Survey predicts demand for Irish beauty salons and spas after Covid-19

A survey carried out by Spas.ie, in consultation with the Irish Spa Association (ISA), has found that nine out of 10 people said that personal wellness and wellness therapies are far more important now than before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

The countrywide survey of almost 2,500 Irish spa goers found they are overwhelmingly comfortable to start getting treatments done again, with 97% saying they will be happy to be going back for manicures, 95% for a massage, and 90% will feel comfortable having facials and eye treatments. 

Nearly half of all respondents (44%) said that they had missed seeing their spa therapist more than seeing a friend, and 86% said they wished they could have had a massage during lockdown. Three-quarters of respondents tried at-home beauty treatments during lockdown, yet nearly all of these (72%) will be going back to the spa or beauty salon to get them done professionally.

“We are heartened that there is such a demand for our wellness and beauty industry,” said Peigin Crowley, co-founder of the ISA. “We are very confident every spa and salon nationwide is taking the safety of customers and staff very seriously. They will have PPE in place along with strict sanitisation protocols.” 

According to Juan Cullen, director of Spas.ie, the most welcoming thing about this survey is how it shows a priority towards personal wellbeing, with 93% responding that spas are more important now than ever. “With the right safety measures in place, the vast majority of Irish people are ready to return to spas, to invest in their wellness, and 20% of these believe they will spend more money in the spa than they did before,” he added.

When asked what additional offerings they would like from spas in Ireland, there was a clear demand for more services like two-night retreats and services around mental wellbeing like mindfulness, meditation and nutrition.