There are many types of spas. Resort and destination spas in exotic locations with highly styled consumers looking ever so chic. Day spas offering maintenance services. Medi-spas with their clinical, doctor-like approach. And mineral spring spas focused on group bathing. Each model will appeal to different people, but what separates them for most is cost. I’d argue that ever since the Romans and Greeks have been ‘taking the waters’, spas have been run as businesses. The wealthy in society even had pools and spas in their homes. But where did others go to heal, relax and rejuvenate?
I like to visit spas, but I’m not the one 1 per cent of people who can afford them regularly. However, this is changing in the USA with the ‘massification’ of massage with chains such as Massage Envy which bring prices down to under US$50. I like this trend because it brings massage to the forefront of everyday people, even if the locations are standardised and not quite so exotic.
I like to combine spas services, so I’m wondering if there’s a gap in the market to also offer affordable spa packages to the everyday person? Could fitness centres incorporate mini-massage franchises or pop-up spas so hat members can warm up or relax their muscles before or after a workout? Or could existing spas suggest a DIY package for customers after they leave their facility? Steps could combine outside yoga in the park before heading home for a relaxing spa bath – perhaps using products purchased at the facility with meditation instructions. The spa could also offer advice between visits. DIY packages would remind customers about the spa between treatments, encouraging them to return, and would provide them with a more-rounded (yet still affordable) experience.
Contact Mark McKenney Twitter: @MarktheSpaman Tel: +1 972 415 4SPA
Reprinted from Spa Business magazine 2 2015 ©Cybertrex Ltd 2015 ISSN 1479-912X. Spa Business is available on subscription from©cybertrek 2015 spabusiness.com issue 2 2015 19
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