The first definitions that have emerged about consumer satisfaction
go back to the seventies of the 20th century and refer to the
individual and subjective evaluation of the results or experiences
associated with the use or consumption of a product (Loureiro,
2006; Hunt, 1977). With regards to the classic literature on consumer
behaviour, Loureiro (2006) points out that there are three
general components shared by the definitions, that is, consumer
satisfaction is a response, an emotional or cognitive judgement;
the response refers to a specific focus; and the response is linked to
a particular moment (such as, prior to purchase, after purchase, or
after consumption). Therefore, in this study satisfaction is considered
as an overall evaluation, cognitive and affective, of the service
provided by the Spa that an individual done after received the treatment
and lived the experience. Following Oliver (1997), this study
considers satisfaction as being both an evaluative and emotionbased
response to a service encounter.