Spas: The State of the Union

I read some surprising news from the International Spa Association via spas.about.com
According to the 2007 state-of-the-industry study by the International SPA Association, though there are currently more day spas this year (775 to be exact), the industry generated more money last year. That means, it seems, that there isn’t enough business to go around. Specifically the spa industry, they say, lost over a billion dollars in revenue. The statistics refer only to day spas. Hotel and resort spas seem to not be affected. So is the medical spa industry. (Why are medspas counted as spas? They’re not spas at all; just well-appointed venues to have non-surgical and surgical beauty treatments.)

I look forward to what will probably be a lively discussion at this year’s ISPA conference, which will be held in Kissimmee, FL on Nov 11-15. But though I want the spa industry to remain healthy and thrive, maybe this is a signal that spa goers are becoming savvier and won’t roll over if they’re not getting the level of service they deserve. Maybe this just makes more room for the pure-of-heart spas to deliver their quality services without bottomliners muscling in to cash in.