The International SPA Association (ISPA) released statistics from the ISPA 2013 United States Spa Industry Study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which focuses on audit and assurance, tax, and consulting services. The upward momentum of the spa industry positively impacted the overall United States economy, generating $14 billion in revenue in 2012, and employing more than 343,000 individuals. Additionally, the total number of spa visits increased to 160 million and the average guest spent 87 dollars per visit. "This year's annual United States study paints a very positive picture for the spa industry and reflects what we are hearing from our members,” says ISPA president Lynne McNees. It is encouraging to see the total number of spa visits back at its pre-recession peak and even more encouraging to see total spa industry revenue reach a record high $14 billion." Signs of positive growth for the industry emerged as total revenue, spa visits, revenue per visit, total number of employees, and the total number of spa locations, which all experienced an increase over the previous year. "The key message from this year's annual spa industry study, as reported by a wide range of spas in the United States, is the return to growth," says Colin McIlheney, PricewaterhouseCoopers global research director. "All the key indicators, such as number of visitors and total revenues are showing an uptick and sentiment is also positive looking ahead to the coming months."
