Japan constitutes the number 1 market for onsens and
sentos, and it is clear that the numbers support their popularity. The Japanese Ministry of Environment reports that 10.5
million people visited public onsens in 2009. A survey conducted by Japanese travel agency JTB in 2009 reported that 85
percent of Japanese citizens visit an onsen at least once a year.
According to Executive Director Tae Kawasaki of the operations
and consulting company The Day Spa, ryoken/onsens currently
make up about 33.4 percent of the Japanese spa market, and
sentos 21.4 percent.
According to the ISPA 2011 U.S. Spa Industry Study, mineral
spring spas account for a mere 0.3 percent of the U.S. spa
market, a percentage that has not increased in over a decade or
more. This low percentage shows that there is a huge potential
for growth in the U.S., and even in European regions, where
onsen- and sento-inspired models are low.
To see the onsen and sento business models in a new light,
we need to look at existing spas that have successfully incorporated these business models to help understand their
profitability and business potential.
Dunton Hot Springs: Able to Maintain
Luxury Price Point
When the owners of Dunton Hot Springs from Germany toured
44 PULSE
n
June 2012
Colorado in 1994 in search of an investment property, they
came across the rich land located in the Colorado Rockies.
Coming from a culture that values mineral hot springs, they
knew the land—once a dwelling place for miners—was a gem.
Instead of building a new hotel on the property, the owners
decided to keep the historical integrity and renovate the existing cabins.
The amount of money spent to purchase and restore the
cabins could not be disclosed, but resort manager Ed Rossi
claims that 2010, despite the financial crisis, was their busiest
year since opening in 2001. Dunton Hot Springs costs over
$1,000 a night and includes locally organic meals and access to
six different mineral hot springs. Rossi says, without the
mineral springs, they would not be able to maintain their luxury
price point.
Kabuki Spa & Springs: Operates with Less
Overhead
A good case study of a day spa that utilizes the Japanese sentostyle model is Kabuki Spa & Springs. Chip Conley, CEO of Joie
de Vivre Hospitality, and Director of Spas Kathy Nelsen bought
the existing spa and spent over $250,000 in renovations wh