Spa-nation: It’s time to reboot

The beauty and wellness industry is experiencing a respite after the High Court gave the final nod for spas to reopen. Priyanka Parshurami reached out to some luxury spas in the country to learn about the safety measures being implemented.

As per the market analysis report, India’s spa industry consist of 2,300+ spas, out of which 25 major spa centres are in Kerala and Karnataka only. Who would have imagined that an industry, which generated a revenue of more than US$ 400 million annually and provide employment to millions, would shut down for months! Of course, in this case, it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. But now with the green signal for re-opening coming from the government, the spa industry will slowly get back on its feet.

As the spa and beauty industry are touchbased, spas have to follow strict sanitation processes and maintain high hygiene standards. When contacted, Aniket Sarkar, GM, Ananda Spa, Ananda in the Himalayas, a multi-awardwinning luxury destination spa in the Himalayan foothills, says, “To help guests and patrons start their well-being journey even before arriving at Ananda, and also to continue the healthy lifestyle on their return, Ananda has launched a complete range of personalised Online wellbeing services.” He further added, as part of Ananda’s safety led initiatives, our wellness and guest services team are located on Ananda’s premises including spa therapists, Ayurvedic doctors and Yoga teachers, chefs and restaurant staff, housekeeping, room service, and front office staff. Every aspect of making Ananda the most exclusive and secure haven of well-being, has been considered.

Dr Ravi Shankar Bhat, Wellness Manager, Taj Bekal, shares, “Our team is adept at these practices now and we also have the concept of COVID Marshalls, whose job is to ensure that all these protocols are adhered to. In addition to the stringent protocols of hygiene and sanitisation followed in our spa, we are “hyper-focused” on providing the level of personalised care that the Taj is known for. We have always followed strict standards of hygiene and sanitisation, we have further enhanced our protocols - from sanitising beds, chairs and equipment after each use, to protective gear for employees, contactless services for our guests and more.”

Marriott group is no exception, as when contacted, Riltz Carlton, Bengaluru, one of the finest luxury spas, shares, “We have implemented stringent of the sanitization and safety protocols with the Marriott International Commitment to Clean programme. These measures are in accordance with the guidelines as mandated by the authorities. This encompasses training and implementation of the processes by the team across areas on the new protocols, safety and sanitization measures. Empathy and resilience are the two values we practice at our property every day during this time.”

With all these positive signs and government support, the beauty and wellness industry is expected to get back on track soon.