Local spas hope to lure in new clients this week with the kickoff of Spa Week, a national event designed to promote the multibillion-dollar industry by offering drastically reduced treatments.
Nearly 20 day spas in the Washington region will offer $50 treatments through Oct. 22. Washington’s participation in Spa Week, which was launched by a boutique media firm in New York City, is a reflection of the growing popularity of day spas over destination spas — a trend which is giving Washington a chance to compete in the $11 billion industry.
A destination spa is typically attached to a resort or hotel, while a day spa is a stand-alone facility that offers single treatments. About 60 percent of U.S. spa visits were to day spas in 2003, according to figures from the International Spa Association, compared to about 27 percent for destination spas.
In Washington, there are relatively few overnight spas, but several new day spas have opened in the past several years. Hela Spa, a Scandinavian-influenced spa in Georgetown, and Bang Salon, which offers spa and beauty treatments within the VIDA Fitness facility on 7th Street, are just two examples of recently opened locations.
Spas have become the fourth-largest leisure industry in the United States, spurred on by the industry’s high-profile, glamorous image, association President Lynne Walker McNees said recently.
“The spa experience is increasingly being highlighted in movies, television shows, ads and numerous articles,” McNees said. “The attention that’s being paid to the benefits of the spa experience is helping consumers incorporate spa into their everyday lives.”
Spa Week’s gimmick of offering select $50 treatments at participating spas has helped boost repeat clientele anywhere between 10 and 45 percent, according to the organizers of the promotion.
At Cultura on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest, participation in Spa Week has brought in new customers for the last three years and brought in additional revenues, said Pattie Lynn Pumphrey, an associate wit Cultura.
The spa is offering two $50 treatments that normally run about $350.
“It’s a nice way to introduce new customers to the spa,” she said. “Hopefully after getting them in the door we can layer on different treatments.”
