Smith Travel Research (STR) is a highly regarded hospitality analytics firm founded in 1985. In 2010, during the last recession, they performed a snapshot study of US trends in spa performance which was presented at SpaExec.

During that time the average retail dollar per treatment had risen from US$19 to $26 in just one year.
STR vice president Jan Freitag said that the increase indicated that consumers might be substituting at-home spa experiences for expensive treatments in spa facilities. Read More