Pulse Legacy Archive January / February 2012 | Page 56

2011 SPA CONSUMER SNAPSHOT INITIATIVE THE SPA-GOER AT A GLANCE B Y M A E M A Ñ AC A P - J O H N S O N W ho is today’s typical spa-goer? What keeps him or her from visiting a spa? How is he or she managing stress? What motivates him or her to return to a spa? These are a few of the key questions answered by the 2011 Spa Consumer Snapshot Initiative. Conducted by PwC, the study offers a bite-sized snapshot of today’s spa-goer and looks at key drivers that impact his or her decision to visit a spa. Highlighted are key findings from the study along with identified opportunities to help you focus your business strategy to the right demographics. 54 PULSE ■ January/February 2012 Consumers between the ages of 25 to 34 visit spas more frequently. HIGHLIGHTS: While the 2011 Spa Consumer Snapshot Initiative indicates that 39 percent of the U.S. population have visited a spa at least once in the past 12 months, only a quarter of these spa-goers have actually been to a spa more than once. Of these regular spa-goers, those between the ages of 25 to 34 are the most frequent spa visitors. This data may not be too surprising, considering that this particular demographic tend to have the financial capacity to spend on their health and wellness (the typical spa-goers, according to this study, earns on average more than $50,000 per year) and are likely to take proactive measures to care for themselves—whether it’s reversing the first signs of aging, relieving stress or losing weight. OPPORTUNITIES: Look for treatments that offer real benefits to this age group. Anti-aging treatments, for instance, will highly be popular since many would want to start protecting their skin early from signs of stress or aging. This age group, who admits to be “slightly or moderately stressed” will also respond well to treatments and services that primarily focus on stress reduction, such as therapeutic massage, yoga, meditation, to name a few. In order to best engage this young and often digital-savvy age group, market to them in channels where they are actively engaged in, whether on the Web through social media, online