A Wellness Lounge is a One-Stop-Shop For Your Health, Body and Soul
Imagine a one-stop shop where your entire health and wellness agenda is supported by a team of professionals. A new breed of wellness clubs has been popping up on the west and east coasts.
A virtual Wellness Lounge offers energy booster video breaks to broadcast in your meeting agenda or for attendee personal break use, plus the Byte-Size Wellness Academy self-care self-coaching program.
Relaxation
A wellness lounge can provide an opportunity to relax and recharge. While everyone may have their own preferred ways to relax, a common method is through meditation or mindfulness practices. These practices help reduce stress and the fight/flight response.
Relaxation can also be achieved through breathing exercises, stretching and massage. Other techniques include the use of aromatherapy — such as diffused essential oils that can inspire mood improvement and assist with sleep – or light therapy, which mimics outdoor light to promote circadian rhythms.
If a built in wellness room is not feasible, a simple booth with black out blinds and acoustic privacy can be used to create a similar space. The design should focus on indirect lighting with control over dimmer switches to avoid photosensitivity and migraines and keep the color palette in neutral tones. A calming environment can be further enhanced with the addition of plant life, water features and natural soundscapes. A dedicated storage area for prayer mats or acoustic barriers can be helpful too.
Education
Educating students on wellness practices, how to use them, and why they matter helps them make better decisions about their own health and wellbeing. Students benefit from learning how to reduce their stress, improve sleep and increase energy.
Students can learn about a wide variety of wellness therapies and techniques in the lounge. They can try an aromatherapy experience, learn how certain essential oils help with various ailments and even create their own aromatherapy stress ball.
The lounge offers a light therapy box that simulates outdoor light and can lift mood, ease depression and reduce other symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). They can also use a bio balancing journey to resynchronize their body on a cellular level.
Student-led change ambassadors can give a voice to student concerns about the wellness program and its implementation. By balancing utilization data with qualitative student observations, they can offer an empathic opportunity to build a continuous improvement mindset into the program.
Connections
A wellness room offers a calm environment to help employees connect with their internal selves. Whether it is for prayer, meditation, or stretching and yoga sessions, dimmed natural lighting with the presence of plants and minimal yet comfortable furniture are key components of this space.
Additionally, a wellness room may offer a unique way for individuals to seek out support. For example, Clear Path Wellness Lounge in Florida allows users to take control of their mental health and self-care with a variety of services including hormone replacement therapy, IV hydration therapy and psychotherapy for emotional support.
Incorporating a wellness lounge into your conference experience allows attendees to refocus and recharge during busy events. Bytesize wellness talks, life/wellness coaching clinics (group and 1:1), DEI focus and fishbowl groups, healthy lifestyle tip sheet takeaways, and a wellness wall are a few of the many ways your event can incorporate these lounge elements. The resulting connections can empower your conference attendees to become their own wellness coach and to make self-care a lifelong habit.
Community
Imagine a nirvana where everything you need to exude your healthiest energy is under one roof. From fitness classes that push you to your physical limits to workshops that examine your career followed by meditation courses that help you dig deep within your heart’s center, the wellness lounge is a one-stop-shop for all of your mind, body and soul needs.
At CBC, students can take a break from their studies and recharge with 15-minute guided meditation and chair yoga sessions that combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting. The CBC also offers aromatherapy that utilizes different essential oils to improve mood, reduce stress and even help with sleep.
The space is designed to feel calm, inviting and personal with dimmed natural lighting, the presence of plants and acoustic privacy. A lock on the door helps maintain the space as a private retreat, and a discreet occupied sign can be added to indicate it is in use.