BY KELLY HEITZ

Men in the Spa The good news is, male spa attendance is already on the rise. According to ISPA’ s ongoing research through Consumer Snapshot Studies, the proportion of spa-goers who are male has shot up from 31 percent less than 10 years ago to 47 percent and growing.“ Men are starting to realize spa isn’ t just for women,” says Claudine Riemer, spa director at the Sabila Spa Villa Del Palmar in Loreto, Mexico.“ As the population is aging, men too are realizing the importance of being healthy and taking care of themselves.”

Renvye Byrd, spa director at Safety Harbor Resort in Safety Harbor, Florida agrees:“ Men are also becoming increasingly aware of the fact that spas are not only about beauty and pampering, but mostly about health and wellness, which is for everyone, gentlemen included. This shift in mindset is a huge contributor to the rise in male spa attendance.”

The same Consumer Snapshot Study found that men are going to spas because they are stressed out and tired. Most work in management positions and use the spa as a break from their hectic lives. Per the study:“ Compared to his non-spa-going counterpart, the male spa-goer is more likely to report higher levels of stress; a feature that appears to be correlated to higher levels of profes-

June is Men’ s Health Month, which aims to promote health and wellness among men around the world. According to the Men’ s Health Network, men, in general, take less care of themselves than women. With that in mind, it’ s not surprising that MHN also reports that men are dying an average of five years younger than the women of the world. This statistic seems staggering, but luckily the spa community is in the perfect position to change it.

Wellness can often be perceived as a female endeavor, when in reality both sexes should be focusing on improving their overall health. As centers of health, wellness and healing, spas are uniquely able to tap into the male market and improve the stigma that being well is a feminine concept.

Spa treatments like pedicures no longer have the stigma of being " for females." Sabila Spa Villa del Palmar makes men feel more comfortable by catering the atmosphere to their interests.

42 PULSE ■ June 2017