Business
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Wellness business known as spa, which has brought good fortunes to its operators elsewhere is steadily finding its way into Nigeria
| By Chinwe Okafor | Oct. 28, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT
A SMOOTH body, it is generally believed, is evidence of good living. This is the reason why many Nigerians are concerned about how they look. They want to look charming and youthful always and go the extra mile to achieve this. This desire to look good and healthy, therefore, makes spa a good business. Spa which is meant to ultimately restore and maintain optimum health and wellness comes in different classes which include beauty, health and wellness treatments.
For beauty and health, there is a normal facial treatment, which is used to freshen the face, remove stress and tension, lessen the oils, and rejuvenate the face. Body treatment also helps the skin which becomes dirty, dead and blocked due to accumulated sweat, especially during the dry season. Body polishes help to rehydrate and moisturise the skin if it becomes dull and lifeless or dries after the harmattan months. Body butter hydrating wrap involves the use of body butter or oils that are slathered on the skin to vanish dry and flaky skin.
Ifeoma Umeh, a graduate of estate management, loves taking care of her body. She achieves this through visiting spa. She said that spa treatments help to de-stress the body with the help of a powerful human touch, skin treatments and complete body overhaul. “Spa treatment makes me look young and fresh at all times, detoxifies my skin, improves sleep patterns, breathing, flexibility, range of motion, athletic performance, and most of all increases my self-esteem and confidence. It also offers facials for the treatment of acne as well as anti-ageing skin care services,” she said.
Umeh said that the usual treatments takes around an hour or more to achieve the maximum therapeutic benefits but “there are some spas that offer express treatments for about 30 minutes, which is a good alternative if you just simply want to try or if you are in a hurry.” The fact that the business is yet to gain ground in Nigeria makes it a great prospect. Theodora Omisande, chief executive officer of D-Ril Spa, Ibadan, said that her desire to find the solution to skin and facial problems infused her interest in spa business. “I can say that my passion for the business and proper training in it made me an expert in this business.
“Most of my clients rate me as one of the leading professionals in facial treatment, hair spa, face polish, body wax, pedicure and body massage in Nigeria. They might be right, but as for me, I am still going far, because whatever my clients are seeing now is not yet the picture in my mind. Spa business has exposed me, made me meet a lot of people and also boosted my financial status. It is a business one can make millions from in a few months, once you are good at it and your clients see good results. This is because people are willing to go the extra mile to get good beauty and health care,” Omisande said.
Nkiru Obi, an apprentice in a spa sauna in Lagos, said that starting up the business solely depends on the scale on which you want to start. She said: “Tens of millions may be insufficient if you are planning to start big while just N10, 000 might be good enough to set up one on the track of facial treatment, but that’s if you are starting small. The essential things you need to start on a low level is a clean room, which may even be one of the rooms in your house, a towel which costs about N1, 000, mirror for N500, two plastic chairs, a pack of treatment products, which costs as low as N2,000 and a local steaming plate, which costs between N5,000 and N6,000.
“But to start on a large scale, you either build a house or rent a good apartment, lasers and beauty equipment. Whether you are starting small or big, you must ensure that you provide customer satisfaction by operating in a clean, relaxing and friendly environment,” she said. Obi advised that one should endeavour to use the best products that will give the clients quick, best and no side-effect results. She said that anyone who wants to start the business, must have a genuine interest in it; must not easily get irritated by what she sees as some of the skin diseases that will be brought to her for treatment may not be all pleasing to touch.
Realnews findings revealed that, learning the basics in the business is paramount to one’s success. This is because the business involves the health and wellbeing of clients. Fees paid are determined by the period of training, what is to be learnt and the teacher. Professionals with recognised certificates charge between N150,000 to N170,000 for three months’ training, between N200,000 and N220,000 for six months’ training, and between N250,000 and N300,000 for a year’s course.
More so, the cost of materials used is determined by the quality and effectiveness of the materials. Spa operators who use local materials, like honey, aloe vera and others for normal facial treatment charge between N1,000 and 2,000 while those who use imported and more efficient beauty products charge between N3,000 and N15,000 for normal facial treatment. According to the most recent statistics from the International Spa Association, ISPA, there were approximately 136 million spa visits made in the United States as at 2012. The business, according to the association, is a growing industry that generates over $11 billion per year in revenue.
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