Spas Target Male Customers

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 7/1/2006

DUBAI & LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA As the spa market matures, so do the new niche revenue opportunities for spa operators. One of the fastest growing niches is the male spa goer. As men get more comfortable with the spa experience, smart operators are looking to broaden the appeal with innovative new concepts and programs that speak to male guests’ wants and needs.

One such concept is H20, a new male-only spa at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. According to General Manager Doris Greif, the concept came about by examining the hotel’s overall demographics and finding that more than 80% of guests are male business travelers. “All over the world there is a new generation of body and health-conscious men,” Greif says. “H20 was designed for the modern business traveler.”

The spa comprises four multipurpose treatment rooms, a flotation pool and an oxygen lounge, where customers can relax in a massage chair, inhale oxygen—said to be a cure for jet lag—and listen to music or watch a movie. Treatments were designed with the executive business traveler in mind—think treatments that revitalize and de-stress after a long-haul flight. Sample therapies include executive jet lag reviver, deep tissue sports massage and gentlemen’s deep cleansing facial. The treatment menu also features express sessions, again catering to busy business travelers.

Another new trend is spa-based packages for men such as “Gentlemen’s Surrender” at the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach, California. This just-for-men spa marathon (up to four days) offers a customized mix of personal training sessions and spa treatments. Sample exercise activities include Tai Chi lesson or private golf outing with instruction, sea kayaking or surfing lessons. Spa treatments run the gamut from traditional massage to “the art of shaving.” Additional options include a wine and cheese tasting, an evening cigar session or even tickets to a jazz concert. The package begins at US$400 for a two-hour consultation and treatment.

“With the male interest in spas growing exponentially, we are excited to now offer a customized program specifically designed for our male clientele,” says Julie Raistrick, Montage’s spa director. “Gentlemen’s Surrender breaks new ground in spa treatments for men. The guest consults with his Surrender team—therapist, wellness coach and personal trainer—to discuss lifestyle needs, wants and concerns and ‘surrenders’ to a completely customized menu of experiences designed to heal body, mind and spirit.”

Raistrick says the goal is to continue to educate men so that the spa-going experience is not so scary. Incorporating fitness and challenging activities, she says, definitely helps break down the belief that the spa is just for women. To date Raistrick says 35% to 40% of the spa’s customers are men, adding that while their first visit is usually with a wife or girlfriend, that is changing. “We are seeing many men now coming in with other colleagues, friends, fathers/sons or brothers, allowing them to relax, bond, and address their aches and pains,” Raistrick says. The most popular treatments with men at Spa Montage are the hydrotherapy treatments, including use of the steam room and sauna.