America is stressed out. Not only are more Americans working longer hours, but add to this the stresses of everyday life-family, work, finances.
Terry Top dries freshly cleansed hair and can hold wet or dry hair in place during facials and other at-home spa treatments. Made with 100% cotton velour. Comes in zebra and polka dots designs. $14.95.
All a Over-stressed and overworked, it’s no wonder that more people are taking their health into their own hands by checking into spas.
Yet, tighter budgets, longer work days and other life commitments don’t always give people the time and/or money necessary for a professional, pampered treatment, which is why more are bringing the experience home for a mini “escape” with massage lotions and oils, bath soaks and more.re wreaking havoc on our health, and the spa industry continues to boom as a result. In 2013, the total number of spa visits climbed to an all-time high, increasing nearly three percent from 2012 and reaching 164 million in sales, according to the International Spa Association (ISPA).
Total revenues generated by spas reached $14.7 billion in 2013-an increase of more than five percent in comparison to the previous before.
Rosemary Salt Glow naturally exfoliates skin with a blend of sea salts, organic rosemary and other botanical oils. 11 oz. $20.
“As a society we are more stressed than ever before,” said Lynne Mc-Nees, president, ISPA. “The number one reason why men and women visit a spa is to learn how to manage their stress. The first step in that is quieting the chaos that surrounds us and taking a moment to pause. Spas allow us to do that and provide us with the tools we need to manage that stress. By learning those skills from the spas, we can take what we learned with us to continue stress management practices at home.”
Chill Out
The spa is where Olavie has its roots. The company started producing luxury wine therapy skin care for some of the top spas in the world in 2004. Today, Olavie has a collection of bath and body products for creating an at-home spa experience. Its scrubs, body butter, bubble baths and soaks, oils and more, are all inspired by the grapes and other fruits, botanicals and herbs surrounding a vineyard. The company uses its signature chardonnay grape extract, which is naturally high in antioxidants to help nourish and regenerate skin.
Tokyo Factory is a line of handcrafted face and body scrubs, bath and body oils and soaks, lip butter, soaps, candles and more. $6-$24.
Olavie’s home fragrance line features scents that can help bring users back to a certain place and experience, says Kenneth Heng, director of marketing and sales, Olavie. “Our scents aim to provide that mini vacation to different wine growing regions from which they are inspired,” says Heng.
He adds, “I think the biggest difference between going to a spa and being at home is at the setting. At the spa, the ambience and putting your phone away immediately gives you that mini-vacation experience. We aim to provide that in the home.”
Grand Cru has the essence of Tuscan Fig blended with Olavie’s signature Chardonnay extract which helps naturally regenerate skin cells. 8 oz.
Tokyo-born Ayu Carlton is a professional soap maker, who also wanted to help people recreate a spa experience at home. Her contribution: a complete line of bath, body and candles for Tokyo Factory.
“Some people are too busy to go to the spa, and some people think that the spa services are costly,” says Carlton, founder, Tokyo Factory. “There are so many products on the market that can provide spa like experience at home for those people. We want our customers to relax their body and mind without leaving home.”
Fig & Yarrow bath and body collection includes soaks, body oil, foot treatments, face masks, body scrubs and more. $10-$48.
What’s in a Bottle?
Creating an at-home spa experience is more than the right ambience- the lighting or aromatherapy. The products also need to be up to par, meaning the ingredients need to be made of the finest quality. Whether organic, vegan (no animal by-products or animal testing) or made in America, today these are some labels that are increasingly important to consumers looking for any skincare products.
And today’s consumers are savvy when it comes to what is in products. They are more educated about what ingredients are going into their food and drink, so why not the ones being absorbed into their skin.
Tokyo Factory, which started out selling direct on Etsy and recently moved into the Etsy Wholesale, produces natural, vegan products with a manage of plantbased ingredients. There’s also no animal testing, which Carlton says is also important to some American consumers.
Eye Mask Pillow is filled with a soothing blend of organic flax seed and lavender. Made with silk fabric and cotton batting. $22.
“People are looking for products that are as natural as possible,” she says, “(including) products that do not contain harsh chemicals like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Parabens, Phthalates and so on. More people care about not only what’s actually in the product but also no animal testing.”
When it comes to bath and body products, people are concerned not only with unnatural ingredients but exposure to insecticide contamination. Some ingredients are grown in the wild without human intervention and obviously would not be exposed to insecticides but cannot be certified as organic and are actually as natural as you can possibly get, says Heng, who warns that some manufacturers claim their product is 95 percent organic when it’s in fact 50 percent water. “It’s more important to look at the ingredients lists,” he says, “than to just look at a brand’s blanket marketing statement.
Konjaku Fiber Sponge can be used to gently clean and exfoliate the face. Made of fibers from the perennial plant from southeast Asia. $13.
When buying organic, it can be quite expensive as well, Heng believes consumers are willing to pay for good ingredients, but not everyone. While it still beats the price tag of an hourly (or longer) spa treatment, paying more for organic or Made in America products can be a tough sell for some.
“We find a lot of people like the idea of Made in America,” says Heng, “but they don’t necessarily express the same with their wallet.”
Retail Therapy
Still, Heng believes that people will pay for quality if exposed to it in the right way. He recommends creating a corner in their store called “Your Home Sanctuary” with a variety of products like spa robes and slippers, upscale spa and bath and body products, nice candles and diffusers. Instore spa days utilizing items within stock is also a great way to help customers feel and smell the quality of the products.
Sea Bath Soak is a blend of organic sea kelp and Pacific sea salt. Scented with lavender and sage. 16 oz. $28.
Testing-that’s key when selling spa-related bath and body products, says Carlton. “Displaying a tester, so that customers can actually touch and smell the product,” she says. “Give them key information and ingredients, so that they can have a better overall understanding.”