2009 Top Ten Spa Trends

SpaFinder just came out with their Top 10 Trends List...some trends came as no surprise while others were more thought provoking.

1. Energy MedicineIn 2009 the spa industry will follow suit, with high-voltage buzz around energy medicine and therapies like reiki, qi gong, chakra balancing, healing touch, and magnetic, light and sound therapy.

2. Casinos and Spas: A Good BetPlacing a high-end spa in a casino hotel was once a long-shot idea, but today casino spas are the most profitable spas in the world. These world-class facilities cater to a free-spending clientele that sees the value both of high-octane indulgence and recharging, healthy pursuits.

3. The Medical and Spa Tourism ShuffleWatch for the line between spas, medical spas and hospitals to become ever more creatively blurred as the phenomenon of medical or wellness travel evolves. Global consumers are increasingly journeying to access the services they want, need, and can afford.

4. Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of GreenThe eco-embedded spa embraces environmental processes that are quietly and meaningfully enmeshed throughout the entire spa, so there's no demanding efforts required by the spa guest, who is, after all, there to relax.

5. Trains, Boats and Planes: In-Transit Spa-GoingSpa-ing while traveling is reaching a whole new level: trains with fully equipped gyms and spas, planes with spa showers and massage treatments in-flight, health and wellness-oriented cruises, and more. What began as a novelty has turned into big business that uniquely targets today's captive, over-stressed traveler.

6. Brain Health and Mind GymsBrain health is on spa-goers' minds today, with a vast, aging Baby Boomer population, an Alzheimer's pandemic, and medical reports touting the need tokeep the brain active to avoid decline. As a result, brain workouts are popping up on both the day and stay spa menu, with activities, education, technologies and therapies that function like gyms for the mind.

7. Learning Labs for Stress ReductionSpas, out of necessity, will increasingly become learning labs for stress reduction, as consumers realize it takes less than an hour or a ton of expensive treatments to elicit the relaxation response. Look for spa staff to become teachers of take-home, DIY relaxation techniques, as well as a shift from trendy spa rituals-of-the-month to effective stress therapies like breath work, hot baths, meditation, exercise, massage, and even an emphasis on psychological support and the sharing of feelings.

8. Mindful SpendingIn a challenging economic year, spa-goers will be looking closely for value and tangible results. Spas will be experimenting with creative ways to attract the consumer, earn their trust and exceed their expectations.

9. Move Over Baby Boomers: Gen X & Y Are Spa-ing Their WayThe core spa clientele is rapidly shifting from Baby Boomers to Gen X and Gen Y, and it's more than a simple demographic switch: younger generations are now hitting the spa in record numbers, and they're shaping the experience to meet their unique desires. Spas will need to continue to attract aging Boomers, with their considerable spending power, while catering to new generations who typically reject pampering, embrace wellness, and consider spa-going a natural right.

10. Brands, Brands, BrandsWith almost 72,000 spas around the world, spas that establish and broadcast a truly unique brand identity will attract more visitors at a time when consumer budgets are under pressure.

The California Wildfires - AGAIN

In the last 3 days over 10,000 people have been evacuated from there homes and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Reports are saying with the dry air, winds and climate, the conditions are prime for creating fires.

Last year I wrote about the California Wildfires and how the affected the spa industry from massage and skincare schools, to spa business, to a 5 diamond resort and many, many personal accounts. Disaster preparedness is such an important topic that the Day Spa Association created a "Disaster Forum" and I was pleased to secure copyright permissions from Skin, Inc from the article below...

I invite you to take a moment to read these articles and take the proper precautions to safeguard your family, home and business.

Best Wishes,

Camille

The California Wildfires and The Spa Industry
http://www.skininc.com/spabusiness/leaders/spas/13944742.html
Here's the intro to the article: Through conversation with peers in the industry, I was intrigued with their stories of evacuation, closures and affected lives. It was then that I realized how widespread and reaching the impact was on the industry—from spas, to esthetic schools, to skin care manufacturers and beyond. My interviews were conducted both by phone conversations and through e-mails, and represent a cross section of skin care professionals spanning from Simi Valley, California, to San Diego. Many thanks to those who shared their stories in the midst of picking up the pieces and moving toward normalizing their daily lives at work and at home.

Here's another article on the CA wildfires aimed specific to massage therapy practices.

Massage Therapists React to the California Wildfires
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLfire on Sunday on the local news until .... ERMI, eager to help first responders cope during disasters...www.globalspaandwellness.com/pdf/Wildfires_MNB_MA_08.pdf -

Here's a good resource that I hadn't included in the two previous articles because the focus was on families and residences. Please take a moment to read.

http://www.firesafety.gov/

Walking labyrinth

I'm glad to see that interest in the walking labyrinth continues to grow to such a point that it is fairly common to see them incorporated into spas, and given attention in spa magazines.

I was introduced to this practice at al local Episcopal church. That was many years ago when it was an unsual concept. Below is a link to an article that was featured in USA Weekend.
www.usaweekend.com/98_issues/980412/980412holy_maze.html

Surviving A Worst Case Disaster - MTJ

Writing spa management articles is a wonderful way to share information and experiences which can help other professionals with their business. I'm always on writing assignment and would love to hear from you. Have you had disasters in your spa and if so, how did you manage them? Post them to this blog so others can learn from your experience!

I have found it to be gratifying to help other spa professionals through my writing and was pleased to see this entry and very nice compliment in Felica Brown's Spalutions blog. I had interviewed her for an an article that was featured in the Fall 2008 edition of Massage Therapy Journal. http://www.amtamassage.org/journal/fall08_journal/fall08_art3-1.html

What Would Your Business Do in a Crisis
Disaster sometimes strikes when you least expect it. What would you do if your business suddenly flooded because of a hurricane or you became injured and unable to work? Click here to read a fantastic article in the most recent Massage Therapy Journal by my friend and colleague Camille Hoheb on Surviving a Worst Case Scenario. You'll actually read about a couple of my own dilemmas in the article and how I handled them!

Renegotiating Your Spa Lease

Selecting great locations for spas has been one of my favorite aspects of working with new clients in the start-up phase of their new business. Having secured over a hundred locations and worked with commercial brokers, developers and attorneys, I felt it would be beneficial to slant the article from the perspective of a spa owner who hadn't negotiated favorable terms, or was unaware of certain clauses or hadn't anticpated a tough economy and needed to work with their landlord.

I interviewed a couple of the brokers that I have worked with in the past as well as several spa owners that I had not had the pleasure of working with. I wish new spa owners would seek professional guidance before signing a legally binding contract on a 3, 5, or 10 year lease. It would save them time, money and energy.

For more information on the article go to www.dayspamagazine.com

Global Spa and Wellness

The web site for Global Spa and Wellness has officially been launched.

www.globalspaandwellness.com

American Consumers: Opportunities in Spa & Medical Tourism

I was pleased to write an article entitled "The American Consumer: An Opportunity for Spa and Medical Tourism in Turkey" on behalf of the Health Tourism Journal.

http://www.saglikturizmibulteni.org/arastirma.htm

Skin Inc - Jan 2008

They say that things come in threes. I find this to be true in a series of articles that started off with the topic of emergency preparedness in an article in Dermascope magazine. The article came out two weeks before the California wildfires hit in October. I pitched this salient topic and both Massage & Bodyworks and Skin, Inc were interested. Although I received the electronic copy months ago, I just received the hardcopy. Here's the cover.

Massage and Bodywork March 2007

Hot off the press!

One thing I knew back in October- the California wildfires were a hot topic. I securing two assignments and thought nothing of a super-tight deadline with Massage and Bodywork. Hindsight is 20/20. I had no idea how difficult and time-consuming it would be to identify and secure meaningful interviews right at the heighth of the spreading blazes. I hadn't taken into consideration most folks involved in the wildfires were under an extremely stressful situation and of course, they were focused on their families, homes and livelihood. It seems obvious but something I mistakeningly overlooked. What's more, the president of one of the non-profits I was interviewing was in the process of moving to France! Talk about a challenge!

To read the article, "Devastation & Compassion: Massage Therapists React to the California" Wildfires", please log on to http://www.abmp.com/.

Dermascope October 2007

It's interesting how one thing leads to another. The previous article in Skin, Inc. on "Protecting Your Business Assets" lead me to the next logical article on the importance of Emergency Preparedness for Small Businesses. The timing of this article was interesting. It was released in October just 2 weeks prior to the California wildfires breaking out (which was a whole other article to itself.)

For more articles in Dermascope, click on http://www.dermascope.com/

Massage Therapy Journal

Having written several articles on finding a great location for a spa, I discovered that massage therapists have different needs, budgets, referral systems and markets. Writing for MTJ was a great experience and I look forward to writing more for them in the future. My article, "Location, Location, Location" featured in the Fall 2007 edition.

For more info: http://www.amtamassage.org/

Skin Inc (August 2007)

"Protecting Your Business Assets" was inspired by my clients and network in the spa industry. Having heard many first and second hand accounts of spa owners that were unprepared tto face threats to their business. Buglaries and employee theft in spas are unfortunate realities. This article tackled a rarely discussed topic.

For more articles, click on wwwskininc.com

Medical Spa Report (May 2007)

After receiving a number of calls from spa owners seeking either to sell their business or to buy an existing business to reduce start-up costs, I thought it would be helpful to write an article on the topic.

Below is an excerpt from Medical Spa Magazine. For the online version: http://www.medicalspareport.com/medicalspareport/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=421184

Market Value
Development expert Camille E. Hoheb shares some key factors to consider when buying or selling a medical spa.
May 1, 2007
By:Camille E. Hoheb
Medical Spa Report
Pages 1 2

Having helped develop more than 100 medical spas nationwide since 2002, I've witnessed explosive growth in the industry. Conversely, in the last six months, I've also observed an increasing number of medical spas changing ownership or closing altogether. Now is a dynamic time—some medical spa owners are looking to get out, while others are interested in getting in. If you fall into either category, read on for added insight into the buying and selling process.

Skin Inc March 2007

Most new spa owners don't realize that the construction costs of their spa is directly impacted by their lease. In March, "Reducing the Wrinkles of a Medical Spa Build-Out" was published in Skin, Inc.

www.skininc.com

MediCal Spas February 2007

While securing locations for spa clients across the country, I realized there was a need to help educate entrepeneurs on how to go about negotiating a lease and so I wrote "Real Estate RX: A Healthy Prescription for Negotiations".

New Year, New Article, New Blog

With the celebration of a New Year (and a birthday), it’s time to get off the sidelines and into action. Most of my professional network think of me as a commercial real estate professional (meaning I identify, negotiate and secure optimal locations for wellness business such as spas, massage therapy practices etc). I realized with another article hot off the press, now is the best time to put it my writing and photography services “out there”. The article is on the California wildfires and below is a link to the magazine's website.
http://www.skininc.com/search?cx=012659430018965267705%3Aqhcvuq8a7qo&cof=FORID%3A11&q=hoheb&sa=Search#320

As a creative outlet, I’ve recently joined the world of blogging. (http://camilleinla.blogspot.com/) which is a lifestyle blog covering food, travel and health. I am thrilled to report, I have received hits from Romania, New Zealand, Germany, Bolivia, India and all over the U.S.A.

Here's to a New Year filled with insights, observations and opinions!