios as a sign of the industry’s resurgence.

“The past year has been incredibly encouraging for the fitness and wellness industries as people have returned to in-person classes and experiences. Consumer demand is resilient and responds almost in real-time to local public health and regulatory conditions,” he explained.

“We expect that in-person reservations will continue to rise and that people who have hybrid working situations or are travelling will be eager to try new experiences.”

Another ClassPass survey, released in October, suggests that while more people are returning to in-person classes and experiences, behaviour patterns in 2022 will continue to be heavily influenced by individual choices to work from home or return to the office.

As of October, half of all professionals surveyed were working from an office at least once a week, with one in four planning to return to their workplace full-time in 2022 and almost one in three (30%) stating they plan to keep working remotely on a permanent basis.

For those reacquainting themselves with their commute, 64% are stopping by fitness studios on their way to work, with 39% preferring before work and 57% after. Only 4% are leaving the office midday for a workout — compared with 15% still using lunchtime for a workout on the days they work from home.

Apter encouraged owners of physical studios, spas and salons to remind consumers who are starting to return to physical classes and appointments of what makes in-person experiences so unique.

“There are so many things that make in-person experiences great — from group motivation and energy to community building and personalised instruction,” he said. “The best thing these businesses can do is to provide a phenomenal experience from the minute their customers walk through the door, one that simply cannot be replicated at home.”