A new trend that brings service right into the home

On November 23rd the Wall Street Journal reported on spas offering home delivery.

Spa treatments, no longer a luxury reserved for the wealthy, have become a lifestyle staple for many urban and suburban Americans. The spa industry generated revenue of $11.2 billion in 2003, up 4.7% from $10.7 billion in 2001.

The face of spa treatments also is changing, with a boom in the day-spa business. There are about 8,700 day spas in the U.S., up 25% from 2002, according to a study by the International Spa Association, a trade group, and Hartman Group, a market researcher in Seattle. The day-spa business produced $5.4 billion in revenue, according to the study. Within the day-spa trend, the traveling spa is moving into the picture.

Many mobile spas are individual businesses, dispatching uniformed, licensed technicians to provide reflexology, massages, manicures, pedicures and facials, and even food, at homes, hotel rooms, companies and health clubs. Often, they are tapped for parties and other special occasions.