OPINION
“What Is The Hottest Thing In Our Industry?”
“WE ARE ALL LOOKING FOR ‘THE NEXT BIG THING’, WHETHER THAT IS A PRODUCT OR A TREND, BUT WHAT IF IT IS AN ENTIRE SECTOR OF OUR INDUSTRY?” SAYS JAMIE ADAMS
T
he wet leisure industry can be divided up into pools, spas and saunas; and probably in the minds of most people in
the industry, that is the order they go in. But my question is; is that how the public, our customers, see things?
At the most basic level, I think that what the wet leisure industry offers its customers is a mix of health benefits, relaxation, fun and something a little glamorous to add to their lifestyle. Sauna is no exception but we seem to see it slightly differently and I wonder why that is?
“Come On In, The Sauna Is Lovely” Essentially, pools and spas were ideas that we imported from other countries and took to our hearts.
They both had obvious health benefits but they also came attached to glamour and a lifestyle that we as a nation could associate with. In the 40s and the 50s, we became used to seeing movie stars and the rich and famous lounging by their pools in LA and the South of France. That was something we could aspire to and, with a bit of good weather, emulate in the suburbs of the Home Counties and beyond.
The 60s and early 70s brought us the hot tub from California at a time when anything and everything that came from the west coast of the US was the epitome of cool. Once again we saw plenty of images of bikini-clad beauties bathing in bubbling water. If a hot tub was good enough for Faye Dunaway and Tom Jones, it was good enough for us. But the sauna is a bit different. Originating in Finland, hardly famed for it’s glamour, sauna is more private and, it has to be said, more naked. Nude. Bare. Such stories and photographs as there were of saunas tended to focus on ordinary people, snow and birch twigs. Devoid of celebrity endorsement – and indeed, clothes – British reserve kicked in and the sauna found itself a niche market and stayed there. So what has changed?
A Healthy Mind In A Healthy Body Health represents one of the biggest growth
40 December 2013 SPN
areas in the market today. We want to feel healthy, we want to look healthy and we want to be healthy. And sauna is undeniably good for you.
In the quest for health, people have looked increasingly at natural and traditional remedies, cures and treatments. Sauna has a history going back a thousand years. Hot rocks, cured wood, a ladle full of water; what could be more natural?
The popularity of spa hotels has introduced more and more people to the sauna. There are very few spa hotels that don’t have a sauna or steam room; what could be more in-tune with the concept of a healthy and relaxing break?
And then there is the Internet. There is a huge amount of content and marketing on the web about the health benefits of sauna and it is there for a reason; people are looking for it and people are reading it.
And through Golden Coast, I have a unique perspective on that. We have three consumer- facing websites that are designed to answer people’s questions and generally inform them about pools, spas and sauna and one get’s more traffic than the others. From the UK alone,
YourSauna.co gets 46% more traffic than
YourSpa.co and 83% more than
YourPool.co. We do no marketing for these sites; that traffic is purely through search requests.
People in the UK are intrigued, interested and attracted by the idea of sauna.
What Happened To The Birch Twigs? As the customers needs and desires changed, so the product has changed.
A sauna used to be a plain, wooden box that might look at home in a garage or a cellar. A modern sauna is a sleek piece of bathroom furniture that blends glass, seasoned wood and contemporary materials. Taking pride of place in a bathroom or home-spa setting, that sauna has changed not only in recognising where it might be placed, but who might be using it. Women are leading the movement towards a healthier lifestyle and women hold the purse strings for 85% of domestic purchasing decisions. A modern sauna is not only more attractive to look at; it’s also more attractive for women and indeed, the whole family, to use. Moving away from ‘the hotter, the better’ a ‘soft sauna’ might run at 40deg C but will have a much higher humidity. It’s less about the rugby club and more about a health and beauty regime.
So What Does All That Mean For Us? The sauna market is set to take off; it’s come of age.
That growth will happen through the bathroom industry or the wet leisure industry. It’s appropriate to either and that sets it apart from pools and spas. Whoever takes the lead now, will control the high ground in the future and I for one believe that should be our industry, the wet leisure industry. As pools have moved into basements and spas have moved into home gyms, we should have no trouble installing saunas in bathrooms. The desire for the product is there in the consumer, we just need to show that we can provide what they are looking for and show them that the skills we have in design and installation are the ones they need. SPN
Jamie Adams is Managing Director of Golden Coast, the current Chairman of Pool Industry Promotions (PIP) and a board member of the British Swimming Pool Federation (BSPF).
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
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