In many parts of the developed world, including North America, Australia, Europe and Japan, the population is aging
and the birth rate is decreasing. This population will require more medical care, while the middle-aged group (often called ‘ Boomers ’ ) will have a strong desire to stay youthful and vibrant for as long as possible. Other demographic trends include a shift in ethnic makeup, an increase in population and urbanization of the developing world, a shortage of highly skilled talent and a rise of income inequality. What this means for the spa industry is a continued and increased interest in spa-going with shifts in participant make-up and challenge in terms of staffing. Health and beauty treatments will remain appealing to the aging, urban population, whose medical needs support the fusion of practical medicine and spa philosophies. At the same time, the Gen X and Gen Y generations of spa goers will flood the industry with their new open attitude toward all things spa; since they had grown up watching their parents take part.
However, fundamental human needs and desires are so strong that they will continue to overshadow potential shifts in other arenas. The spa industry addresses many of the concepts included in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: the physiological needs for food, water, air and sleep; the need for safety, security, love, belonging, esteem and self-actualization; and the desire to gain and understand knowledge, create and experience beauty, and reach a place of transcendence where one becomes aware not only of his or her own potential but the fullest potential of human beings at large.