191 million visits. Save one for yourself.

ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT IS MY PROFESSION. SPA IS MY COMMUNITY. After more than three decades serving this industry, I am most definitely a spa person. I rarely walk through a spa without noticing the welcome, the menu, the retail displays and the thoughtful details. Where another guest may see a creative new offering, I may see an industry trend, an education topic and three people ISPA should introduce. It is an occupational hazard— and one many of you share. We spend our careers making wellness meaningful for others. Yet spa people need the spa experience, too— and perhaps more than most.

Sometimes we need to relax. Sometimes my shoulder reminds me— rather loudly— that I am not 25 anymore. We may need better sleep, help managing stress or simply a few glorious hours when no one asks us to solve a problem or answer an email. There’ s a spa for that. The latest ISPA U. S. Spa Industry Study, conducted by PwC, recorded 191 million spa visits in 2025, helping the industry reach a record $ 23.5 billion in revenue.

We helped create those numbers. Maybe it is time we made sure we are counted among them.

This issue explores how our industry is welcoming more men, extending the guest relationship beyond traditional hours and investing in the professionals who care for every guest.

Experiencing spa as a guest can make us better at what we do. It reminds us of the importance of a thoughtful welcome and the impact of one exceptional interaction. But not every spa visit needs to become field research. Sometimes wellness begins with strategy, innovation and a carefully considered plan.

Sometimes we simply need to be the guest. Sometimes wellness begins by putting down the imaginary clipboard, slipping into a robe and making a firm commitment not to look at your phone.

Spa is where wellness begins— even for spa people.

CONNECT WITH ME

LYNNE MCNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT

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