Mary Bemis of the Insider’s Guide to Spas website has launched a digital spa directory designed for consumers to better understand the wellness marketplace.

"Conscious and sophisticated travellers are asking smart questions,” said Bemis. “They seek an intelligent read, but they also seek guidance. The Insider’s Directory to the Best in Health & Wellbeing is a Rosetta Stone for translating dreams of renewal into the planning and booking of an ultimate spa experience."

The directory will include specific insight from Bemis, and is designed for readers to choose a personal-best destination, and also to achieve the most from their time away.

Damon Cory-Watson, who has also worked with Deborah Szekely’s Wellness Warrior project, joins Bemis on the project as director of engagement.

“Our new directory is a user-friendly resource for both consumers and those wellness travellers who are seriously seeking an enhanced experience of rejuvenation and wellbeing,” said Bemis.

Bemis's experience as a spa journalist – she launched and was editor in chief of American Spa magazine and co-founded and was editor in chief of Organic Spa magazine – informs her knowledge, as does her work for various leading consumer publications, and she has chosen to select for inclusion in the directory only those properties that she deems reflect “an authentic and beautifully executed spa experience.”

Those inaugural choices include: Adler Spa Resort Balance • Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti • Adler Spa Resort Thermae •Aspira Spa at The Osthoff • Farmhouse Inn • Henderson Beach Resort & Spa • Hotel Bennett • Rancho La Puerta • Red Mountain Resort • Salamander Resort & Spa • Spa Village Bath at the Gainsborough Spa Bath • Spa Village Pangkor Laut at Pankgor Laut Resort • Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali • The Spa at Sea Island •1440 Multiversity.

Bemis said she wants to keep the list limited to “properties that truly offer a topnotch experience,” but will add to the list slowly.