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Spas are more are becoming more popular than ever.
Is this just a trand or are they here to stay?
The spa is the new way of life, a place where you often go not
just to relax, but also get connected, relax and feel loved. More
interesting, or perhaps more obvious, is the interest in living
a full life. Alternative health, wellness and spirituality practices
of all sorts are much more frequently practised and accepted.
Anti-aging, comes in all of the scientific and nutraceutical
forms but it also arrives in the traditional wants of particular
age groups: make-up colors, hairstyles and other forms. Consumers
are striking out and doing what feels right for them.
As the economy declines and life becomes more and more uncertain…people
are more likely to be stressed out and need find ways to relax.
People choose to indulge in massage and enjoyment of day spas..
It is an ancient economic truth that when the world falls into
a state of crisis, consumers choose to indulge in the little things
like pampering. The future of larger item pilgrimages, however,
is bleak unless the economy picks up and terrorism is played down.
Consumers simply do not want to travel and cannot splurge on expensive,
self-indulgent trips of the scope of a destination spa venture.
Day spas will continue to reap the benefits of this shift in
the community, as will medical spas. Resorts and destination-based
wellness centers will continue to thrive but only when basing
their efforts around lifestyle refining and programming such as
diet, exercise and substance abuse management. Spirituality-based
programs will also thrive as consumers learn that there is more
to life than a job and an SUV. Everyday items consumers can afford,
like a $7.99 tube of toothpaste or a $75 massage, are great examples
of some indulgences.
Hospitals will continue to invade the wellness turf. Recently,
researchers have sought to prove why alternative treatments such
as therapeutic touch, reflexology and improved attitude help the
physical healing process. Other therapies, such as hydrotherapies,
have been used for thousands of years as natural healing and nourishing
therapies. For years, Europeans have combined what we, the United
States, think of as alternative therapies with medical therapies.
The recent trend in hospital spas is to offer relatively inexpensive,
short bedside treatments to relieve stress, raise spirits, improve
attitudes and promote healing. These treatments include massage
therapy consisting of hand, foot and facial massages using reflexology
techniques to relieve stress and promote healing in specific areas
of the body. Additionally, more cosmetic treatments are offered
such as healing cream manicures and pedicures, make-up application
and bedside hair wash and style. These treatments often lift spirits
and improve attitude by allowing a patient to feel pampered and
beautiful. These treatments usually range from $15 to $40, which
makes them relatively affordable to patients.
Egonomics: Consumers want to be touched, personally cared for,
individually noticed and want their retail purchases to be customized.
Consumers are willing to pay more for all of this.
Three million Americans practice yoga and martial arts. Soft movement
therapies like Pilates and Tai Chi are increasingly becoming mainstays
of group exercise and more than ever this type of client is requesting
spa therapies as a part of his or her fitness programming.
Ninety seven percent of consumers visiting Las Vegas prefer themed
settings; theme parks are boasting annual revenues of $6 billion.
This notion of themed venues ties in with the consumer's longing
to escape the pressures of every day living. Heavily themed spas
are becoming more popular as a result.
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