The impacts of high-volume massage on spa therapists’ physical and mental wellness

Abstract

ABSTRACTIssues of turnover are causing detrimental effects to the service industry, impacting business productivity (Baum, 2006; Boella and Goss Turner, 2013 Cohen & Bodeker, 2008; Solnet, Kralj & Kandampully, 2012). As the spa industry continues to increase at a rapid rate (Global Wellness Institute, 2018), simultaneously, issues of recruitment and retention follow suit (Cohen & Bodeker, 2008; Global Spa and Wellness Summit, 2012; International Spa Association, 2012; McIInheney, 2018). The spa and wellness industries are embedded (Spa Creators, 2016); therefore, employee wellness should be a focal concern for spa business. Few studies have been conducted in the field of human resource management concerning the spa industry (Hakhverdyan, 2017), however a small amount of research provides a suggestion that the physical nature of a spa therapist’s job role in high-volume massage settings is resulting in decreased wellness, along with other factors (Blau et al. 2013; Craig, 2018; Yeomans et al., 2009). The positive impacts of workplace wellness initiatives have proven successful in boosting business productivity amongst many organisations (Mintel, 2010; Killian, 2017; Spa Finder, 2016). Further investigation of this phenomena could provide valuable and insightful knowledge contribution to inform both academia and business practice in this field.