The minimum investment in a spa center: 1.000 euro/sq

During this year, the number of operational spa centers in Romania increased with over 50%, mainly on the hotels segment, up to a total of 190 rooms, according to the data supplied by the consultancy agency MondoSpa. “In 2009, the evolution of this market will follow the trend of 2008: an increase that will mainly focus on the hotel spa segment. Moreover, next year the profile market will come up with something new: the set up of the first real estate spas inside the Stejarii in Baneasa and Silver Mountain in Poiana Brasov assemblies”, the general director of MondoSpa, Liliana Paraipan states. Last year, according to the data of MondoSpa, in the country operated six day spas (with a total of 37 rooms), two spas in hotel (6 rooms), two balneo-spa (54 rooms), five health spas (20 rooms) and one destination spa (10 rooms). In 2008, the number of operational areas has changed reaching to nine spas (48 rooms), 11 spas inside hotel (48 rooms), six balneo-spas (64 rooms), five health spas (20 rooms) and one destination spa (10 rooms). “If in the Western countries the largest segment is occupied by the day spas, in which the clients spend only a few hours, without the possibility of staying overnight, in Romania, these tend to represent less than 35% out of the market”, Liliana Paraipan sustains. She appreciates that the minimum level of investments in this type of spa centers is of about 1.000 euro on sq. “The sales and the location of the hotel should mainly focus on the spa, otherwise the investments in this type of centers aren’t justified“, Liliana Paraipan adds. Till this moment, the spa in which was invested the most (and that is almost finalized) is Palace Resort and Spa Sibiu with a surface of about 2.000 sq exclusively set up for spa. The annual revenues generated by a spa centre are situated between 500.000 euro (to an occupancy level of 25%) and almost two million euro (if all the jobs are occupied during the full program). At world level there are 71.600 spa centers, the global spa market being worth on last year of 250 billion dollars, of which 60,3 billion dollars were direct revenues generated by the profile industry.