LOS ANGELES — Judging by some of the more popular booths at the recent Spa & Resort Expo & Conference here recently, trends in the beauty and spa arena are either very pure and earthy, or extremely high-tech.
The event, which ran from March 3 to 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, featured 259 exhibitors and attracted about 4,400 attendees. The show is designed for owners and operators of high-end spas and medi-spas in search of the latest treatments and products.
Products ran the gamut from new organic lines free of chemicals and parabens to processes and products that use the latest scientific advances.
Exhibitors were largely in agreement that spa owners were increasingly on the lookout for the most efficient and cost-effective treatments and lines, putting pressure on vendors to come up with offerings that provide quick results. Another key factor: Spa users are interested in regimens they can take home.
“It’s become all about balance, wellness and beauty from within,” said Keith Rodbell, founding partner of Elementals in Atlanta, a maker of nutraceuticals and wellness products.
At the show, he was introducing a new metabolic testing system designed for spas, which employs a Breathalyzer test to analyze metabolism. It also outlines a calorie-controlled diet plan and suggests supplements. The system is based on larger machines generally used in hospitals. This version sells for about $6,500.
Rodbell said spas increasingly wanted to such offer full packages. “Spas are not just about pampering anymore,” he said. “People want something they can take home with them, and that will continue to give benefits.”
Nonetheless, spa goers these days want to see an immediate effect, as well. The Nano Perfector from Arasys, a company based in Honolulu, is intended to lift sagging muscles and detoxify the skin using micro currents.
“Usually six to 12 treatments are recommended, but you can often see results after a few sessions,” said sales consultant Martin Fleming. “It lifts, firms and smooths out wrinkles. The effects are cumulative.”
Arasys was also showcasing its weight-loss device, which promises uses will build muscle and loses inches without going to the gym. Fleming said most people lose 1 to 2 inches after one treatment.
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“It basically stimulates the nerves that stimulate the muscles, giving the body full contractions, like in a workout,” he said, adding that the system was being used by spas, medi-spas and plastic surgeons to help tone the body after radical weight loss or liposuction.
Many exhibitors were angling their products to spas that want to offer a full range of services.
NewReality, of Livermore, Calif., was showing its NXTlynk Pro, a system that comes programmed with different creative visualization and relaxation techniques that spas can offer their customers. The audio programs tackle weight loss, insomnia and poor sleep patterns.
“It’s basically hypnotherapy in a box,” said business development manager Thom Kaz. “More spas want to expand their service component and focus on the mental side of wellness,” he said.
Nonetheless, spas are heavily geared to indulging and pampering, using products that are as close to nature as possible.
Bunnie Gulick was using the show to introduce her new line, Isun, a collection of organic skin and body care products. “The emphasis is on organics,” said Gulick, whose company is based in Ridgway, Colo. “Eighty percent of the ingredients are organic. We use natural enzyme preservatives and no chemicals. That’s really our biggest selling point.”
The collection encompasses body wraps and exfoliant treatments for spa use, and a full collection of cleansers, moisturizers, toners and eye creams for at-home use. There are also masks and body moisturizers.
Gulick said she wanted to pack the products with the kind of ingredients that spa owners clamor for, including mango seed butter, rhassoul (a Moroccan clay) and powder derived from the Indian neem leaf. Bright red fruits such as wild Tibetan goji berries, and green ingredients like algae and herbs, bring in a lot of beneficial properties, she said. There are 72 sku’s in the line, priced at retail from $20 to $120. Gulick expects to be in at least 40 spas by the summer.
Tom Wellman, president of Sabai Spa in Tamarac, Fla., agreed that demand was high for exotic products. At the show, he was unveiling the Thai Herbal Ball, used in traditional Thai medicine, and for which he had trademarked the Sabai Spa massage. The herbs contained in the ball include lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime, camphor and tamarind, and are from a recipe originating at the historic Wat Po temple in Bangkok. The herbs work together to soothe sprains and contusions, and to heal and purify the skin.
“The bundles are to be used along energy lines of the body, and to help unblock blockages,” he said. “It’s a new trend that is very popular in Western Europe right now, and we want to introduce it to the U.S.”
There were other standouts at the show. RevitaLash, a new product from Athena of Las Vegas, was created by Michael Brinkenhoff, M.D., for his wife, Gayle, who had lost her lashes as a result of chemotherapy for breast cancer.
The product, launched late last year, is now in 1,900 spas nationwide and is just about to be distributed internationally, said Hannah Murray, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
Carrying a retail price of $64 for a three-month supply, the serum — which looks and applies like a liquid eyeliner — is designed to lengthen and thicken lashes naturally. Murray said the product was selling well at medi-spas and plastic surgery clinics, and that the company was negotiating with specialty stores as well. The Murrays were also considering other applications for the formula.
And skin care stalwarts Dermalogica and G.M. Collins were hyping new products; from Dermalogica, there was a Sheer Tint Redness Relief containing green oxides to soothe and calm red skin.
“The response has been phenomenal,” said Phillip Zamudia, regional sales manager of Dermalogica, based in Carson, Calif. “When people first heard of it, we had a thousand e-mails in one week to our Web site asking where they could get it.”
And Nick Mockridge, business development manager of French line G.M. Collins, said the brand’s new Age Total Defence, which retails for $105, was selling extremely well.
“Since we launched our new packaging for the entire line last April, the company has been doing very well,” he said, adding that even at the show, business was “stronger than we thought it would be. We’ve added new accounts, and the image revamp has been very successful,” he said.