A day spa is a business that promotes itself as providing a variety of services for improving health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments such as

massage Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pa ...

s and

facial A facial is a family of skin care treatments for the face, including steam, exfoliation (physical and chemical), extraction, creams, lotions, facial masks, peels, and massage. They are normally performed in beauty salons, but are also a c ...

s. The number of day spas in the US almost doubled in the two years from 2002 to 2004, to 8,734, according to the International Spa Association, and by 2020 there were 21,560 spas across the United States, according to Statista.

Differences from beauty salon and destination spa

A day spa is different from a

beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, and Day spa#Medical spa, medical spas. Beauty treatme ...

, in that it contains facilities such as a

sauna A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

steam room A steam bath is a steam-filled room or steam-filled cabinet designed for the purpose of relaxation and holistic treatment. Steam baths have been formally recognized since ancient Greek and Roman Empire, Roman times, yet variations can be found t ...

, or

whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

that guests may use in addition to their treatment. A day spa is also different from a

destination spa A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharma ...

, as no overnight accommodation is provided. In contrast, a destination spa offers similar services integrated into packages that may include diet, exercise programs, instruction on wellness, life coaching,

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

, and accommodations in which participants reside for the duration of their stay. It may also function as a day spa, if it allows day access to patrons who are not guests of the resort.

Medspa

A medspa, also known as a medical spa, is a spa that provides the client with medical spa services. It is a combination of a medical clinic and a traditional spa, providing spa and specialized medical treatments, with an overall focus on

holistic health Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ...

, wellness, and

anti-aging The anti-aging movement is a social movement devoted to eliminating or reversing aging, or reducing the effects of it. A substantial portion of the attention of the movement is on the possibilities for life extension, but there is also interest i ...

services. Medspas specialize in non-surgical aesthetic services, including

laser hair removal Laser hair removal is the process of hair removal by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in 1995–1996. One ...

and medical-grade skin therapies. Licensed medical professionals operate them, but generally look and feel like a boutique personal service. As of 2022, the most popular procedures at medspas, according to the American Med Spa Association, are:

chemical peel A chemical peel is a treatment used to improve and smooth the texture of the skin. The skin on the face is most commonly treated, but peels can also be performed on the body. Chemical peels are intended to remove the outermost layers of the skin ...

s, aesthetician services,

Botox Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endi ...

and filler injections,

microdermabrasion Dermabrasion is a type of surgical skin planing, generally with the goal of removing acne, scarring and other skin or tissue irregularities, typically performed in a professional medical setting by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon trained spec ...

, photo-facial pulsed light, skin tightening, body contouring, laser skin resurfacing, medical consultations with a licensed medical doctor, and

radiofrequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...

Growth in the United States

The first medspa appeared around 1996. In 2002, the year Botox was approved for cosmetic use by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

, there were approximately 25 medspas in the US, according to the International Medical Spa Association. By 2004, there were approximately 500 medspas in the US, mostly cosmetic and run by dermatologists or plastic surgeons, though an increasing number were beginning to identify as wellness centers. Between 2007 and 2008, the number of medspas increased by 85%, according to the International Medical Spa Association, with the types of procedures performed at medspas also increasing. In 2010, there were 1,600 medspas in the US generating $1.1 billion in revenue ($700,000 per medspa on average); by 2018, over 5,000 medspas were generating $7–8 billion in revenue ($1.4 million per medspa on average). The 2018

profit margin Profit margin is a financial ratio that measures the percentage of profit earned by a company in relation to its revenue. Expressed as a percentage, it indicates how much profit the company makes for every dollar of revenue generated. Profit margi ...

for medspas was 29%. In 2022, the United States accounted for 37.7% of the global medspa market, valued at $16.4 billion, and projected to reach $41 billion by the end of 2029, according to Data Bridge Market Research. The surge is credited to technological advances, evolving consumer preferences, and the proliferation of business conducted through video calling. By the end of 2022, there were 8,841 registered medical spas in the US, employing more than 70,000 people, with women making up 88% of medspa patients, according to the American Med Spa Association. The number of medical spas in the United States offering services such as laser hair removal, skin resurfacing, and various other treatments classified as medical procedures has risen significantly in recent years. The industry's expansion is evident in its growth from approximately 1,600 locations in 2010 to more than 10,000 by 2023. During this period, the average annual revenue per medical spa reached $1.4 million, contributing to an overall industry revenue of $15.8 billion as of 2023.

Differences from beauty salon and destination spa

Medspa

Growth in the United States

See also

References

Further reading