UKSA Launches Work for Wellness Campaign

With the recent disappointing news that Derby University are to cease their Spa Management degree qualification as of 2022, due to a steady decline of student numbers over recent years, it’s a further indication that the spa & wellness industry is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood.

Frequently dismissed by the medical community in favour of more invasive treatments, it is viewed by the public (especially men) as not relevant nor efficacious. Therefore, the dial urgently needs to shift in order to drive reappraisal and engagement with the spa industry and the passionate world of wellness it opens up.

It presents a strange phenomena, in that the spa industry is growing exponentially year on year, yet the industry in its current state, simply won’t have the therapists to sustain it.

The global spa market is projected to grow at the rate of 5.7% during the forecast period 2018 to 2023 (Mordor Intelligence 2019) and the value of the health and wellness market in the UK increased over the period observed from over 20.5 billion euro in 2015 to almost 23 billion euro in 2018. (Statista, March 2019). 

The thriving UK spa industry should have the capacity in the future, to become the front line in preventative care, for the ailing NHS. With the global stress epidemic, many illnesses treated by the NHS emerge due to the nationwide lack of emotional, physical and mental self-care. There is an underlining lack of understanding however, of how spa & wellness treatments can be one of the most cost effective preventive cures and non-invasive ways to holistically improve an individual’s mental, physical and spiritual health and wellbeing.

Often regarded as an alternative therapy, everything points to the fact that future spas will become more mainstream, with spas looking to transition into 360 wellness centres.

The UK Spa Association however, are one step ahead and have identified that the spa industry must come together as a whole, to tackle the skills shortage we collectively face. The not-for-profit trade body have developed a clear strategy in the form of their Work For Wellness initiative, which was unveiled at their Summer Networking Day at South Lodge recently.

Work for Wellness is the UKSA’s five year strategic communications plan, designed to address the chronic need to attract new talent (in particular new therapists) into the industry. The UK Spa Association will present the pioneering action plan at next week’s Spa Life Summit.     The campaign does require funding support in order to address the differing facets of the recruitment and retention crisis.

The association has identified the fact, that not only does the industry need to engage with the socially conscious zennials entering the workforce but additionally, the generation of their parents. Great strides need to be made in educating this older sector, that a vocation in spa, offers job satisfaction, opportunities for transformative travel, fast track career progression with attractive pay packages.

As part of the first year of the Work for Wellness campaign, a research division will be instructed, a round table discussion is to be organised, with a white paper to be produced and presented to a pre-determined MP, to lobby at governmental level.

Phase two will then introduce hard-hitting media relation’s activity and some high-level creative consumer engagement.

Finally and accessible to all spas, an on the ground initiative will allow operators in particular, to access students and careers advisors within schools and colleges nationwide, in order to introduce the many benefits of a career in spa. The UK Spa Association offers all the tools, so members can confidentially introduce the opportunities of spa to a large audience but at a local community level.

The UK Spa Association are to share their detailed campaign that will drive significant change and opportunity within the spa and wellness industry, at a Summit to be held at the Spa Life UK Convention next week.