The International SPA Association (ISPA) released the Big Five statistics from the 2024 ISPA U.S. Spa Industry Study, which show increases in all spa industry benchmark figures. Key findings included new records set for both overall revenue and average revenue per visit in 2023.
The ISPA Foundation commissions PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct the annual U.S. Spa Industry Study to present the Big Five spa industry statistics: total revenue, total spa visits, number of spa locations, revenue per visit, and total number of U.S. spa industry employees.
“Revenue drives growth for spas,” says ISPA president Lynne McNees. “Increasing overall revenue and dollars spent per visit allows spas to hire more employees and open new locations. This year’s good news will make it possible for the spa community to reinvest in growth.”
The study’s two revenue statistics were welcome indicators of the spa industry’s good health. The study reveals U.S. spa industry revenues raised 2022’s record $20.1 billion to a new high mark of $21.3 billion in 2023—a year-over-year increase of 5.7 percent. Average revenue per visit also climbed by more than five percent, from $111.5 to $117.2.
The remaining study findings were also positive. Spa industry employment continued to rise in 2023, increasing to 370,100, a 2.6 percent increase over 2022. Delving more deeply into employment figures, the number of full-time staff members has nearly recovered to pre-Covid numbers; part-time employee count has surpassed previous highs; and the number of spa contractors, which has declined steadily in the past decade and a half, ticked up slightly in year-over-year figures.
The number of spa facilities edged upward in 2023, increasing 0.2 percent to 21,840 locations. Total visits completed the good news of the Big Five numbers, with 2023’s 182 million sessions notching a million visits more than the year prior.
