ESPA
ESPA was launched in 1993 by Susan Harmsworth. The company offers spa design and manage- ment services and develops high end skincare products and treat- ments. ESPA has designed and created lifestyle spas for fi ve star hotels including The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Sol Kerzner’s One&Only, The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts, Ritz Carlton, Gleneagles in Scotland and the Metropole Monte Carlo. The com- pany has developed more than 30 ESPA spas and operates in 55 counties. It offers 85 skincare products across six ranges. The company puts a strong focus on education and training, and runs two training schools in the UK. ESPA has a team of 19 international trainers, who carry out training both at the schools and on site within clients’ spas. In June 2010, Susan
ESPA works with a range of architects and designers to create high end spa environments across the world (above)
Harmsworth was awarded an MBE for services to the spa and beauty industry as part of the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
country has a different understand- ing of what spa is, and this can create confusion for the consumer. Training is key. It has become appar- ent that not enough emphasis is being placed on staff training, particularly in anatomy and physiology and all the contraindications. There are a lot of people going into the industry without suffi cient knowledge and experience.
What have been the biggest breakthroughs? The perception of the spa industry has changed dramatically. Today there is a general recognition that the spa industry is a valuable and worthwhile one, with many complementary and alternative therapies being accepted and regarded as mainstream. When I started in the industry, many of these practices were viewed with suspicion, but today anything that helps combat stress and promotes escapism and relaxation is celebrated. Globalisation is a great thing; there has been a move towards the devel-
ISSUE 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
opment of organisations to set and monitor standards globally. Hoteliers are recognising that spas in hotels are a means of attracting people and driving business and that they help to extend guests’ vacation times and increase the average daily spend and double occupancy.
What do you see as the main challenges for the industry today? I think it’s diffi cult to deliver consist- ency – there are many people who don’t take education and training seri- ously enough. It will be diffi cult to fi nd the next generation of spa lead- ers without an adequate emphasis on training, education and standards. It’s hard for the consumer to under- stand the spa concept fully, especially as people are overusing the term ‘spa’. There’s been huge confusion in the marketplace about products; consumers are perplexed by which products really are natural, and which simply contain organic ingredients, as many people continue to make claims
that can’t be substantiated. Spas have never been seen as a necessity, and so the industry has suffered as a result of the global economic climate. As a business, spas are also hard to make fi nancially viable.
What trends will emerge over the coming years? I am hugely optimistic about the future for the spa industry, but I believe the sector will evolve and morph into something else. I think there will be a greater emphasis placed on health, complementary medicine and well- being and these will become as one within the spa world. This won’t come without challenges, as it will be even harder to defi ne, but in time things will progress and eventually settle. Relaxing treatments will remain inte- gral but there will be an emergence of quicker, effective treatments. The social side to spa will also evolve, with people combining social- ising and relaxing, as time becomes more and more precious. ●
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