British men are beginning to prioritise their self-care more, with a quarter of men wanting to take better care of their wellbeing (22%) and 40% of generation Z men saying they would love to be gifted a spa day, found a survey by UK spa group Champneys to celebrate National Men’s Grooming Day (August 20).

Despite men being more open to experiencing spa days and treatments, 36% still believe there’s a stigma attached to men visiting spas, the report found. This is evident in the stats, which shows that 47% of millennial men are more open to visiting a spa than the older men they know.

However, more than one in 10 (12%) of 35–44-year-old men revealed they loved spa days but never go on them. Massage is a firm favourite among men who do visit spas – 20% of over 55s said it was their favourite treatment, followed closely by facials (most popular with 25–34 year olds) and manicures (extremely popular with 16-24 year olds).

The research also revealed that 13% are open to visiting spas as part of a stag-do, breaking the stereotype that spa trips are more suited to hen dos. This backs up recent research which revealed that 30% of Brits are prioritising self-care more since Covid-19 pandemic.

Just under a third of those surveyed also stated that they feel like spas don’t currently cater enough for men, with 25% explaining they would like to see more treatments offered specifically for male clients.

7 common misconceptions that stop men from going on a spa day:

The survey also revealed the top misconceptions that stopped men from visiting spas – a valuable piece of information for spa operators. The most common answer was that they felt that spas were too feminine (36%). The full list is below: 

1. Too feminine – 36% of men agreed
2. Too much stigma – 36%
3. I would feel embarrassed – 34%
4. I don’t feel comfortable – 33%
5. Spas don’t cater enough for men – 29%
6. I want more male-specific treatments – 25%
7. I would only go with a female – 21%.

“It’s great to see from our survey the number of young men who would love to visit the spa, especially as a gift,” said Laura Tatlow, group spa director at Champneys.

“Although we’ve already started to see a shift in stereotypes in the wellness industry being broken down for men, our research has highlighted that there is still work to be done.”

5 regions in the UK with the least pampered men:

The research also revealed the areas with the highest percentage of men who have never been on a spa day.

Scotland came out top of the list with 61% of men having never stepped foot in a spa, the South East second with 60.8%, East of England third (58.7%), Yorkshire and the Humber fourth (57.6%), and East Midlands fifth (50.8%), the report found.

It seems that Greater London is home to the most pampered men in the UK, with only two in five (40%) having never visited a spa.

What do you make of this news? Comment below. 

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