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Spa treatment? Take it to go
North American spas are hoping to capture stressed and time-pressed business travelers by re-engineering menus to offer more speedy treatments — often 30-minute or less options, according to the International SPA Association.
About three-quarters of the spas surveyed by ISPA last year said they offer express treatments at 30 minutes or less. That's compares to about 40 percent a decade ago, according to SpaFinder, an online spa directory that named express treatments as one of 10 top trends for 2011.
"The trend really started to skyrocket in the last recession," Susie Ellis, SpaFinder's president, told CNN.
She noted that business travelers and spa-goers alike are watching their budgets.
Shorter treatments are also growing in popularity because they are usually less costly.
The No. 1 reason people go to the spa is to relax and reduce stress, says SPA President Lynne McNees. "An express treatment is the perfect alternative to help them balance before getting back to work," she said.
Spa experts say the longer treatments are more effective, however.
"We believe that 90-minute treatments are more therapeutic and really get the de-stress job done," says Shanon Hoffman, publisher of online spa guide Healing Lifestyles & Spas.
But she and others think the short-term treatments may be temporary as more spa-goers find the many benefits of their visits.
“I don't think it's going to change the way spas work. They are just adding more of these for those who suffer from time poverty," says Hoffman.
A study two years ago found participants who were massaged with a 20-second break in the middle were more content than those who had a continuous massage.
Spa officials can cite studies showing that even a 15-minute massage can reduce tension headaches, stress and anxiety.
By David Wilkening
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