Spa Executive | Issue 11 | October 2019

With that context in mind, the spa industry will need to focus more on needs than wants. Right now, for most of us, spa
is a ‘nice to have,’ not a ‘must have.’ I believe until we can make spa a ‘must have,’ we will struggle to remain relevant in
a noisy world. To be clear, that does not necessarily mean we need an entirely different offering. Massage, for example,
could still be an important element of the Spa of Tomorrow. But we will need to ensure that there are some meaningful,
tangible benefits to that massage and make sure those benefits are communicated in such a way that people
understand why they need it.
Marketing in the spa industry of tomorrow needs to be less about the communication element and more about the
creating & delivering element.
You have talked about the future of status symbols and how these symbols are changing. Does spa and
wellness have to be inexorably linked to status?
Not at all. Indeed, if we are able to shift the focus from wants to needs, the idea of spa as a symbol of status should start
to disappear. Lots of people within the industry have been saying for a long time that we need to ensure spa is not just
for the wealthy. The problem has been, at least up until now, the business model of most spas, especially hotel spas,
simply doesn’t allow them to cater to the lower socio-economic demographic. Thus far, most countries have struggled
with the idea of democratizing healthcare, of making good healthcare available to all. With wellness, however, I believe
there is a better chance of making it accessible to all. Healthcare is about treating an illness, whereas wellness is about
preventing it. So if we can prevent more illness, that should in turn reduce the financial burden on the system. And, with
this, the democratization of wellness becomes a real possibility.
Spotlight
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