Poor pay is leading to staff shortages across the spa industry as we exploit our caring, largely female workforce. The spa industry can take a lead in fighting this insidious gender pay gap
By Liz Terry | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 2
Caring women are the most ‘exploitable’ workers / Wavebreakmedia /shutterstock
Congratulations to ISPA on the publication of its first piece of research into careers and employment in the spa market. The recently published ISPA Spa Workforce report was carried out by Colin McIlheney of PricewaterhouseCoopers and is covered in our feature on page 44.
First the good news and as if we didn’t know already, the report confirms the industry attracts committed, caring people.
McIlheney says “The overwhelming majority of [therapists] are passionate about providing exceptional client service and would like to have a long-term career in the industry”.
The study also found they stick to the same employer far more than expected, saying: “Almost 80 per cent expect to be working in their current organisation 12 months from now. This challenges another traditional belief that many spa professionals are actively seeking a new job.”
Set against this, however, researchers found long hours, poor pay, less than great management, lack of training and pressure to be responsible for retail upselling are seen as issues.
Importantly, more than 50 per cent of therapists surveyed said their pay does not fairly reflect their contribution and this goes to the heart of why – as McIlheney notes – there are more than 32,000 vacancies for spa therapists in the US alone.
Fundamentally, this is discrimination against women. Research shows that when women take up an occupation, pay levels fall and when men enter a profession, they increase.
Prof Paula England, co-author of Occupational Feminization and Pay says once women start doing a job, “It just doesn’t look like it’s as important to the bottom line or requires as much skill and gender bias sneaks into [pay] decisions”. She also found jobs involving caregiving pay less, even after controlling for the disproportionate share of female workers.
So we’re sitting on the cusp of these two forces – we employ caring women and it’s clear we’re exploiting them.
We’re not the only industry to face this challenge, but we are one of the only ones which profess to want to make the world a better place and to create happiness and wellbeing for all, so let’s start in our own back yard with fair pay for our workers.
Wouldn’t it be great if sometime soon academics were writing research papers showing how the spa industry became the first sector to reverse this insidious gender pay gap?
It would have the added benefit of attracting more people and imagine how profitable we’d be if we filled all those vacancies?
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
People profile: Garrett Mersberger
Garrett Mersberger on the overhaul of Kohler Waters’ flagship spa in Europe, plus his vision for ISPA following his appointment as chair of the association
Spa programmes: On the menu
Underwater yoga, healing breathwork and genetics all feature in Spa Business’ brand new series revealing the latest treatments, programmes and retreats in spas
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSysteme
Cold therapy is suddenly all the rage, but Zimmer MedizinSysteme’s icelab takes it a step further, creating a cold sauna for the whole body. Rainer Bolsinger explains more about this cutting-edge therapy
Promotional feature: The Tides: pure Dutch nature inside
Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
Poor pay is leading to staff shortages across the spa industry as we exploit our caring, largely female workforce. The spa industry can take a lead in fighting this insidious gender pay gap
By Liz Terry | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 2
Caring women are the most ‘exploitable’ workers / Wavebreakmedia /shutterstock
Congratulations to ISPA on the publication of its first piece of research into careers and employment in the spa market. The recently published ISPA Spa Workforce report was carried out by Colin McIlheney of PricewaterhouseCoopers and is covered in our feature on page 44.
First the good news and as if we didn’t know already, the report confirms the industry attracts committed, caring people.
McIlheney says “The overwhelming majority of [therapists] are passionate about providing exceptional client service and would like to have a long-term career in the industry”.
The study also found they stick to the same employer far more than expected, saying: “Almost 80 per cent expect to be working in their current organisation 12 months from now. This challenges another traditional belief that many spa professionals are actively seeking a new job.”
Set against this, however, researchers found long hours, poor pay, less than great management, lack of training and pressure to be responsible for retail upselling are seen as issues.
Importantly, more than 50 per cent of therapists surveyed said their pay does not fairly reflect their contribution and this goes to the heart of why – as McIlheney notes – there are more than 32,000 vacancies for spa therapists in the US alone.
Fundamentally, this is discrimination against women. Research shows that when women take up an occupation, pay levels fall and when men enter a profession, they increase.
Prof Paula England, co-author of Occupational Feminization and Pay says once women start doing a job, “It just doesn’t look like it’s as important to the bottom line or requires as much skill and gender bias sneaks into [pay] decisions”. She also found jobs involving caregiving pay less, even after controlling for the disproportionate share of female workers.
So we’re sitting on the cusp of these two forces – we employ caring women and it’s clear we’re exploiting them.
We’re not the only industry to face this challenge, but we are one of the only ones which profess to want to make the world a better place and to create happiness and wellbeing for all, so let’s start in our own back yard with fair pay for our workers.
Wouldn’t it be great if sometime soon academics were writing research papers showing how the spa industry became the first sector to reverse this insidious gender pay gap?
It would have the added benefit of attracting more people and imagine how profitable we’d be if we filled all those vacancies?
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
People profile: Garrett Mersberger
Garrett Mersberger on the overhaul of Kohler Waters’ flagship spa in Europe, plus his vision for ISPA following his appointment as chair of the association
Spa programmes: On the menu
Underwater yoga, healing breathwork and genetics all feature in Spa Business’ brand new series revealing the latest treatments, programmes and retreats in spas
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSysteme
Cold therapy is suddenly all the rage, but Zimmer MedizinSysteme’s icelab takes it a step further, creating a cold sauna for the whole body. Rainer Bolsinger explains more about this cutting-edge therapy
Promotional feature: The Tides: pure Dutch nature inside
Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
