SPA
Globalisation and a rise in disposable income have had a huge impact on the spa industry over the past 30 years, says ESPA founder and CEO Susan Harmsworth, MBE
Susan Harmsworth founded ESPA in 1993 Susan Harmsworth
How has the global spa market changed over the past 30 years? Thirty years ago, spas didn’t exist. Instead there were clinics, health farms and thalassotherapy cen- tres; these were the domain of the extremely wealthy or were subsidised by governments for heath-related recu- peration. Every country had its own philosophy, often based around health, and very much rooted in the history of the country, such as Thai massage, ayurveda and Chinese medicine. In the 1980s, the word spa really
started to evolve and the focus moved away from health towards stress-related treatments focusing on indulgence and relaxation. This gave way to the birth of the hotel spa, where hotels began to have spas dedi- cated to relaxation and escapism.
What have been the highlights for you personally? I have been in the industry for 40 years. Launching ESPA as a brand in 1993 was a huge milestone and one
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of my lifetime’s achievements. We have built the best team in the indus- try, employing more than 200 spa professionals. I work with my two sons on a daily basis and I now have two wonderful daughter-in laws and five beautiful grandchildren.
As a company we have won and
retained many prestigious awards, have opened satellite offices in Hong Kong, Dubai and the USA, and we now distribute to over 50 countries. Last year I was awarded an MBE, which was a wonderful achievement.
What have been the biggest events that have shaped the industry over the past 30 years? The world has become a very small place. There’s been a huge increase in travel, and as a result the bound- aries and cultural differences have lessened, encouraging a complete glo- balisation of the spa industry. Almost no-one escapes stress in today’s society. People need a way to escape and relax; a physical and
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mental distraction from the stresses of modern day living. The increase in women working and having finan- cial independence has resonated within the industry; there has been a huge surge in the social side of spa as a result. Men and women also have more disposable income today – health farms were once an unobtain- able luxury, whereas spas are now seen as an affordable luxury. These factors have opened the spa world to a much bigger market, and there has been a huge increase in guests of all ages and sexes.
What have been the main challenges faced by the industry? There have never been what we would call industry norms – there has been a lack of consistency in training stand- ards and many countries still don’t have them, which means that while spa is a global entity, there are no universal benchmarks. The spa offer- ing is erratic and varies considerably between countries. Similarly, every
ISSUE 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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