Keyword: Stress

I've read an interesting article that highlights a very interesting aspect of the economic downturn and the spa industry's relationship to it. It states that the use of the word "stress" in the search bar of Spafinder.com spiked in November. "Interest hasn't waned since, said Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder Inc., the New York travel and marketing company that runs the Web site. Not only is "stress" still showing up often in the site's searches, but weekly traffic to its "stress management" category has doubled since the summer months.

When the economy was good, taking a spa vacation was largely about pampering yourself. It didn't matter that the afterglow of that $165 carrot-and-sesame body buff lasted only until your next shower. Now, with the sinking economy on most people's minds, a trip to the spa has become something else — an investment of sorts, in well-being." Therefore, many spas are now catering to the growing desire for stress relief and stressing treatments specifically designed to alleviate stress.