Spas continue to enjoy an unprecedented vogue. Hot springs are where money is, and excellent massage staff determine competitiveness. The term originally refers to water as a means for improving health, but it has expanded to encompass a whole variety of therapies to promote not only health but beauty as well. Today, spa means India’s Ayurveda, Turkey’s Hammam and Thai traditional massage as well as hot springs. The U.S. spa marketing firm Spa Finder says the global spa market is worth some US$50 billion (W45 trillion). Some statistics suggest the spa market has overtaken the golf market in the U.S. Choi Mi-kyung, an executive with spa consulting firm Welcalm & Spa Solution, says a U.S. survey in 2002 found that Americans spent as much on spas as watching movies.




Thailand’s all-too-famous Chiva-Som, where reservations in the winter were nearly impossible to come by, is now strengthening its marketing in Korea to keep its customers from fleeing to Dubai, which aims at becoming another top spa destination.

A domestic resort company has asked the world-famous Canyon Ranch of the U.S. to open a facility in Korea, and China’s Qingdao is to have a spa with a Korean-made water park system. LaQua, a spa in Tokyo, is just like a Korean sauna. It has a variety of rooms where people can sweat and also offers overnight accommodation. What's more, it is superior to its Korean counterparts in interior and ventilation. Now, Korean spa operators sometimes visit the place to learn from what was originally a Korean concept. Global cosmetics brands Shiseido, Guerlain and Aveda are opening high-end spas all over the world, and the Korean cosmetics firm Amorepacific, which has entered the U.S. market, was able to improve its brand image thanks to its Amorepacific Spa in New York’s SoHo, which attracts such celebrities as Sienna Miller and Hilary Duff.

Spas are booming due to a surge in stress. They get interested in anything “well-being” related to get rid of their stress, while “anti-aging” and good looks are ideals among both men and women. The International Spa Association says this shows that people feel they should reward themselves for working hard. Spa Finder says spas are not just to relax but to rehabilitate. Cutting-edge technology as DNA analysis and laser technology is being combined with spa practice. It is expected that specialized spa services that help people quit smoking, lose weight and treat depression will be a big growth market. In the U.S., 40 percent of spa customers are men, and spas just for men are emerging in many corners of the nation.

A spa offering “temple therapy” is to open in Sukmodo in September next year. It will use meditation techniques in offering spa services. “Temple spas” will be another global industry keyword to equal Ayurveda. The LG Konjiam Resort which is to open in Konjiam in 2008 will be equipped with a meditation garden and an “EQ pool”, where children can listen to stories while bathing. Kids spas are another global trend. The resort says its survey of 10,000 people revealed that respondents were more interested in spas than ski, golf and other facilities to be set up in the resort. In the U.S. spa Golden Door, Native Americans teach meditation therapy classes. The French spa Caudalie, which belongs to a Bordeaux winery, offers a therapy using wine. Choi says Korea can also harness traditional spa techniques like artesian saunas to appeal to the global market.