Men Pamper Their Inner He-Man at Spas

Nov. 13 -- No one ever went broke overestimating consumers' appetite for being pampered — at least if the state of the spa industry is any indication.

Revenue for U.S. spa facilities in 2001, according to the International Spa Association, was $10.7 billion, more than double the $5 billion reached in 1999. Worldwide industry revenue grew by 114 percent during that time. But far more interesting than the growth itself is where much of it is coming from: guys.

Indeed, after decades of serving a mostly female clientele, the spa industry has seen an infusion of testosterone in recent years. Men now make up 29 percent of all spa goers, up from 24 percent last year, says the International Spa Association, which also found that male spa habitués are more likely to indulge themselves on a weekly basis.

"Since women have invaded men's gyms, men are now invading women's spas," says Deborah Evans, general manager of the Red Mountain Adventure Spa in St. George, Utah. Men comprised 10 percent of total guests when the resort opened five years ago; now it's 35 percent, and Evans says fully half of that figure is men traveling alone, indulging in private pampering time. And they're not just signing up for sports massages — they're doing it up with facials, manicures, shea butter rubdowns and seaweed body wraps.

Those figures are being replicated all over, as men increasingly get out of the sports bar and into the treatment room. Drawn by the opportunity, a few male-only spas are starting to open their doors.

In its first year of operation, the Nickel spa for men, a hip, modern, men-only spa in downtown Manhattan that opened in early 2002, saw revenue of $1 million; this year, owner Philippe Dumont expects that figure to more than double due to the popularity of the spa's services. These include five types of facials, three types of massages, manicures, pedicures and waxing — back, legs, arms, torso, eyebrows, even cheeks.