Message from the Managing Director

The simple Message from the Managing Director is “The Spa/Wellness Industry Needs You!” Congratulations and thank you for considering spa/wellness as a career path.” So why does the industry need you?”

First, I need to declare myself as a bit of a research/statistics junkie. In fact my oldest adult daughter lovingly joked recently that she bet that it would be impossible for me to deliver a speech or write anything about the spa/wellness industry without quoting statistics. Well I do hate disappointing her and see no reason to delay the inevitable so let's get at it!

A 2007 research study done for the International Spa Association (ISPA) indicates that in the North American spa/wellness industry alone there about: 13,000 unfilled management positions; 26,000 unfilled massage therapy positions; 34,000 unfilled esthetics/nail tech positions; and, 17,000 unfilled front desk positions. That's about 90,000 employment opportunities in everything from day spas to exotic resort spas to medical spas – you name it – they need staff. Due to various factors this labour shortage is going to worsen from an spa operator's perspective or better from your perspective.

While this might be news to someone new to the industry or peeking in from the outside, it should really not come as a surprise to anyone in the industry. In every single survey I have been involved with or read over at least the past 10 years, the number one challenge to the industry, cited consistently and unanimously by industry leaders across the country, is the lack of qualified labour. Two of the key factors (there are others) that will continue to drive this industry challenge upward are: a) the general boomer shift into retirement with not enough bodies in the replacement workforce pool to replace or support them – don't forget that the boomers control by far the greatest percentage of the countries wealth; and, b) consumer demand continues to drive up the number of spas. Let's forget about “a)” for a moment since it is not industry specific and it has lots of general press - except to note that what it does translate into is the situation where not only does the spa/wellness industry need to attract more staff but it needs to do that on a highly competitive basis with most other major industries.

In the US, the number of spas continued to grow at a robust pace of 13% or about 1,700 new locations (14,600 total spa locations). If you throw in the estimate that the average spa employs 16 staff and that means that about 27,000 new career opportunities are coming up each year just in the US. In Canada, in the same period, growth was estimated at 18% or about 200 new spa locations (2,800 total locations) with an average of 11 staff per spa which translates into over 2,000 new career opportunities in Canada alone. The number of total annual visits to spas in Canada in 2006 (17 million) represented a 21% increase in consumer demand – in Canada the industry revenue base about $1.1 billion per year – yes over $1 billion dollars. So there is clear evidence that the growth is consumer driven. Is this a “flash-in-the-pan”? (a passing fad that will disappear) – in my opinion and based on the fact that since 1997 (last 10 years) there has been a total cumulative growth in the number of spas in Canada of 343% which is also reflected in the growth in industry revenue, number of visits and employment growth.

As my bio indicates, I have had the privilege & honour of being invited/inducted to participate and speak at the 2007 inaugural Global Spa Summit and again in 2008 – a gathering of a rather humbling group of about 250 hand-picked spa/wellness industry leaders from around the world. I am also pleased to be part of the Global Spa Summit's Labour Shortage Taskforce. The discussions on the Global Spa Labour Crisis session should be transparent by the session title – the most heavily attended standing room only session of the entire summit. Enough said as to whether the statistics and particularly the career opportunities identified above in North America are representative of the global industry – a resounding “Yes” from me. Ah ha! Another opportunity for statistics! The direct spa/wellness sector globally is estimated at over $254 Billion (includes spa revenue, capital investment, education, consulting, media, spa products) – if you throw in fitness & fitness products, beauty & beauty products, beauty & wellness medicine and health foods and nutrition you are pushing close to $1 Trillion U.S. In 2007 alone, the total global capital investment in the spa industry is estimated at over $12.9 Billion. Estimated: total spa employment 1.2 million; number of spas 72,000; total spa revenue $46.8 Billion.

Now you see what my daughter was talking about – me and my statistics! Well if nothing else I would think it will be a challenge for you to find another spa/wellness college that understands and is in tune with the industry they train their students for more than Elmcrest. Yet to us at Elmcrest it is just a natural requirement of our being because we don't know any better way we can ensure that our program curricula truly meet today's industry needs. Both philosophically and practically, we see our marriage to the industry as a necessity in optimizing the success of our students which in turn will ultimately determine Elmcrest's success.

This is an exciting well established industry that is mature at its core while pulling in new health & wellness components every year. It represents great career path opportunities. Elmcrest grads have gone to work all over the world – from cruise ship spas to exotic five diamond resort spas to day spas in Dubai, China, India, Greece, Costa Rica, Australia, Mexico, all over the U.S. & Canada – basically wherever they wanted and were able to go. But not everyone is suited for a spa/wellness career. We pre-qualify all of our students to ensure that they will have a high likelihood of success in their chosen program. None of our courses are easy and a spa/wellness career is not a great fit for everyone. We would prefer to try to help you find this out before you enter a program rather than after you have completed it.

On behalf of Elmcrest College, I hope that we can become part of your success story – start by reading the materials contained on the website and contacting our Admissions Department today for a no-pressure appointment – we want to ensure this is the right decision for you.

Jack Morrison, CMA
Managing Director, Elmcrest College