New York Trend Watch

I just returned from a trip to New York City, and while there attended the International SPA Association's (ISPA) Media Event. I can always count on this event to provide a roomful of enthusiastic professionals from some of the industry’s top spas, sharing the latest in trends and new treatment innovations. This year was no exception.

ISPA chairman Kate Mearns kicked off the event with a press conference held for a select group of consumer and industry media members. She shared results from the ISPA 2006 Spa-goer Study, conducted by The Hartman Group, which also was launched at this event. Some interesting numbers to note include:

  • More than one-fourth of U.S. adults—that’s 57 million people—have visited a spa.
  • 32.2 million U.S. spa-goers have been to a spa within the past year.
  • 15% of U.S. spa-goers started visiting spas within the past year!
  • An astonishing 31% of American spa-goers are men.

What do these statistics tell us? That the industry continues to grow! According to the ISPA study, the majority—77%—of spa-goers are visiting day spas, with resort/hotel spas coming in at a close second at 64%. Cruise ship and club spas tie for No. 3 at 21%, followed by destination spas at 15%, mineral springs spas at 13% and, finally, medical spas at 12%.

Be sure to watch the pages of upcoming Skin Inc. magazine issues for coverage of many of the innovative topics and influential people I discovered at this event. Their success stories and strategies are sure to inspire.

The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House

Speaking of inspiring, I had the pleasure of detouring 90 miles north of New York City to New Paltz, New York, where I met up with Nina Smiley, PhD, director of marketing for the 2,200-acre Mohonk Mountain House Resort and its 30,000-square-foot spa. The facility has been owned by the Smiley family since it was founded 137 years ago, and it was rightfully designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

The full-service spa features 16 treatment rooms, sauna and steam rooms, a beauty salon and an outdoor heated mineral pool, plus a comprehensive fitness center, yoga/motion room and indoor heated swimming pool with an underwater sound system. “The spa addition was designed to complement the hotel’s historic and distinctive architecture, honoring its commitment to remain the same, only better,” says Smiley. Its menu boasts more than 50 therapeutic services, including the signature Mohonk Red Massage, which uses Mohonk red witch hazel that is indigenous to the area, and the Shawangunk Grit Body Treatment, which features fine quartz grains quarried from the surrounding cliffs for a gentle exfoliation.

You will be able to learn more about The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House in our November issue, which will feature its “Spice It Up Reflexology Treatment.” You also can catch Nina talking about “Helping the Healer: One Minute at a Time!” during the Healthy Aging track at Face & Body on November 11 at Moscone North in San Francisco.

Educate your mind

Industry events can be wonderfully beneficial not only for your business growth, but for your personal growth, as well. Face & Body, produced by Skin Inc. magazine, is no exception. It’s not too late to register for Face & Body 2006, a must-attend event. You can call toll-free 866-575-4150, or register online at www.SkinInc.com. Come to learn, network and share your inspiring stories with others!

Until next month,

Melinda Taschetta-Millane, editor

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