The SA Spa Association has formed a strategic alliance with industry research company Intelligent Spas – directed by Julie Garrow – to allow the South African Spa Industry to gain the value of spa statistics and benchmarking.

Founded in 2001, Singapore-based Intelligent Spas will be updating the industry report it carried out in 2009 in South Africa, which is likely to contain about 1,000 revised trade statistics according to Garrow, managing director of Intelligent Spas.

“The survey is now underway and the report is planned to be released at the Association’s annual conference at the end of July,” Garrow told Spa Opportunities.

Some of the key spa benchmark ratios provided in the report will include measures of treatment room occupancy, average treatment rates, therapist productivity rates, average revenue per spa, employee, visit and many more.

“These benchmarks are used by spas to identify if their spas are operating below the industry average,” Garrow added.

Participants will receive the full report free of charge.

“This is very generous because other research providers typically only give respondents the executive summary,” Garrow said.

The costs of the Spa Benchmark Report 2014 are being covered by the SA Spa Association and the report will be for sale at intelligentspas.com for anyone interested in the South African spa industry.

“The benchmarks are comparable across the entire spa industry due to the consistent global research methodology implemented by Intelligent Spas,” according to Garrow.

In 2009, key data revealed 45 per cent of spas in South Africa were day spas – minus any accommodation – and 55 per cent were destination spas which incorporate hotel, resort and overnight facilities.

Treatment revenue per spa had decreased by 16 per cent between 2007-8 and hotel spas achieved higher revenue per spa compared to day spas.

Interestingly, less than 30 per cent of spa visits were from men.

Intelligent Spas has delivered spa industry research across the greater Asia Pacific region, publishing many spa benchmark reports in key markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, UAE, South Africa, Greece and Spain.