Before the pandemic, spas were beginning to experiment with wellbeing-boosting arts-based activities – anything from colouring and painting to creative writing, and during lockdown, people all around the world turned to the arts to take sanctuary.

Industry figures Julie Bach, executive director of Wellness for Cancer and Michael Tompkins, partner at Hutchinson Consulting, wanted to highlight this connection between art and wellness and launched a collaborative and competition to celebrate the healing power of touch using art.

The new Art in Wellness Collaborative called on artists from around the world to submit original artwork that communicated the benefits of touch within the spa, beauty and wellness community.

Winning entries each received a US$1,000 (£752, €844) prize, sponsored by owner of Bellus Academy and Beauty Changes Lives founder, Lynelle Lynch.

“Artists and beauty and wellness professionals understand the powerful connection between art, beauty and wellbeing,” said Bach.

“I came up with the collaborative to unite the global industry during COVID-19 around a succinct and powerful message which reinforces and strengthens a positive message around the healing power of touch.”

Bach, Tompkins and Sallie Fraenkel – founder and president of Mind Body Spirit Network – were part of the judging panel, along with Mary Bemis, founder of Insider’s Guide to Spas and Cord Coen, founder of Zents.

The panel selected four winners – Pacia Elaine Anderson, Mizuho Call, Tia Crystal and Vasileia Dereli –who each had their work shared with the spa and wellness community.

The winning pieces have been published online to remind people of the arts' ability to enhance wellbeing and connection, and promote the healing power of touch.

“Symbiotic to each other, beauty and art heal and restore people across all geographies, cultures and ethnicities,” explained Tompkins, “these awardees embody the transformative power of healing touch and the therapeutic techniques beauty professionals apply to change lives and make life itself more beautiful.

“The creative expression of art fosters healing and mental wellbeing, sometimes enabling the healer to self-heal,” he explained, “it’s in this spirit these works were created.”

To view the art and find out more about the artists behind the work, follow this link.