Common terminology in the spa industry
The Salon des Thermalies is one of the top European spa and wellness industry expos. This Paris expo presents the complete market offering in this field in France, throughout Europe, and even around the globe. Dozens of Thalasso therapy centres functioning as sea spas arrive at the expo each year from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, and other seaside destinations; this year over 50 of these centres were present at the expo.
This year’s expo was again successful and over four days in March nearly 400,000 visitors enjoyed the attractive booths of 300 exhibitors as well as conferences, lectures, workshops, and round table discussion sessions. All of these provided information on important international happenings in the field of spas, Thalasso therapy, and wellness.
However, upon browsing a press release from this expo I was very surprised to read that: “according to the Larousse dictionary, which was made official in 2004, the word spa has three definitions: a Belgian spa, a whirlpool bath, and a hydrotherapeutic centre.”
“Without being officially defined by charter, a spa is mainly a first-class beauty institute where cosmetic and holistic procedures are provided in a la carte manner. This definition includes nearly the same criteria as the very first spa centre built more than 2,000 years ago by contemporaries of Julius Caesar.”
What follows is a short historical summary from the Greek period up the 1970’s in the USA: “a first-class hotel came up with the idea to set up in its own facility space for relaxation and beauty treatments…with a Jacuzzi bath, thus creating the first “amenity spa.”
It is not my intention in this article to analyze terminology and argue over expressions. Any expert in this field should be able to recognize the incorrect nature of the preceding definition and realize that despite the fact that official European spa associations have been existence for numerous years there is still substantial ambiguity surrounding these terms. Is it possible that this confusion exists only in France, which is not a member of the European Spa Association (ESPA)? Has ESPA only made efforts to clarify and encode spa industry terminology only in member countries?
I am disappointed that French facilities do not appear on the European web spa site www.VisitEuropeanSpas.com, which is meant to be a gateway to professional information regarding the offers of European spas. This adoptive country of mine could provide great amounts of know-how to Europe as a whole, and not only regarding classic spa facilities but on the Thalasso therapy for which it is famous. I am confident that France will return to ESPA!
Nevertheless, it is a pleasant surprise to find so many spas on the web site from new EU member states and future member states. The relatively small countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary are promoting facilities that are the object of national pride as well as sources of tourism revenue. The dynamic elements of their commercial presentations prove the necessity of a visionary approach:
Spas and other health tourism facilities will increasingly sell themselves over the internet.
With respect to the developing economic situation in the health care profession contemporary spas can no longer only live off their substance and historical reputation but must invest in international marketing and create a positive image for their brand and the services they provide.
It is a pleasure for me to follow the spa industry in Turkey, which has joined the European tradition and publishes its offer on the web site, whether this concerns Thalasso therapy or sea spas with outstanding reputations in the field of preventative and therapeutic programmes.
The fine tuning of the spa industry to the mutual international melody continues, but Babylon is once again learning to speak a common language!
Hana Cathala, Mgr.
www.spaconsulting.eu
Last modified: July 11, 2007
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