As the country wraps up the most stressful National Stress Awareness Month in recent memory, even the establishments that exist to ease cares ”“ spas ”“ are feeling the strain.
Day spas that rely on business from local residents are outperforming their hotel peers during the recession, according to an April survey published by SpaFinder, a market-research company based in New York City. Of more than 500 facilities polled, 51 percent of day spas reported revenue gains last year versus 46 percent of hotel spas.
With guest bookings down significantly in many parts, upscale hotels are counting on added revenue from local spa-goers more than ever to counter a loss in room revenue, according to SpaFinder President Susie Ellis. She says urban day spas are best positioned to withstand the recession, with their access to large numbers of local, loyal, affluent patrons.
More than 50 companies in Fairfield County advertise spa services, including bare-bones massage parlors; medical spas that perform plastic surgery; and sophisticated establishments such as Noëlle Spa for Beauty and Wellness in Stamford, whose clients include Martha Stewart and other celebrities.
Several area hotels operate spas, including the Delamar on Greenwich Harbor and the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa.
Incredibly, some 3,500 spas opened their doors nationally in the 2008 fiscal year ending last June, according to the International Spa Association, with the annual count increasing 20 percent this decade on average. The industry had just over 300,000 workers as of last June, up more than 70,000 from the year before.
The association estimates there were 138 million spa visits in the United States in 2007 that generated $10.9 billion in revenue, up 28 million visits and $1.3 billion in revenue from the year before.
In many parts of the country, at least part of that growth can be attributed to a building boom in hotels and time-share resorts for much of the decade, which drove companion growth in related industries such as golf courses, spas and tour operators.
More locally, the success of spas has as more to do with growing checking accounts as personal services companies in Fairfield County benefited from a boom in paychecks this decade.
Some spas have struggled, however, as the recession impacts consumer spending across tax brackets. In Westport, Derma Clinic European Day Spa closed its doors last December after nearly 30 years in business, with founder Patricia O”™Regan Brown citing the economy as one factor for the decision to shut down.
In response to the downturn, spas are putting together specials and attempting more targeted marketing than in the past using the Internet at the expense of traditional print media, SpaFinder found.
In Westport, Born of Earth Spa is offering specials for both Mother”™s Day and for administrative assistants of corporate executives. A New Beginning, an Aveda affiliate in Bethel, schedules “friends and family days” Thursdays offering 25 percent discounts.
Between March and May, Noëlle Spa for Beauty and Wellness has been entering patrons that pre-book future appointments in weekly lotteries for free spa days.
Like other industries, spas are also applying “green” facials to their business. The California-based Green Spa Network is attempting to promulgate principles of sustainability in the profession, with its members including the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa in Middlesex County.
