SPECIAL APRIL SUPPLEMENT
COVID-19 Q&A
WITH DR. BRENT BAUER n ISPA MEDICAL ADVISOR
M
edical organizations around the world have provided general guidelines on
staying healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there has been
a dearth of spa-specific information to help guide spa leaders’ decision
making. With many ISPA members asking questions about COVID-19 and spa,
Pulse relayed some of the most common questions to Dr. Brent Bauer, ISPA’s
Medical Advisor and research director of the Integrative Medicine Program at
Mayo Clinic.
Pulse: Do we know how the heat of a sauna, steam room or whirlpool might
affect the virus and its transmission?
Dr. Bauer: Unfortunately, at this time, I have not seen any specific studies on how
the virus might respond in each of these environments.
“This is a great
time to reach out
to healthcare
workers with any
online materials
you have that
might help them
deal with stress—
such as med-
itations or guided
imagery, an intro
to Tai chi or yoga,
etc. It’s also a
great time to offer
them a special
offer or discount
to be used when
the worst of the
crisis passes.”
P: What can spas do to support frontline medical workers and their mental wellness? What
role should spas play in mentally healing those who have recovered from COVID-19?
B: This is a great time to reach out to healthcare workers with any online materials you
have that might help them deal with stress—such as meditations or guided imagery, an
intro to Tai chi or yoga, etc. It’s also a great time to offer them a special offer or discount
to be used when the worst of the crisis passes. Knowing they have a place to come to
that can help them restore their energy and resiliency will mean a lot.
P: Does washing and drying linens with detergent and water effectively remove the
virus?
B: Again, I have not seen any data specific to this virus. There are a lot of questions and
theories circulating about how long it can stay viable on clothing and linens but no solid
answers yet.
P: What is the most effective way for spa employees to mitigate the risk of transmission,
especially since spa is a very hands-on business?
B: Right now, since most spas are on lockdown/quarantine, I think the answer is two-fold.
First, use this downtime to really look at your infection prevention practices from top to
bottom, not just focusing on COVID-19—but comprehensively look at all of your policies
and practices with an eye to making sure you have the best industry standards in place in
all areas of your facility.
Secondly, when business does resume, I think spas (and any other industry that serves
consumers via direct or close contact) will need to develop a new “social contract.” This
means spas will not only provide a safe physical environment but will also restrict any
employee from coming to work who has symptoms of an illness. At the same time, con-
sumers are going to have to come to spa with a new appreciation for their responsibility
for not coming in when they have symptoms of any kind. We need a collaborative new
understanding that everyone’s health is important—and that no one should knowingly
put themselves in contact with another person when they themselves are ill.
n
Visit experienceispa.com/covid-19-info for more information.
APRIL 2020
■
PULSE
■
COVID-19 UPDATE