2013 saw the US spa industry record its strongest year on record since 2007, according to the International Spa Association (ISPA)’s 2013 US Spa Industry Study.

The report indicated that across five key areas – visits, spending per visit, revenues, staffing levels and number of spas – there has been growth.

A continuation of a 2012 report, the large-scale survey of 14,000 spa operators looked at criteria such as financial performance, employment and growth, as well as ownership structures, number of visits and product service offerings.

The survey showed total spa revenue is up 4.7 per cent (US$14bn, €10.1bn, £8.7bn) while revenue-per-visit figures show customers are spending US$87.20 (€63, £53) on average – an increase of 1.8 per cent on the previous year.

Spa numbers continue to slowly increase with 19,960 sites open across the US – a 0.5 per cent increase since 2011 – which heeds well when compared with 2009-2010 when spa closures outpaced openings.

Spa visits are up 2.8 per cent, rising from 156 million to 160 million, while total employees has also increase by 1.2 per cent to 343,600. A noticeable trend for employment in the US sector has seen a swing from full time work to part time with a 7.2 per cent decrease in full-time employment and a 13.2 per cent increase in part-time employment.

The full ISPA report is available in the Q4 2013 edition of Spa Business magazine. For more click here