Articles starting with “M”

Spa respondents noted an increase in retail sales for several product categories over the past year. Apparel (36 percent), bath and body products (50 percent), jewelry (39 percent), makeup (30 percent) and skin care (66 percent) all had the largest segment of respondents report an increase in sales over the past year. Respondents also shared some of the hottest products that are flying off their shelves within their spas (see page 6). 

The May Snapshot Survey inquired about gratuities and service fees for service providers in the spa.While the majority of spa respondents (54 percent) have automatic service fees/charges, the number varied between Day Spas and Resort/Hotel Spas with just 20 percent of Day Spas utilizing automatic service fees or charges, compared to nearly two-in-three (65 percent) of Resort/Hotel Spas. To contrast this number, less than half of all respondents (43 percent) promote an official gratuities policy to guests, with just 14 percent of Day Spa respondents doing so.

The results analysis includes answers from all respondents who took the Snapshot Survey in an eight-day period from Friday, March 15, 2019 to Friday, March 22, 2018. During this time, 176 ISPA members responded to the survey. The categories “all spas” and “ISPA Spa Members” referred to within this report include data from all spa respondents (day, resort/hotel, medical and destination spas). Within this survey, “Resource Partners” includes all vendors, service providers and educators.

Most spa respondents, 57 percent, plan to introduce between one and three new product lines in 2018. On the resource partner side, just 35 percent of respondents plan to introduce that many new products in 2018.

The number of day spa respondents taking the step to use energy-efficient light bulbs was noticeably higher than resort/hotel spas, at 83 percent and 72 percent respectively. Sixty-five percent of spas noted it was very important or extremely important to offer natural or organic products for their consumers. Well over half, 65 percent, offer a treatment that is promoted as organic (compared to 57 percent in 2010).

Respondents were asked which employee benefits most influence their decision as to where they work, including salary/wages, health insurance, retirement plans, flexible schedules, discounted use of spa facilities and vacation time. The leading answers for spa leaders were vacation time, salary/wages and retirement plans respectively. For spa service providers, the responses shifted to salary/wages and flexible schedules as the two leading responses with an average rating of 4.25 for each on a five-point scale. Salary/wages and flexible schedules were also the two leading responses for resource partner respondents.

Through the use of a magnetic field, magnet therapy eases pain and relaxes muscles and nerves by triggering a current within the nerve fibers, which aids in alleviating pain at the source.

However, if the spa has a full-service beauty salon, the results probably will be pleasing.

It is based on theories of traditional oriental medicine and consists of a wooden hammer and peg with which various points of the body are tapped. It is a very simple and effective technique for preventing and treating diseases and can be used either with yourself or with partners, children, relatives, friends, etc.  Your body’s acupoints are softly tapped with a wooden hammer and peg in percussive stimulation technique.  This technique has a piezoelectric effect that stimulates blood flow and produces a relaxation of the muscle.

A Balinese style massage eases muscle tension before a paste of herbs and rice powder is painted on the body and gently rubbed off to reveal soft, smooth skin.  Next, a yogurt mask is rubbed into the skin before stepping into a warm bath filled with flower petals.

Sometimes done on the face and neck, other times the entire body, lymph massage helps stimulate lymphatic circulation, which boosts the body's ability to eliminate wastes and absorb nutrients. 

This energy therapy involves gentle hand placements to release emotional blockages and to balance and facilitate energy flow. This session may involve dialogue between client and provider to aid in release of past traumas. Client should be fully clothed during session.

The Medical Spa category is available to spas that have a full-time licensed health care professional on-site, which is further defined as a health professional who has earned a degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) as defined by the AMA. All applications are reviewed individually and international standards are taken into account when applicants from outside the U.S. apply for membership.