2019 US Spa Industry Study 2019 Compensation Supplement | Page 27

Definitions
For the purpose of the ISPA study, a spa is defined as a place of business that
enhances the overall well-being of a person through a variety of professional spa
services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit. To be qualified as a spa, a
business must offer at least two of the following three services: massage (full body); skin
care treatments (i.e. facials); or body treatments (i.e., hydrotherapy or body
wraps/scrubs).
The spa industry categories used in this study are as follows:
• Club spa: Primary purpose is fitness, offers a variety of spa services on a day-use
basis.
• Day spa: Offers spa services to clients on a day-use basis.
• Destination spa: Historically a seven-day stay, encompassing spa services as part of
a program whose primary purpose is guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy
habits.
• Medical spa: Operates under the full-time on-site supervision of a licensed health care
professional. Primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care
in an environment that integrates spa services.
• Mineral springs spa: Offers on-site source of natural mineral, thermal or sea water
used in professionally administered hydrotherapy services.
• Resort/hotel spa: A spa located within a resort or hotel.
Throughout the report data is analyzed by type of spa. Day and resort/hotel spas are
generally listed with the remaining spas combined into the ‘other’ spa category, due to
their sample sizes in the survey undertaken for this study.
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