Located everywhere from urban skyscrapers to strip malls to department stores such as J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, today's day spas cater to "mature women and men who view treatments such as massages and facials as health-enhancing necessities rather than as luxuries," says Paula Killingsworth, project manager of J.C. Penney day spas. The boom in day spas (there are now about 1,000 across the country, according to the International Spa and Fitness Association) is a result of the anti-aging lifestyle pursued by baby boomers. They are taking responsibility for maintaining health and well-being into their 40s and beyond.
PUBLIC MORE INFORMED
As a matter of fact, most of Penney's day spa customers live in the heartland, and Killingsworth says, "They are quite informed about health and well-being. They have learned from reading women's magazines, health articles and books that massage helps detoxify the body systems and skin. They know that alpha hydroxy acid facials and products ensure healthy and high quality skin maintenance. Day spas are attracting increasing numbers of men and women," she supposes, "because people all over the country now want to take just as good care of themselves as people have been doing for a long time in Los Angeles or New York."
Renata Elden, a Los Angeles, California, hair and make-up artist, regularly visits the Aveda Spa and Kriza Salon in Northridge, for massages, body scrubs and facials. "As a working mother with three children, I don't have the time or money to take a vacation as often as I'd like," she says. "Day spas provide affordable, healthy and calming treatments that can make you feel and look better, and you go home relaxed and feeling cared for." Elden also recommends day spas that offer nature-based treatments that include aromatherapy massage or mud and clay baths, such as the natural clay baths at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Riverside, California.
Once exclusive retreats for the rich and famous seeking pampering and privacy, day spas are now popular refuges for the middle classes.
