The International SPA Association (ISPA) reinforces its reputation as the voice of the spa industry with its three newest studies. As the spa industry has grown rapidly over the last several years, ISPA has been gathering information to help its nearly 1,800 members, the media, and the consumer begin to understand both the industry as a whole, and their part in it.

Lynne Walker McNees, ISPA Executive Director, “The ISPA 2001 Spa User Studies will serve as an incredible tool for anyone who is involved in the spa industry. The ISPA studies are the only place to go for the most up-to-date details on what spa users really want.”

In order to deepen the understanding of spa user habits and attitudes, ISPA commissioned Cox Consulting to conduct three new user-oriented studies in 2001. Conducting three separate studies allowed ISPA to ask questions that were specific to each type of spa experience, as well as each type of spa user. The three studies are:

The ISPA 2001 Day Spa User Study

The ISPA 2001 Destination Spa User Study

The ISPA 2001 Resort/Hotel Spa User Study
The purpose of the three studies was to provide ISPA members with information about the habits and attitudes of the different types of spa user, in order to assist with the development, management and marketing of their spas. The research was collected through more than 400 phone interviews conducted between July 24 and September 1, 2001, among people in the United States who had a facial, massage or other bodywork at a Day Spa, Destination Spa or Resort/Hotel Spa within the past 18 months.

The spa user studies include:

Spa User Demographics

Spa-Usage Habits

Spa Selection Factors

Spa Treatments/Activities at a Spa

Retail Purchasing at a Spa
Demographics of Spa Users

The majority of spa users in each of the three studies were:

Married with no children under the age of 18 living in the household

College graduates or higher

Employed full-time

Average ages: Day Spa - 41 years, Resort/Hotel Spa - 44 years and Destination Spa - 45 years

Average annual household incomes: Day Spa - $96,000, Resort/Hotel Spa - $122,000 and Destination Spa - $125,000
Spa Visitation

When asked if they plan to visit any type of spa in the next year or so, the large majority of respondents in all three studies said yes. This suggests that once people visit a spa, they are likely to do so again.

Percent of respondents in each study who said they plan to visit any type of spa in the next year or so

Day Spa Users 81%

Resort/Hotel Spa Users 78%

Destination Spa Users 81%
Spa Selection Factors

When respondents rated several different factors as to their importance in choosing one spa over another, spa treatments and atmosphere/surroundings were ranked the most important factors in all three studies.

In all three studies, personal growth classes and activities ranked as the least important factor in choosing a spa.

Spa Treatments

The “classic” treatments - massage and facial, nail or hair treatments - were still the most frequently used treatments among spa users in all three studies. Most respondents said they were likely to have the same specific treatments again.

The 2001 Spa User Studies mark the third series of studies conducted for ISPA. Previous nationwide studies include:

The American Spa-Goer Survey (1999) - a look at the habits and attitudes of Americans who had reported visiting a spa in the past year

The 2000 Spa Industry Study - a comprehensive study of the spa industry in the U.S. and Canada
To order one or all three of the ISPA 2001 Spa User Studies, or any of ISPA`s previous studies, contact ISPA at 1.859.226.4326, or e-mail at [email protected]. You can also order the studies online HERE. The cost for the ISPA 2001 Spa User Studies is $250 per report (Day Spa, Destination Spa and Resort/Hotel Spa) for members and $500 for non-members.

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