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Spa Finder president Susie Ellis.

Spa Finder president Susie Ellis explains why robust data and ongoing research will be so valuable in driving the spa industry forward in the best possible ways.

Spa Finder President Susie Ellis is a famous name across the international spa industry. Her spa trends are respected worldwide, her spa reviews mean she is a guest every spa wants to please and her weekly online blog is a touch-point for busy spa professionals.

Ellis's job isn't all flower baths and facials, however. She is also increasing the influence of Spa Finder by driving the rollout of SpaFinder.com - which records 15,000 visits a day in the US alone - in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Plus, in addition to her highly enviable position as a spa tester, Ellis plays a crucial role in moving the global spa industry forward. With her husband and Spa Finder CEO Pete Ellis, she is one of the founding members of the board of the Global Spa Summit (GSS).

An invitation-only event, the inaugural GSS - which Ellis says Spa Finder has underwritten so far - was held in 2007. Its impact has been huge for the industry, with a landmark Global Spa Economy 2007 report presented at this year's meeting.

"A few of us conceived of the idea for the GSS because we felt that while there were some great conferences around the world, there wasn't one that was really global and focused on moving the industry forward in a positive way together," says Ellis.

"It's the top industry event now globally," she continues. "There are a lot of things that are exciting about it - the 100s of people that come together, the interaction, the dialogue and the agenda.

It's not about promotion - there's no trade shows, no booths. People are actually discouraged from bringing up their own brand," she says.

"The first year we got together, what was very clear was that more data was needed. The press wants data, investors want data. How do we measure how we are doing well - by more data. So, the GSS got together and commissioned a study," says Ellis.

SRI International - formerly the Stanford Research Institute - carried out the research on behalf of GSS, explains Ellis, in what she says represents the most comprehensive effort yet to quantify the rapidly expanding global spa industry.

"Very few industries even try to do any global numbering because it's so challenging," she adds.

"But, we now know how many spas there are in 210 countries around the world and what their revenues are, recognising that industry revenues do not just come from the price of a massage.

"Other industries, whether media, consulting, investment, tourism or medical wellness are affected, so SRI was able to build a cluster model that shows the value of the spa industry to government, to investors and to all of us to look at now to help shape the future," explains Ellis.

The report's findings derive from interviews with more than 50 high-level industry executives; 1000 responses to a global survey of industry sources; and data collected from more than 210 countries - including 20 in the Middle East.

Crucially, the study defined spas as "establishments that promote wellness through the provision of therapeutic and other professional services aimed at renewing body, mind, and spirit."

This reflects Ellis' passion for destination spas and her philosophy that spa experiences should lead to a noticeable improvement in the way a person feels.

"Exercise, healthy eating, breathing, detoxing, relaxing, sleeping well, meditating, finding balance, social health experiences, connecting with other people - that whole experience is what I consider to be spa," she says.

Ellis adds that the key now is to use the data to "really make sure that the spa industry grows in a really positive way so we don't get too saturated, so that we really deliver quality experiences for people".

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