Wellness Wish List: What Consumers are Prioritizing

As a concept, wellness encompasses plenty. For most, the whole idea is about building daily habits that make life better in one way or another. Primarily, adults who deal with everyday job stress in the go-go decade of the 2020s want more in terms of self-care, stress reduction, relaxation, confidence, and all-around physical and mental well-being.

What are modern consumers looking for as the decade passes its midpoint? In addition to a wide range of popular salon treatments, they place high value on dental care they need and can afford, daily walks, and other treatments or services that minimize stress and boost overall health. The following wish list items keep popping up on nearly everyone’s social media accounts as favorites regardless of their age, occupation, or current state of wellness.

Salon Makeovers

Pampering never goes out of style. Maybe that’s why salon makeovers are a perennial item that appears on wish lists for women and men of all ages. On the serious side, many working adults view the complete makeover as an important component of a self-care regimen. Whether they sign on for one or a dozen services, the goal is not only about looking good.

Millions of salon clients are in search of a boost for their self-esteem or an annual reset for body and mind that leads to an overall sense of renewal and rejuvenation. In fact, the day spa business niche is growing rapidly as more individuals discover the benefits of a top-to-bottom makeover that they can customize, enjoy, and afford. Currently, favorite services include abrasion for smooth skin, hair coloring and precision cuts, pedicures and manicures, lash lifts, and brow shaping.

Dental Work With Fast, Flexible Payment Plans

In the age of modern dentistry, oral health is a core component of overall well-being and health. Today’s consumers want better looking smiles that are not only straighter but also whiter, and as is the case with salon treatment, the aim is about much more than appearance.

A straighter, cleaner set of teeth means better digestion and a deeper sense of self-confidence. That’s why so many people ask their dentists about veneers, whitening, and orthodontics. Deep cleanings, implants, and other medically necessary services continue to be in demand year after year. However, the game changer for the 2020s is the flexible payment plan.

With the help of third-party programs like Cherry Financing, consumers of all income levels can get treated immediately but pay on a monthly basis, in manageable, budget-friendly installments. Applying has no impact on credit scores and takes just a few seconds after they get a unique link from their favorite provider or find it online. The whole point of this new way of paying for dental services is making the patient’s money go much further and eliminating the need for full, upfront payment. The upside is that excellent dental care is now within anyone’s reach.

Starting a Daily Yoga Practice

The holistic exercise boom began decades ago, but yoga has never lost its place on everyone’s top ten list. Indeed, working adults all over the world have turned the practice into anything but a fad, as daily workouts have become a mainstay for individuals from all walks of life in every culture on earth. The popularity of yoga is closely related to its deep power to transform both body and mind, as it delivers measurable results in terms of balance, flexibility, and breath control.

The 2020 pandemic spread the practice to those who had never tried it, thus expanding yoga’s reach among individuals who feel a longing for a calm, body-oriented remedy to the stresses of a digital world. Customized workouts give anyone the power to instill serenity into daily life, and they can do it in the comfort of home or in a studio with other practitioners. Even elderly devotees enjoy the chance to experience all that yoga has to offer, from stress reduction to increased mobility.

Getting Regular Massages

Therapeutic and relaxation-based massage treatments have been around for at least 4,000 years. But today’s stressed-out workers and older citizens are discovering that getting a massage every month or week is an affordable and wise way to keep mental and physical well-being in top form. In 2025, consumers are finally beginning to view massage as a part of an integrated wellness plan for a long, happy, relaxed life. What do so many individuals see in regular bodywork sessions? Some seek it out to relieve simple muscle tension caused by everyday strain and job-related fatigue.

Others, like athletes and those with high energy lifestyles, look at their time on the table as a way to stay at the top of their game. But there’s more to bodywork than the physical benefits. Every day, millions of consumers visit therapists to get a bit of mental rest, a kind of whole body reset that has the potential to decrease anxiety and make them feel good about the world.

Today’s membership-based studios and therapists who make house calls have made the service available to more people than ever. Receiving a massage is no longer the rarity it once was, when vacationers paid for a yearly relaxation session. The modern consumer has finally decided that monthly or weekly treatment is worth the cost.

Quitting Smoking

It’s the most common New Year’s resolution to quit smoking. This year, the goal remains a top wish list item for those who want to enjoy a longer life and have more money in their pockets. With the average cost of a pack of cigarettes hovering around the $8 mark, (a cost of more than $87,000 over 30 years) smokers have more than enough incentive to kick the habit. In a culture focused more on healthful living, the social incentives to stop are as powerful as ever.

What’s different today? Fortunately, modern tobacco users have multiple, effective tools for achieving their worthwhile goal. Nicotine replacement products are affordable and available everywhere, as are in-person support groups, online help, and user-friendly smartphone apps. Indeed, there’s never been so much community help for people who want to banish tobacco from their lives.