ISPA 2009 U.S. Spa Compensation Data INTERNATIONAL SPA ASSOCIATION

ISPA 2009 U.S. Spa Compensation Data INTERNATIONAL SPA ASSOCIATION

U.S. Spa Compensation Survey Overview Spas were asked to share compensation data for the following full-time positions when surveyed in March 2009 by the Association Resource Centre, Inc. Spa Director (annual compensation) Spa Manager (annual compensation) Esthetician (annual compensation including gratuities) Massage Therapist (annual compensation including gratuities) Front Desk Receptionists (hourly pay) If a spa employed more than one person in the position, respondents were asked to select the range that represents the average for all employees in the position. Data was weighted by region and spa type to make the results representative of the entire industry.

Methodology Developing an Inventory of Spas: An extensive cross-reference of various business directories was conducted via the Internet to develop a comprehensive inventory of U.S. spas. All possible spa businesses were included in the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 or the current 2009 spa industry census. During the census, attempts were made to contact all potential spa businesses to qualify them as a spa using product/service-based criteria and to classify them by spa type using revised category criteria. The definition of spa is provided below. In all, approximately 12,600 spas in the United States have been formally qualified and classified. This represents 59% of the industry. Qualification and classification incidence rates from the census were then used to extrapolate the size and type distribution of the overall industry. Definition of Spa: For the purpose of this study, a spa is defined as a place of business that enhances the overall well-being of a person through a variety of professional spa services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit. With few exceptions, to be qualified as a spa, businesses must offer at least two of the following three services: Massage (full body); Skin Care Treatments (e.g., facials); or Body Treatments (e.g., hydrotherapy or body wraps/scrubs). All but approximately 5% qualify as a spa by offering at least two of these core services. The remaining 5% qualified as a spa based on the other spa-related services they offered and the share of revenues derived from the core spa services. Quantitative Survey: The Association Resource Centre Inc. conducted 805 surveys (645 via random telephone survey and 160 via Internet survey) with U.S. spa owners and managers in March 2009. Each telephone survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete. The data in this report have been weighted to more accurately reflect the true distribution of the industry population. Data was weighted by type of spa as defined by ISPA and by region.

Spa Director Compensation All Spas

Spa Director Compensation by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Less than $20,000 13% 20% 2% 12% $20,000 to $29,999 20% 16% 4% 2% $30,000 to $49,999 43% 38% 15% 39% $50,000 to $74,999 18% 15% 42% 39% $75,000 to $99,999 3% 10% 23% 7% $100,000 to $124,999 3% 0% 11% 2% $125,000 to $149,999 1% 0% 2% 0% $150,000 to $174,999 0% 2% 2% 0% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Spa Director Compensation by Region East East Central Central West West Less than $20,000 12% 7% 11% 32% 10% 9% $20,000 to $29,999 18% 22% 18% 9% 32% 5% $30,000 to $49,999 40% 42% 47% 28% 32% 31% $50,000 to $74,999 19% 13% 20% 28% 23% 33% $75,000 to $99,999 9% 7% 2% 0% 3% 12% $100,000 to $124,999 0% 4% 2% 1% 0% 10% $125,000 to $149,999 0% 4% 0% 0% 0% 1% $150,000 to $174,999 1% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0%

Spa Manager Compensation All Spas

Spa Manager Compensation by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Less than $20,000 20% 22% 3% 5% $20,000 to $29,999 28% 28% 16% 6% $30,000 to $49,999 39% 31% 52% 44% $50,000 to $74,999 12% 13% 26% 44% $75,000 to $99,999 1% 5% 3% 1% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Spa Manager Compensation by Region East East Central Central West West Less than $20,000 15% 18% 27% 25% 15% 10% $20,000 to $29,999 22% 32% 20% 35% 24% 21% $30,000 to $49,999 33% 38% 50% 31% 38% 48% $50,000 to $74,999 28% 9% 3% 10% 23% 20% $75,000 to $99,999 3% 3% 0.3% 0% 0% 1%

Esthetician Compensation All Spas

Esthetician Compensation by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Less than $20,000 25% 12% 3% 14% $20,000 to $29,999 24% 18% 27% 5% $30,000 to $49,999 36% 60% 49% 58% $50,000 to $74,999 13% 8% 20% 24% $75,000 to $99,999 2% 2% 1% 0% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Esthetician Compensation by Region East East Central Central West West Less than $20,000 14% 26% 22% 30% 22% 22% $20,000 to $29,999 29% 18% 30% 15% 28% 22% $30,000 to $49,999 40% 40% 36% 42% 42% 42% $50,000 to $74,999 15% 16% 9% 8% 8% 15% $75,000 to $99,999 2% 0% 3% 6% 0% 0%

Massage Therapist Compensation All Spas

Massage Therapist Compensation by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Less than $20,000 22% 31% 3% 13% $20,000 to $29,999 35% 27% 22% 23% $30,000 to $49,999 36% 38% 51% 55% $50,000 to $74,999 7% 5% 22% 9% $75,000 to $99,999 0% 0% 1% 0% $100,000 to $124,999 0% 0% 1% 0% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Massage Therapist Compensation by Region East East Central Central West West Less than $20,000 17% 20% 15% 27% 20% 25% $20,000 to $29,999 29% 28% 41% 30% 38% 35% $30,000 to $49,999 47% 44% 35% 31% 39% 29% $50,000 to $74,999 7% 8% 10% 12% 3% 11% $75,000 to $99,999 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% $100,000 to $124,999 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Front Desk Receptionist Compensation All Spas

Front Desk Receptionist Compensation by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Less than $7/hr 3% 4% 0% 4% $8/hr to $10/hr 42% 24% 29% 34% $11/hr to $12/hr 39% 35% 52% 44% $13/hr to $15/hr 10% 32% 13% 15% $16/hr to $19/hr 4% 5% 3% 3% $20/hr or more 1% 0% 3% 0% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Front Desk Receptionist Compensation by Region East East Central Central West West Less than $7/hr 2% 4% 2% 7% 0% 2% $8/hr to $10/hr 30% 52% 52% 55% 29% 21% $11/hr to $12/hr 36% 32% 36% 27% 69% 52% $13/hr to $15/hr 18% 9% 7% 12% 2% 21% $16/hr to $19/hr 10% 3% 1% 0% 0% 5% $20/hr or more 4% 0% 3% 0% 0% 0%

Positions Spas Are Actively Trying to Fill

Positions Spas Are Actively Trying to Fill by Spa Type Day spa Medical spa Resort/ Hotel spa Other* Spa Director 2% 4% 2% 0% Spa Manager 3% 1% 2% 0% Esthetician 13% 5% 7% 13% Massage therapist 21% 12% 24% 32% Front desk receptionist 13% 12% 15% 15% Other 20% 9% 18% 19% None of these 55% 72% 59% 59% *Other includes club, destination & mineral spring spas

Positions Spas Are Actively Trying to Fill by Region East East Central Central West West Spa Director 1% 2% 3% 4% 2% 1% Spa Manager 2% 3% 2% 5% 0% 1% Esthetician 15% 7% 15% 9% 10% 12% Massage therapist 22% 20% 24% 18% 27% 18% Front desk receptionist 12% 13% 19% 16% 6% 10% Other 17% 19% 20% 25% 22% 15% None of these 62% 56% 51% 51% 51% 63%

U.S. Salary Compensation Data The positions surveyed on average have higher annual compensation in the resort/hotel spa industry when compared by spa type. 79% of resort/hotel spa directors make $50,000 or more per year, whereas, 76% of spa directors at day spas make less than $50,000 per year. Medical spas on average pay a higher hourly rate for front desk receptionists with 37% paying $13 or more an hour. Less than half of the spas surveyed are actively trying to fill a position. 22% of spas are trying to fill massage therapist positions with the greatest demand being in the West.

Survey Regions West Central East West East Central

About the International SPA Association ISPA is recognized worldwide as the leading professional organization and voice of the spa industry. Founded in 1991, ISPA s membership is comprised of more than 3,200 health and wellness facilities and providers from 83 countries. ISPA advances the spa industry by providing invaluable educational and networking opportunities, promoting the value of the spa experience and speaking as the authoritative voice to foster professionalism and growth. For more information on ISPA, write to, call or e-mail: 2365 Harrodsburg Road, Suite A325, Lexington, KY 40504, USA Domestic Telephone: 1.888.651.4772 or Direct: 1.859.226.4326 or E-mail: ispa@ispastaff.com About the Association Resource Centre Inc. The Association Resource Centre Inc. is a full-service management consulting firm that specializes in meeting the diverse needs of the not-for-profit sector. Through its Research and Strategy Division, the firm provides a broad range of research services to associations and to the members they serve. The Association Resource Centre s extensive background in governance, strategic planning and association research enables it to interpret the data it receives and to provide insightful analysis as to what the data means. Core team members from the Association Resource Centre Inc. have played lead roles in all of ISPA s American industry research since the inaugural study in 2000.

Disclaimer Although the information in this update has been obtained from sources that the Association Resource Centre Inc. believes to be reliable, its accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. This update is based on survey responses of spa establishments. This update is for information purposes only. All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the views of survey respondents combined with our judgment as of this date and are subject to revision. Surveys for this study were conducted by Association Resource Centre Inc. in March 2009. Estimates are by nature subject to error. It is important to note that all opinions and estimates included in this update constitute the views of survey respondents combined with Association Resource Centre Inc. s judgment as of this date and are subject to revision. Copyright This document contains proprietary information of the International SPA Association. No disclosure or use of any portion of the contents of this material may be made without the express written consent of ISPA. For permission to reproduce any material contained in this publication, please call ISPA at 1.859.226.4326. If consent is granted, attribution to ISPA and other sources specified in the document should be made. All rights reserved. 2009