Tag Archives: luxury

6) Top 10 Spa Trends 2010: The Price Is (Still) Right – Revisited

So let’s take a look at our 2010 prediction called “The Price is (Still) Right.” I think “bingo” sums it up.

6) The Price Is (Still) Right

2009’s headline spa story was the industry’s aggressive response to the global recession and the near-universal focus on deals, deals, and more deals. While there’s (cautious) consensus that the economy is in recovery mode, there’s great news for consumers in 2010: The spa bargains will continue apace, not only straight discounting, but also more innovative incentives smartly designed by spas to drive incremental revenue and retain loyal customers. And keep an eye out for savvy new spas combining less expensive treatments and facilities with a touch of glamour, hitting that sweet spot between “nice” and “price.”

While economists predict there will be a modest economic recovery next year, don’t fret, spa-goers. You’re still going to see very attractive spa pricing and specials. In fact, a new industry survey shows that, rather than a discounting backlash, spas are planning either to maintain 2009 deal levels, and even increase them, across the whole spectrum of spa incentive categories. One reason is the continued increase in supply. After all, there were spas in various stages of construction at the start of the recession, and while some scrapped or delayed plans, many saw it through, and we’ve continued to see a significant growth in new spas across these two difficult years.

When it comes to “pure” discounts (straight percentage/dollars off), 51 percent of spas plan the same level as 2009, and 35 percent actually expect to somewhat or significantly boost them (only 14 percent plan less). But watch for more imaginative, personal, retention-focused offers on the (massage) table in the new year: Sixty-six percent of spas plan to increase their “value-add” offers (extras thrown in to keep prices the same), while another 31 percent will stand firm on these value-add offers. Sixty-three percent plan to increase their “creative” discounts (like memberships, two-for-ones, sampling programs), while another 29 percent will stand firm there. And 41 percent plan to increase “overall value pricing” (not deal-focused, but setting the right, upfront price). Basically, fewer than 1 in 10 spas report they expect to decrease discounting in the year ahead.

Consumers will see more unique offers like loyalty points/rebates toward future services, generous rewards for referring friends, VIP pricing for regular clients, and even open house events where consumers sample new treatments for a nominal fee or free. These deals will keep brands and the spa/wellness value perception front and center.

So get ready for more deal days ahead, and in March, SpaFinder will roll out its own “Deal Days,” when $50 treatment prices hit a spa near you!

Discounting and creative incentives did abound this year, and if anything, there might have been more deals and more creativity than we even expected! I think that Groupon, Gilt, Rue La La and the like are what added to the frenzy as we learned how important the spa category is in their programs. Despite some luxury brands trying to hold their own with pricing (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental) creative pricing was the norm. We get an “A” for this prediction.

My twitter address: @susieellis

Spa Update: Canyon Ranch Living, Liquidrom Spa, NY Times Article on Spa Facials, and an “I Need a Spa!” Marketing Campaign

Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

I am behind on my blogging, with several topics piling up. I think it is the same problem everyone is facing…lots to do, limited time and feeling extra pressure because of the current focus on economic challenges. So I thought I would try something new: A short recap of four topics (that could each be their own blog) and my “bottom line” observations for each.

Canyon Ranch Living: Visited this new spa lifestyle real estate project that just opened in Miami. I was impressed with the size, style, and staff. It was more than I expected, with the full Canyon Ranch program integrated into this new setting. There are two towers where you can buy residences and one tower that is like a hotel. One of the towers is almost “sold out” and the other is around 25% sold I was told. Bottom Line: I like the concept very much. It just needs one thing – time. Time to increase occupancy and time for people to truly “get it” about this new living option.

Liquidrom: While in Berlin, Nicholas, my stepson, and I went to the famous Liquidrom where you float in a darkened space in warm salt water with music you can hear underwater. There are saunas, steams, cold foot baths, an outdoor Jacuzzi, a bar with fresh fruit, smoothies and snacks, and a few massage rooms. I literally fell asleep in the floating pool propped up by floating noodles. Our massages were excellent. (German therapists are highly trained.) Bottom Line: We both liked our experience. This seems to be a very successful business model similar to others I have blogged about including Centre Parc in the UK; Castle Spa, the Korean fun house in Queens; and Glen Ivy Hot Springs in CA. These places present hydro and thermal experiences as the primary focus and make good money by having volume attendance. They also provide a valuable wellness experience. 500 – 1000 people per day pencils out, even if few take treatments.

NY Times Article, “An Expression of Doubt About Facials”: The same old saw: Doctors saying that facials are overpriced and spa therapists quoted as saying something that doesn’t sound very intelligent. And then a side bar talking about what dermatologists consider valuable. (They mentioned exfoliation, microdermabraion, peels and extractions – the very things aestheticians at spas do!) Three things need to change in my opinion: 1) Aestheticians and spa professionals need to become more educated about terminology and research. They need to become more confident about the value of what they do. 2) Doctors would be well served to think of spa professionals as partners instead of adversaries. Spas do a lot to help people relax and de-stress, exercise, eat more healthfully, take care of their skin, wear sunscreen, etc. In fact, spas are places providing the very behavioral change doctors recommend to their clients. 3) Media would do well to realize that doctors have an invested interest in criticizing spa professionals, as many feel that spas might take away from their dermatology business. Bottom Line: Spas and medical practices are both important. Neither needs to discount the other and the media would be better served to take a more knowledgeable position these days. The consumer is way ahead of this old story.

“I need a spa:” This is a phrase we seem to be hearing (and saying) more often. In fact, Steve Kane, our Senior VP of Gift Sales, suggested we look at this phrase for our next marketing campaign and spread it out to our entire network of spas. He was inspired by what had happened to him that morning. A woman he knows was in a mad dash to make the train he takes into the city daily. Huffing and puffing she ran by him saying, “Boy, I need a spa.” Bottom Line: That pretty much says it all.
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Marathoner from the Spa World

Marathoner from the Spa World
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

39,000 runners started the New York Marathon yesterday. Three ended up having heart attacks. One died. Apparently that’s par for the course so to speak – at least in terms of statistics.

Anni Hood, group spa director and creator of Talise, the Jumeirah spa brand, flew in from Dubai to run this race – her first marathon. A friend of hers, Maria Keeley from London, joined her. Both had begun training about nine months ago for the 26.2 mile race, which begins on Staten Island and winds through all of the five boroughs before finishing in Central Park. Anni trained in the heat of the Dubai desert and Maria trained mostly indoors on a treadmill in London. The night before the race I was happy to join them for the typical pre-race-carbo-loading meal…pasta, bread and dessert. Deciding to make it memorable, I suggested Basta Pasta with a finish at Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Baldman.

marathon.anni 721608 Marathoner from the Spa World

Bob Henry, renowned spa architect, and his lovely wife Nancy planned the post-marathon celebration. After all, their apartment is right across the street from Central Park and just a short walk from the finish line. Along with their two young children, they headed over at the appointed time to hopefully get a glimpse of Anni and Maria finishing. I too had made it into the bleachers at the finish line arriving hours earlier, camera in hand, and had the chance to watch thousands of smiling runners complete the 26.2 miles to the backdrop of fall foliage just slightly past peak. Pride was what I saw on the runner’s faces and admiration from the cheering crowd – and certainly from me.

Paula Radcliff from the U.K. won the women’s division, finishing in approximately two hours and 24 minutes, and took home the $165,000 in prize money (I watched her cross the finish line from home on my TV.) It would be at least another two hours before Anni and Maria would trot across the finish.

marathon.anni.2 760135 Marathoner from the Spa World

And finish they did. Never mind that Bob and I couldn’t find each other or them until much later…(It isn’t easy to navigate through 2 million spectators and all those runners, although the organization of the event was superb.) We did all finally convene at Bob and Nancy’s flat.

I didn’t realize until later when we were at Bob and Nancy’s apartment snapping photos of the two of them in their mylar wraps (they give each runner one when they finish which serves as kind of like a blanket) with medals around their necks, that I learned that Bob had run the New York marathon five or six times in the past. I, too, have crossed two marathon finish lines, albeit 20 to 25 years ago – the Fiesta Bowl Marathon in Arizona (the only down-hill marathon in the country) and the San Diego Marathon in California. I remember the excitement of getting the t-shirts that they handed out back then, thinking I might frame them or at least I would keep them forever. Well, I don’t really know what happened to those t-shirts, but in time they weren’t really that important. Just knowing that I persevered 26.2 miles amidst pain and suffering was enough. And so as Bob said, Annie and Maria have now joined the “fraternity” of those of us who have completed a marathon.

A lot has changed since my marathon days. Runners now wear computer chips so everyone can keep track of them at all times. Times are automatically recorded, photos are snapped, when they cross the finish line. I suppose, you can get an accurate count of those who don’t finish…and those who are hauled off in ambulances.

What hasn’t changed however is the pride of accomplishment. It shows a certain amount of perseverance – more to yourself than to others I think. While one of the people at the after-party said that it seems stupid to put your body through this, I think that Bob, Anni, Maria and I know that it doesn’t feel stupid to us. We also realize that there is no point in trying to explain it to someone who hasn’t run a marathon. It is satisfying enough to know we had completed that journey. And the memory of having learned how amazing the physical body is, and what your mind has pushed through…well, it gives you a little oomph in life when things get tough. Congratulations to Anni and Maria.

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Global Spa Summit 2008 – Another Perspective

Global Spa Summit 2008 – Another Perspective
by Susie Ellis

Can’t believe that my one week vacation post-Global Spa Summit is over. Alas, I could use another week – however, I am grateful that even seven days away has helped me refocus and perhaps gain a wider perspective. When you work so hard on one project, it takes a while to ‘decompress’ and get back to realizing that there are other things in life apart from ‘the’ event. The Global Spa Summit 2008 was a great success on so many fronts thanks to a great many people and now it is time to move forward and build on what took place.

During my week of r & r, I had a chance to make good on my promise to get my first colonoscopy (drinking the fluid wasn’t as bad as everyone told me it would be), and catch the two big movies of the week – Indiana Jones (ho hum) and Sex in the City (fun and yes, I cried). And sleep. And sleep some more.

Tomorrow I head to the office and am very much looking forward to getting back to work. There is still a lot of Summit wrap-up to do, and also some new initiatives to dive into. All of it feels exciting and energizing to me.

I will recap some of the 2008 Global Spa Summit highlights as promised beginning with my next blog, however what strikes me most right now is that the real value of the Summit is not so much what happened at the event, but what happens between the Summits. I don’t remember who it was that said to me they will measure the success of the Global Spa Summit by what happens from one to the next, however, I took that to heart. Just getting together to network isn’t enough. Moving agendas forward is what is needed. And am happy to say that there was real progress between GSS 2007 and 2008 and I anticipate even more between 2008 and 2009. That feels good.

More about all that tomorrow. For now I will indulge in one more very good night’s sleep without event details flying through my head. Which reminds me…there is sweet pleasure in knowing that sleep health was not only a trend we predicted several years ago for the spa industry that turned out to be right on target, but it has also been an area of personal progress which I truly cherish. Night-night.
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Reiki at a Spa. Real Energy Medicine or Bunk?

Reiki at a Spa. Real Energy Medicine or Bunk?
by Susie Ellis

Reiki. I have always found it mysterious. What is it exactly? Every explanation I have heard seems to be different. I have tried it a few times, however when faced with a choice between a wonderfully relaxing deep-tissue massage or a Reiki session, I have always opted for the massage. In Reiki there isn’t a lot of actual touch – and no massaging of muscles. In fact I have been suspicious of the possibility that a therapist likes to do Reiki because it isn’t as much work – a way for them to “rest” during a treatment.

Well, I stand corrected. I couldn’t have been more wrong about Reiki (or perhaps I should say about Reiki with a Reiki Master.) During my visit to the Trisara Resort & Spa they had arranged for me to have a session with this famous Reiki healer in Phuket.

Here is what I remember: The Reiki practitioner had a gentle and positive spirit. He explained ahead of time that we would begin with me on the massage table face up, and then later face down. I wouldn’t necessarily feel anything, however many people have found that they feel an energy release afterward. For some it is more immediate, for others within the next day or two. Some people get emotional, others just have a greater sense of the body/mind/spirit being in balance.

So we began. After washing his hands and some mental preparation, he cupped his hands and began “hovering” over various parts of my body. I could feel an intense heat from his hands which he kept close to – but not directly on – my body. He seemed to be channeling energy from his body to mine. This kind of energy transmission happened continually as he went from one part of the body to another. Always, there was heat from his hands. The entire session was about 75 minutes and the longer it went on, the more pleasurable the feeling of energy transfer was.

That was it. The only “ah ha” moment during this time was a very bright flashlight-like strobe which I saw while my eyes were closed which startled me. I really don’t know if I had fallen asleep and was dreaming or if some other phenomenon had occured.

Anyway, the practitioner bid me farewell after which I went right from the massage table to change and then head to the Phuket airport for my trip back to New York. As I began what would end up being a 24 hour journey home, I was aware of feeling a bit more relaxed than usual, a bit less anxious – in fact not anxious at all. And then it happened. A flood of tears during my layover at the Bangkok airport. The weeping lasted about two hours. Now I suppose it might have had something to do with the fact that my flight out of Phuket was delayed five hours and I missed my connection to New York and had to rearrange everything through Tokyo, etc. However, I am a seasoned traveler and have faced these sort of travel irritations many times and never have they resulted in an uncontrollable flood of tears. Something had truly shifted.

It seems time for me to learn more about Reiki and energy medicine. Please share with me whatever experience you may have had. You have my attention.