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No longer a luxury but a necessity for staying healthy, the Indian spa industry is a rage abroad, writes
Divya A
The
Indian spa
industry is getting bigger than ever. With its ayurvedic massage
therapies and product range, the Indian spa experience has become a
rage worldwide. "The entire spa industry is exploding. Spas can
be found in large and small towns across the country. People no longer
see spas as pampering but instead as a requisite to stay
healthy", says Lynne Walker McNees, executive director of the
International Spa Association (ISPA), an organisation representing
more than 1,800 health and wellness facility providers in 53
countries. "People around the world are more savvy about the
spa experience and they are busier than ever before. They are looking
for a one-stop shop. When someone goes to a health or fitness centre,
a resort or hotel, or a salon — they want a place where they can
"get it all" which frequently includes having a spa
treatment", adds Lynne. The hotel industry has also been
affected by the growth in the spa industry. Hotel chains have been
undertaking major renovations to update their spas to meet the needs
of their customers. These include vichy showers, lockers, hydrotherapy
tubs and steam, sauna, and multipurpose rooms for massage and
facials. The "spa experience" encompasses the entire arena
from resorts, hotels, mineral springs, medical, cruise ship, club and
day spas to service providers such as physicians, wellness
instructors, nutritionists, massage therapists and product suppliers.
The experience can range from a simple skin cleansing to treatments
purported to cure a variety of ailments, even emotional. Spas have now
come to offer weight loss, smoking cessation, pre-natal massage,
afternoon tea, yoga retreats, and even more.
"The spa industry in India will do well if it focuses on ayurveda. Western spas are more about pampering", says Vinita Rashinkar, senior marketing manager at the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre in Mysore. She adds, "The Indian spa industry can carve a niche for itself by combining yoga with massage therapies and offering a holistic approach rather than mere pampering. Worldwide there is a growing awareness of ayurveda and it will be best for us to utilise the healing properties of our indigenous health care system rather than offer a completely foreign concept to spa goers. This will also attract more tourists from overseas who are looking for ayurvedic rejuvenation." "The spa industry actually started 10 years ago but has come into prominence in India for the past five years or so", says Niraj Vashi of SVAASA group of companies. India has around 20-25 major spa centres, most of them spread down South, in Kerala or Karnataka. According to Rashinkar, the spa industry has only just begun in India. There are very few authentic spas. However, there are some world-class spas such as Ananda in the Himalayas and Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre in the South. She says there is tremendous scope for the growth of the spa industry in India. "All major hotel chains have now understood that introducing a spa on the hotel premises will guarantee good revenues and is an excellent value addition for guests." Equally thrilled at spa market’s bright future in India, Vashi says, "The future of spa industry in India seems bright. Though ayurveda treatments have been there for centuries, however, recently they have been popularised by some Kerala hotels. With this, people have realised that it does not satisfy need for plain rejuvenation within 2-3 days duration (typically a weekend). This ensured that these resorts also provide European spa therapies. Currently, this trend is only visible in high-end resorts but with time it will percolate in middle end resorts." Nothing can beat the traditional in-the-salon experience. Most of us would opt for a soothing, relaxing experience in the hands of a professional over an at-home lathering, but we don’t always have time and money for that. So spa industry experts are working to find less costly and more efficient ways for the consumer to reproduce that experience at home. |
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