An Exploratory Study on Career Challenges of  Spa Therapists in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Spa in Sri Lanka provides a rejuvenating experience for anyone looking to unwind from the stresses of everyday life or find relief from the pain of a severe illness. Professional spa therapists play a significant role in the Sri Lankan spa industry. They should work in various settings, specialising in knowledge concerning specific client populations, and learn multiple massage and spa bodywork systems that approach the body and healing from new perspectives; therefore, many professional therapists face various challenges. This exploratory study aimed to explore career challenges faced by spa therapists in Sri Lanka. According to the survey, We were able to locate eight spa therapists working in an SLDTA-registered spa in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used together to find information-rich cases. The thematic analysis has been used to analyse the data. According to the findings, different types of inherent and extrinsic challenges exist. These challenges include social, guest-related, health-related, workplace-place-related, economic, and regulatory-related. In addition, we were able to capture the response of Spa therapists to those challenges. The implications of this research would help understand the typical career challenges of Spa therapists and help the vocational training sector and industry regulators to develop measures to advance career development and establish the reputation of the occupation of the Spa therapist in Sri Lanka.