A survey of Philippines' spa facilities found the industry has grown 74% since 2003, with 87 spas currently open and operating. The research achieved an excellent response rate of 54% of all spas in the Philippines, enabling very reliable industry benchmarks to be calculated.

The report, entitled Spa Industry Profile Philippines 2003-2007, features over 500 quantitative statistics on the Philippines spa market as well as supporting qualitative trends and observations from spa owners and managers. It is a valuable tool for businesses competing in, or supporting the Philippines' spa industry, to more accurately develop and plan spa-related products, services, campaigns and initiatives.

Some key industry totals and averages extracted from the report include:

• Intelligent Spas identified 87 spa facilities located in the Philippines.
• 76% of spas are stand-alone day spas and 20% are spas located in hotels and resorts.
• The average indoor area of spa facilities was 609 square metres.
• 52% of the total spa space was allocated to treatment rooms.
• Spas contained 10.9 treatment rooms on average, making them the largest across the Asia Pacific region.
• 70% of spas provided a relaxation room.
• Aromatherapy was practised by 97% of spas.
• Baths with water and/or air jets were offered by 54% of respondents.
• One hour body wraps were priced from PHP 1418, on average.
• Herbal tea was the most common complimentary food or beverage item provided by spas, with 62% offering it to visitors.
• 35% of spas surveyed noticed there are more spas opening in hotels and resorts.

"The excellent response rate enabled the survey results to be broken down by stand-alone day spas versus spas located in hotels, resorts and retreats (destination spas) for more accurate benchmarking and analysis" explained Julie Garrow, Managing Director of Intelligent Spas, the only 100% independent research company specialising in the spa industry. Some findings include:

• Day spas were larger in terms of indoor space when compared to destination spas.
• Day spas contained more treatment rooms than destination spas.
• Plunge pools were more commonly found in destination spas.
• Day spas were more likely to provide body wraps.

Source: Intelligent Spas, Spa Industry Profile Philippines 2003-2007

About the Research

The research primarily aimed to establish reliable industry benchmarks for key infrastructure and operations indicators, encourage businesses to better understand, service and support the spa industry, provide accurate data for the media to reference and generate greater awareness of the spa industry to promote growth in visitation numbers.

The comprehensive profile of the Philippines spa industry includes over 500 quantitative survey results relating to spa types, locations, business models, capture rates from primary facilities such as hotels and resorts, infrastructure, supporting facilities, therapies, treatments and programs offered, plus current industry trends. A selection of key survey findings are also broken down to identify benchmarks for day spas versus destination spas. Qualitative observations from spa owners and managers are also summarised. Supporting sections provide a detailed description of the research methodology, an overview of the value of industry statistics and useful facts and information about the Philippines.

How to Use Spa Industry Statistics as a Business Tool

Like any other small, medium or large business, it is imperative that analysis and planning activities be conducted to minimise the risk of failure. One of the first questions to ask yourself is "how is my business doing?" and this can easily be answered by comparing your spa's performance against industry averages. The overall industry average for your country is a useful guideline, however where the survey response rates are high enough, industry averages may be broken down further to enable more accurate analysis by calculating, for example, industry averages for your particular type of spa and industry averages for your spa's specific location.

Unique and common facilities and service offerings may also be measured and analysed to assist the planning for the business' future.

Consider: At what point does a facility or service offering change from a consumer novelty to a consumer expectation? If for example, a high proportion of spas offer a relaxation room, one may assume as spa consumers become more experienced, they may come to expect a relaxing area within a spa and be disappointed if they do not have the opportunity to enjoy that type of facility before and/or after their spa treatment.

Read the full article in the latest issue of Spa Industry Intelligence newsletter - subscribe now at www.IntelligentSpas.com