in the industry, growing to 372,000
Total spa
in 2018. Working patterns, however,
locations in the U.S.
change over time. While the
are now estimated to be
number of full-time and part-time
employees is now broadly similar,
at an all-time high of
this was not the case 20 years
21,770. Back in 1999, fewer
ago when full-time employees
than 20 percent of these
made up over two thirds of the
workforce (69 percent), a figure
spas existed, with only
steadily decreasing over time.
4,140 locations
Two decades’ worth of data later
compared to today.
and the spa industry sees itself in a
The number of people visiting spas has
also rapidly increased in the last 20
years. iSPa’s most recent consumer
Snapshot survey, also conducted by
Pwc, estimated that approxi-
mately half of the u.S. population
now classifies themselves as spa-
goers. The industry data reflects
this, with 187 million spa visits last
year compared to 69 million in 1999.
The key for spas will be encouraging
more of their clientele to become
frequent spa-goers, rather than just
attending once or twice a year
With demand growing so strongly during the last 20
years, the virtuous circle sees employment in the industry
growing accordingly. When employee numbers were first
calculated in 1999, an estimated 125,000 people worked
strong position, and continues to serve as a
barometer of the wider u.S. economy’s perfor-
mance. fieldwork for the 2019 study is well underway, with
the closing date fast approaching. The results of the 20th
anniversary edition will be revealed at the 2019 iSPa
conference & Expo in Las Vegas, September 11-13. n
Please take part at PwcSpaPerspectives.com
if you haven’t done so already. The survey
closes on March 15.
march
n
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PULSE 2019
17