The Financial Express November 21, 2010 9

S P O T L I G H T

‘SPA’CTACULAR BOOM
FE maps the spread of the spa culture in India, outlining its transformation from a niche to mass product available in every nook and corner
PRAVEEN KHANNA
VishakhaTalreja wellness and beauty to provide try?“Awarenessregardingspaandwell- AWARENESS REGARDING
experience of a day spa, and also some ness industry has been a major factor.

A
SPA AND WELLNESS
T THE turn of this like Kairali, which are essentially This, coupled with the fact that the dis-
decade, as the 21st centu- medicalspas. posable income of youngsters has seen
INDUSTRY, COUPLED WITH
ry knocked on our doors, Therapidspreadof thespacultureor a sharp spike in recent years. Not only RISING DISPOSABLE
it became fashionable for it as a business is marked with many women, men are also ready to spend to- INCOMES ARE BEHIND THIS
the glitterati, corporate contrasts. On one hand, there are desti- dayonpamperingthemselves,”saysRa- BOOM. NOT ONLY WOMEN,
honchos and others with deep pockets nation spas that span acres and even jesh Sharma, president, Spa MEN ARE ALSO READY TO
to holiday at a destination spa or ‘un- those in hotels occupying huge spaces, Associationof India.
wind’ at a spa resort. Soon, five-star ho- such as the spa at Claridges Sujarkund, And what really is attracting players
SPEND ON PAMPERING
tels became house to the finest of spas, which sprawls over 15,500 sq feet, or R- of allmanner—hotels,realestatedevel- THEMSELVES
promoting the concept of 'wellness' the spa at Radisson, which occupies opers, doctors and cosmetic compa-
and offering chocolate wraps, ayurve- three floors. On the other hand, many nies—to invest in the business is the
da massages, sauna bath, jacuzzi and neighborhood establishments calling high margins. Profits rule the roost,
more. It was a lifestyle statement to themselvesspasarerestrictedtoaroom though they vary. “Margins are vari-
spendtimeataquintessentialspa. or two and, at times, just to a massage able,dependingessentiallyonlocation,
Cut to today. Visit your neighbor- table.Fromavailingaone-weekholistic clientele served, services and infra-
hood beauty parlour and chances are package at a spa resort to going for a structure offered,” says Alka Katar, spa
that your friendly beautician will ca- quick 30-minute body massage at the director, Radisson Hotel. However,
jole you into a body massage at their day spa, customers can have it all. Simi- some hospitality players point out that
'spa section' or at least a hair spa treat- larly, while a full body massage at a five profit margins at a spa can be as high as
mentrightthereonyourchair. star can cost Rs 10,000, the salon next
The exclusivity is clearly lost. Day- door can do it for as cheap as Rs 250;
spas and health centres have mush- cheap here being the opera-
roomed in cities and the list includes tive word. As far as
both established players and fly-by- treatments are
night operators. So you have day spas, concerned, the
spa resorts and both branded and un- range is as
branded players spreading their wide as it
wings,andhow! can get—
Though the country is witnessing from Thai
the spa or wellness boom, there are no to ayurve-
governmentguidelinesatpresentregu- da, from foot
lating India's burgeoning spa industry. reflexology to
The industry is highly unorganised, stone therapy,
and an exact fix is not possible. As per from chocolate
the latest report by hospitality consul- body wraps to
tant HVS, at last count, India was winefacials...
ranked 19th top spa country with 2,359 But what has really con-
operational spas. The industry is esti- tributed to the growth of the indus-
mated to have generated around $384
million annually and employs about
22,175 people. However, the booming

spa industry in India is still a meager
0.6% of the total global pie, which 50%. At a day spa, margins can be even
isworth$60billion! higher and it’s these margins that have
In 2000, seeing how the stress level of led to a cluttered spa market. “Looking
youngITexecutiveswasshootingup,an at the growing demand for spa services,
icon of India's IT boom, hotelier Ashok everyone has jumped on to the band-
Khanna, started Ananda, a destination wagon. There are several spas that are
spa in the Himalayas. Promoting well- just aping the
ness, the spa achieved cult status soon. bigger players. There is no government
Manyspabrandssoongainedpopulari- body to keep a check. So it’s
tyandaratingonholidaylists—Amatr- for consumers to see what kind of
ra, Angsana Spa, Wildflower Hall in spa suits their needs,” says
Shimla, Taj Groups Jiva Spas are fea- Gita Ramesh, joint MD, Kairali.
tured regularly in international travel The group has around 26 spa day
magazinesandareonmanyatravellers' centresandthreesparesorts.
‘to-do’ list. Down south, ayurveda re- Whiletheinitialinvestmentforaspa
sorts and centres and oil massages at- canrunintocrores,foraproperdayspa,
tract not only foreign travellers, but initial investment is around Rs 15-20
discerning domestic tourists as well. lakh (excluding real estate cost). “The
Recently,however,theconceptof day initialinvestmentmightbealittlehigh,
spas(whichhavemoretodowithbeauty but the returns start coming in fast,”
and less with wellness) has caught on. adds Ramesh. No wonder then, neigh-
There are players such as Loreal, VLCC borhoodsalonswanttomakeafastbuck
and Three Graces that have blended bymassagingitright.
PRAVEEN KHANNA
Spa, defined
THE WORD Spa is derived from
the word 'Sanitas Per Aquam'
(SPA), which means health by or
through water. Spa is now
recognised as “an establishment
that promotes wellness through
the provision of therapeutic and
other professional services aimed
at renewing the body, mind, and
spirit.” The Spa Association of
India, an umbrella body, says
unless a facility offers different
water-based professional
therapies, it should not call itself
a spa. “But these days, salons and
even beauty parlours are calling
themselves spas. The industry is
highly unorganised,” says Rajesh
Sharma, president, Spa
Association of India.