Spa and wellness
’Spa’ has become a wellknown word to describe a place where wellness programmes are organized. On the other hand it is difficult to define its meaning becuase it is very complex and also because it may vary from country to country. As far as the origin of the word is concerned, there are two ideas. One concept is that the word derives from the Latin phrase „sanus per aquam” or „salus per aquam”, that is ’health from water’. The other idea is that the word comes from the geographical name of Spa, a famous Belgian town, known for its medicinal baths. (Albel A.– Tokaji F. 2006). Specialist literature in the English-speaking countries first used the term to describe the preservation of health by using water. The International Spa Association (ISPA) defined it differently. Spas are places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit.’ (Mintel 2007)”. The spa-experience basically comprises four areas, i.e. relaxation,, reflection, revitalization, and rejoicing. It is usually referred to as the complexity of the 4Rs that is Relax+Reflect+Revitalise+Rejoice. Considering the tipology of the International Spa Association there are several types of spas including club spas, daily spas, holistic spas etc. For further deatils see:
In Europe spas as health service providers are mostly associated with the provision of services related to medicinal waters, but in today’s spas different fitness programmes and beauty care treatments also play an increasingly significant role. Thermal water treatments are not among the compulsory spa services in America or Asia. The American-type spa is increasingly becoming a health-centered institution because service providers pay a special attention to healthy eating, exercising, beauty and body treatments and meditation. In addition to conventional western treatments American spas also utilize ancient cures deriving from North America or the Far East. „The two processes point to the same direction: due to these characteristics wellness-orientation has strengthened both in Europe and the United States.’ (Hustiné Béres K. 2011)”.
The terms ’spa industry’ or ’wellness industry’, which is mostly used in English terminology, is similar to the term we use in Hungary to describe health tourism. The difference is that the English term has a broader meaning, and it emphasizes the economic significance of health tourism as well. This approach can be justified by the fact that spa and wellness services can be used not only by tourists but by local residents as well. An additional fact in this respect is that the term ’Health care industry” is also in use, and it incorporates all those elements, which are necessary for the operation of the health care system. (E.g. pharmaceutical industry, herb industry, the production of therapeutical and medical equipment). At the same time it is necessary to note that the term ’industry’ is not relevant in the Hungarian context, since here we emphasize the ’service” element of it.