There is nothing but waves and waves of economic bad news worldwide nowadays. Open the newspapers and you read nothing except well-established companies collapsing, mortgage sub-primes, government bail-outs, onset of recession, credit crunches, job retrenchments,etc

I’m sure you see it around you in daily life too. Friends and relatives worried about jobs, bonus or increment cut-backs in your company, companies closing down, government officials talking about economic crises all the time.

Will the spa and wellness industry be affected by the bad economy as well? Should we cut back on our personal spending on massage, spas, manicure and other treatments?

Well, in the last 10 years, we’ve seen the spa, wellness and alternative health industry move from strength to strength, not only in Asia but around the world. What was previously often seen as an old aunt’s trade, a side trade for beauty salons or some quark doctor treatment has not only become big business, but has become accepted into mainstream lifestyle and business as well.

The spa, wellness and alternative health industry(swah industry) has become big business indeed. Every other week, one hear of a new spanking new centre coming up in a new hotel, shopping mall or even hospital. Even when walking down the street, it is not unusual to find a new shop in your neighbourhood mall or town centre. This is especially true in Asia and a growing phenomenon in many parts of the world as well.

I think this industry is moving so fast is because people now accept it as a mainstream practice and no longer as an alternative practice. In today’s hectic world, people seems to want to return to nature all the more; hence the desire for natural and holistic treatment for illnesses and discomfort. Part of holistic treatment calls for massage and spa treatment and more so because more and more people suffer from mental and physical stress in today’s busy world.

It will be a difficult tug of war. Sure, spa and massage treatments are comfort treatments and will surely be the first to be sacrificed for in times of economic crises. However, many city people have come to see it as essential for today’s modern harsh living and while some may give it up, more will continue to see it as a need in daily modern life.

I believe in this current economic climate, there’ll be some immediate effect and some cash-strapped establishments may have to close. From here, I’ll sure there will be much re-consolidation and alignment of the alternative health and wellness industry, of which I believe it’ll re-emerge as better organised and aligned to serve it’s customers better.

As for myself, there’s no way I can give up on foot refloxology. It has become part of my life. I will continue to visit TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) for certain illnesses and will continue to seek TCM treatments including accupuncture, gua-sha or ba-guan.

As for pedicure or manicure, I’ll continue to seek for better bargains and cut down the number of sessions. The biggest cut-back will definitely come from scrubs and spa treatments which is always the biggest dollar-eater and I’ll continue to seek out credit-card promotions and definitely reduce the numbers of visits.

I may want to reduce drastically and cut off scrubs and spa sessions eventually – that is, if I can survive the old turkey treatment

Tell me, how will you cope?

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