Will the Spa Industry Stay Resillient Through the Economic Downturn?

Soon after I took over Spa Beautifully, I started reading spa blogs, and the one that I’ve been kinda glued to is one called Susie’s Spa Blog. Sounds rather … pedestrian, no? Except that Susie is Susie Ellis of SpaFinder Magazine. Girl knows her spas.

She was recently in Las Vegas, at the International Spa Association conference, and she spent a lot of time doing what we all do at conferences… wandering around and catching up with colleagues. But the other thing she did was look at the resiliency of the spa industry.

My conventional wisdom tells me that in the States and in Canada, the spa industry will suffer because it’s a luxury, and that’s part of the reason I’m amping up the home spa coverage here. On the other hand, stress is playing a huge factor in the current climate, and the fact that spas are focusing way more on wellness now vs luxury, people may continue to include spa treatments in their budgets.

No one really can tell, but as far Susie is concerned, the spa industry remains resillient in the fac of economic turmoil. She says, “When so many other industries are declining by 20-30-40%, workers are being laid off around the country, and we hear about businesses shutting down altogether, it is pretty encouraging to see how buoyant the spa industry has been. The recent surveys that we have done at SpaFinder support the same conclusion – there have been shifts, however many spas are still doing good business.” [source]

So, while I’m still going to increase the home spa coverage, I’m going to put my faith in Susie, whom I think has a pretty good handle on the industry, when she says that she thinks that the industry is going to be ok. Here’s hoping……

(image source: me on flickr)