Originally Published March 10, 2003 -- Your Wellness
Guide
The
Day Spa Phenomenon -- Reaching the Mainstream
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Fueled by the
wellness movement, the spa industry is now touching below the tip of
the iceberg and reaching a mainstream audience.
According to the International SPA Association’s newly released 2002
Spa Industry Study, the number of spa locations doubled in just the
last four years – despite the economic downturn.
Day
spas and medical spas have grown a cumulative 155 percent and 143
percent respectively. |
Additionally, the report says that “people no longer see the spa as
‘pampering,’ but as a requisite to stay healthy and look good.”
What
does this mean for you and me? It means that day spas, and spas in
general, will become more a part of our lives.
With
the influx of day spas – which are the spas you see in malls, attached to
salons, and down the street – you don’t have to go to a resort to get
great service on a crammed schedule.
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“Destination
(resort) spas are a wonderful thing, but they don’t equip people
with the other 51 weeks in a year,” says Susan Ciminelli, owner of
the industry-leading Susan Ciminelli Day Spa (www.susanciminelli.com)
at New York’s Bergdorf Goodman.
She says that day
spas meet the needs of those 51 other weeks. “A day spa should give
you support, balance, wellness, and health in your life.”
Susan, who is
opening a new, mini spa in Santa Barbara, California, told me from
her New York home that frequenting a day spa should be considered
routine…to get your body, mind, and spirit in balance…almost like
tuning up a car engine. |
Photo Courtesy: Susan Ciminelli Day Spa
The Susan Ciminelli Day Spa in New York
is a good example of a day spa turning toward a
whole health service. |
“People want a sense of health and well-being. That’s why day spas are
taking off,” says Susan, whose spa offers a whole system approach,
including nutritional counseling, lymphatic drainage massage, and
reflexology.
Even
with the spa industry growth, many people have not been to a spa – except
for maybe a resort vacation – and may feel intimidated. They might not
know what to do or what services would be most valuable.
Charlene Florian of Kerstin Florian (www.kerstinflorian.com),
a spa product manufacturer and spa industry training company, says that
the average consumer should start out by simply calling a spa and asking
what is the spa’s philosophy.
“If
you’re going to shop a place where you’re the guest, you can tell a lot
from what kinds of answers you get over the phone,” says Charlene.
Ask
about the services provided. “If you get a descriptive answer and are
treated well on the phone, this would be a good choice. If you get a cold
answer, not a lot of time is spent with you over the phone, or the
attendant doesn’t know a lot about the services, then shop further,” says
Charlene.
She
says that you cannot always base the quality of a day spa on the number of
services it offers. Rather, instead, make a judgment on the services’
quality and benefits.
It
only makes sense that if you are checking out a spa, consider the staff’s
friendliness and care, the providers’ training, if treatments have actual
therapeutic value, and if education is also offered or is part of the
service.
There are many people who would like to make a spa a weekly or monthly
routine but have no idea where to start.
Thankfully, many spas are aware that there are a lot of people like that
out there and have become more descriptive and educational in their menus.
Says
Charlene from her
Irvine, California
office, “You really should feel at home in a spa. For the first-time spa
goer, a facial is a great thing to experience – a way to break into what a
day spa is all about.”
I
think spas will eventually become what our fitness centers are today –
holistic centers of wellness, balance, and strength.
Certainly being able to combine more than a treadmill and a pumpkin facial
into a complete wellness service is the direction we are heading.
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
www.terrawellington.com
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Wellington