You might think that during a global economic downturn, health spas would suffer from loss of custom. You might think that people would be caring less about what they look like right now and more about making sure they have a roof over their heads and food in their mouths. You might be surprised to learn then that the International Spa Assosication (ISPA) has suggested recently that health spa are recession proof. This was backed up by the staggering statistic that as a whole, health spa visits increased by 18% last year on the previous year figures. So what is it that makes this possible?
Experts who work for the ISPA have suggested that it is because spas can adapt their offerings relatively quickly in relation to the market that they will survive. This basically means that when people are happy and have a lot of disposable income, spas can offer treatments and packages marketed as things people can reward themselves with. They offer luxury manicures and indulgent body wraps, using the idea of ‘why not? You deserve it’. Of course in times of doom and gloom this same approach would not work. You will not get people to spend money on things they consider ‘treats’ when their finances are uncertain. It is therefore necessary for spas to make some changes to what they seem to be offering.
Spas can claim to offer people exactly what they need when they are suffering from a period of high stress or anxiety. A full body massage is usually the first thing they push, along with the suggestion that it will remove all the tension from your body and get you back on your feet again. Instead of pampering facials, you can now get a energising exfoliating scrub to get rid of all that old bad skin and emerge a brand new butterfly with a fresh outlook on life and a positive attitude towards any problems you may be facing