by Scott Eric Barrett

A day at the spa isn’t what it used to be. While traditional spas once catered exclusively to the higher-income crowd at luxurious resorts and remote getaways, the industry—largely due to the growth of day spas and destination spas—now accommodates virtually anyone who wants to be pampered without forking over too much of their hard-earned cash. According to the International Spa Association, there are more than 9,600 spas throughout the United States and 1,300 in Canada. With a plethora of unique services such as traditional massage, the latest sunlesstanning spray systems and enzyme baths, this industry’s future could be more pleasant than a Swedish massage, a European facial and a French manicure all in one sitting.

A Service-Oriented Industry

Unique services designed to make people feel good is the spa industry’s principle appeal. Massages and facials consistently have been the most popular services, but the marketplace is seeing a real divergence from the classic European facial and the standard Swedish one-hour massage, says Melinda Minton, executive director of The Spa Association.

“Non-ablative skin rejuvenation utilizing lasers and chemical topicals are the most popular facial treatments,” she says.

With massage, there are two real favorites: energetic therapies and combination massage. Energetic therapies include Reiki, a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of life-force energy to improve health and enhance the quality of life. Also growing in popularity are various balancing techniques and a variety of other more exotic modalities such as the laying of gemstones and semiprecious stones on various meridians of the body for energy balancing purposes.

“Above all, the classic modalities are usually the ones tried by new spa-goers and serve as a core inspiration for more specific treatments in the same or similar category,” Minton says.

Hydrotherapy is another popular trend to which Americans are turning. A decade ago, that would not have happened, says Hannelore R. Leavy, executive director of The Day Spa Association.

“Couples’ services and mini-services to accommodate the spa-goer on the run as well as combining more than one service, i.e., facial and foot massage, are popular service options as well,” he says.

“Therapeutic heat treatments that originated in Japan—called enzyme baths—different forms of indigenous body treatments and various anti-aging and facials using living-cell therapy will attract a lot of interest in 2004 and beyond,” Minton adds.

Another popular trend is airbrush tanning, which features the latest sunless-tanning spray systems. The customer relaxes while a technician sprays a dihydroxyacetone (DHA) solution across the surface of his or her body. The airbrush gun is hooked up to an air compressor and is applied much in the same form as spray painting. The DHA solution typically is formulated with the highest-quality ingredients to get the best, golden airbrush tan without that dreaded orange look of past consumer sunless products.

Spray-tan booths are another popular sunless option, Minton says. “The tans from these spray-tan machines last longer, are much less expensive and deliver great color,” she says. “Until now, manual bronzing, whether by the client or by a spa technician, always has been costly—at least $35 in a spa—and inconsistent in application.”

“Spray booths instantly give spas a piece of the huge indoor tanning market without a large investment,” says Bill Hopkins, president of MagicTan Manhattan, Inc. in New York.

“The fact that the tan is cosmetic—UVfree —fits with the healthy product offering that spas present their clientele,” he says.

While showing off a golden bronze look may be popular nationwide, some services generate more business on the East Coast than the West Coast and vice versa.

“Nail services and waxing definitely are more popular in the warmer climates like California and Nevada,” Minton says. “Makeup color preferences are different and, of course, the type of skincare that is most popular oftentimes has a lot to do with climate.”

Most new trends in services are just variations of the basics—massage, facials, body wraps, body scrubs, etc. Every spa can carve its own niche with a little creativity.

“I’ve seen a lot of interest from spas that want to or are planning to offer services using organic products, which will be great,” says Julie Register, author of “Your Guide to Spas” at Spas.About.com.

“I also have seen a number of spas this year with new thermal suites, which offer a variety of heat, steam and aromatherapy that clients can enjoy at their leisure before, after or independent of other spa treatments.”

Industry Boom

Although U.S. day spas began to develop in the mid-1980s, spa services are much older. The word spa comes from the Latin phrase salus per aquam, meaning health from water. It also is the name of a small village in Belgium where ancient Romans discovered hot mineral springs that relieved soldiers’ aches and pains after long marches and battles. As the years passed, the development of spas spread throughout, and they became increasingly elaborate, says Milton.

“Frequently, spas were built in secluded mountain towns and provided visitors with majestic mountain vistas,” she adds. “This practice was especially popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. As mankind has progressed, so have the spa treatments that have been used since ancient times to remedy a variety of ailments.”

Today, the largest spa category in the United States is day spas—accounting for more than three-quarters of locations. Resort/hotel spas are the secondlargest group, followed by club spas, mineral-springs spas, medical spas and destination spas. The growth really is amazing, Register says.

“The number of spa locations has doubled in number every four years and the number of locations has increased by an average of 20 percent annually over the last eight years,” she says. “Industry revenues have grown by 114 percent between 2000 and 2002.”

A key factor to this stellar growth has been the development of day spas. U.S. day spas grew from the destination-spa movement, where guests would stay five to seven days to get themselves back on track through proper diet, exercise and then some pampering, Leavey says.

“The day spa is a combination of this destination-spa concept combined with the business of serious skincare and an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life for a day or a few hours,” he adds.

Day spas have made facials, massages and overall pampering available to the masses because they offer affordable treatments, and customers can find one- or two-day spas in just about every neighborhood.

An Eye On The Future

In 2001, the U.S. spa industry achieved approximately $10.7 billion in revenues. More than half that total was derived from treatment rooms. The industry is more accessible to people, and people are focused more intently than ever on healthy living.

“Spa-goers are much more sophisticated these days, and spa owners are coming up with many new innovative treatments to attract clients and distinguish themselves from the spa down the street,” Leavey says. “Also, technology is changing so rapidly that new, better and more effective products are coming on the market in record speed.”

“Everyone knows more,” Minton says. “Ten years ago spa-goers had very little idea of what was happening to them. Spas were still new enough that they weren’t always offering the most therapeutic treatment options. Today there are more options, more of a general body of knowledge, and more quality products to choose from.”

“The spa industry’s rapid growth and increasing popularity might seem like a fad or a trend, but it’s obvious to those who have been in the professional beauty industry for many years now that spa development in North America has actually been evolving for two decades now and the industry’s future is solid,” she says.

For the long term, the U.S. spa industry probably can’t sustain 20-percent growth in new spas as it did in 2002 and each of the preceding eight years, Register says.

“But I would expect similar growth for the next couple of years,” she adds. “And, as more people incorporate wellness into their everyday routines, and insurance companies include wellness in their coverage, I would expect to see existing spas expand their size and offerings. In my opinion, the prognosis for the spa industry’s short- and long-term wellness is very healthy.”

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