November 22, 2000 -- World Hospitality
A World Hospitality survey of more than 500 hotel and resort spas worldwide found the mainstay massage the most popular in an ever-expanding menu of spa services. From breathwork to diabetes management, hotel and resort spas may be evolving toward a combination hospital clinic and beauty salon. Gaining momentum in popularity are facials, manicures and pedicures, nutritional counseling and medical profiling.
Currently, the ten most popular spa services are: massage, mud treatments, water therapies, stress management, facials, aromatherapy, thalas-sotherapy, body wraps/scrubs, detoxification, and reflexology.
Creating unusual treatments is the way to get publicity. For example, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's new 10,000 square foot spa features macadamia nut oil body polishes and seaweed facials, while at the Maruba Resort & Jungle Spa in Belize guests can experience an African honey bee sugar scrub. Perhaps the most lavish treatment is the Javanese Lulur offered by the Banyan Tree Resort in Phuket, Thailand. The one hour 45 minutes treatment begins with an Indonesian massage followed by an exfoliation scrub using yellow colored spices and herbs, then a yogurt rubdown, followed by a soothing soak in a scented flower batch and a Jamu Elixir to finish.
Indeed, spas may be the dream profit center of this era for hotels and resorts. Travelers - business as well as leisure - have a positive feeling about paying to look and feel better.
At the Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage, California, guests are paying $105 for a one-hour facial which includes an exfoliant, extractions, deep relaxing massage of the upper back, shoulders and neck, a masque and moisturizer to seal in the benefits. Other facials include Champagne ($150) and The Seduction of Sences - a massage with specifically composed music. Each guest leaves with the relaxation CD and a velvet jewelry bag. The one-hour treatment is $175.
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