Shall we go to the spa? The spa trends in Gothenburg and its region

Abstract

The Spa industry is a new and growing phenomenon showing a clear increase during the last decades. The customers are starting to realize how important the health and wellness in today’s society. People of all ages are starting to have higher demands that empower them to take part in new lifestyles such as spa visits. This allows the spa establishments to develop new products and services to fulfil their desires. In order to describe the new trends and the other linking aspects of this phenomenon we have investigated the Gothenburg market and its regions; both urban and rural. Many of the spa establishments take part in the spa branding phenomenon to gain customer loyalty and to achieve a higher recognition. This has created confusion for the current spa customers where they might have a lack of knowledge about the actual spa concept. The result of our investigation shows that people are still not aware of the current spa concept. Therefore, the spa establishments see the necessity in putting more effort in educating their target market. The location is also considered an important issue when it comes to spa planning, while the market is starting to become saturated in the urban area. Our findings allow us to give suggestions for the spa establishments as to how to stay unique and differentiate themselves from their competitors.