Paradise Found

At the Sonesta Beach Resort in Bermuda, it isn't unusual to find leisure travelers getting facial treatments and massages. But business travelers?

Until recently, the number of executives recharging their batteries at spas and other hotel recreational facilities was negligible. But that's changing: Road warriors now account for more than 20 percent of spa visitors at the Sonesta property.

"We get a lot of meeting attendees who come into the spa during their break or free afternoon. We [also] get business travelers who cash in their frequent-flier miles for a long weekend," says Deborah Roker of Sonesta.

The International Spa Association (ISPA) is tracking the surge in interest from road-weary entrepreneurs who are either checking into hotel spas for the weekend or visiting day spas. Why the growth? Spas are appealing to more men, according to the ISPA. In a recent survey, the association reported that men accounted for 24 percent of its members' total spa clientele.

"Instead of heading to watering holes after meetings, [men are] going to health clubs and getting massages or mud baths," says spa industry expert Ed Shaw. "Executives are more conscious of their stress and are trying to manage it better."

This article was originally published in the April 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Paradise Found.