Statistics are becoming more important to back up our claims

The recent rise in demand for wellness-focused services and treatments has been huge and new research this month into the role that sleep and nutrition play in the beauty market further underlines their importance.

While we’ve long been educated about the effects of sleep deprivation on obesity and stress, until now little research has been done to prove that the age-old concept of beauty sleep is grounded in truth.

But a new clinical trial commissioned by Estée Lauder has shown that poor quality sleep can lead to accelerated skin ageing, providing new evidence for the value of sleep-focused wellness programmes in spas, and indeed of any treatment that helps clients to relax. See this issue for more.

Meanwhile new figures showing a marked increase in sales of supplements demonstrate an increasing consumer awareness of the importance of nutrition, suggesting salons that enhance the effects of facials, by also treating skin from the inside, are on the right track.

The growth in popularity of non-medical routes to physical and mental wellbeing has been attributed in part to an increase in stress levels as recessionary cuts lead to longer working hours. And recession has also led to cuts in NHS budgets, meaning more consumers are seeking out their own paths to health.

It was the latter trend that drove Mermaid Maternity Retreat founder Nick Balfour to establish an innovative new wellness concept specialising in the treatment of pregnant women, new mothers and babies. Read more about it, and his plans for expansion, in the September issue.

Targeting a niche market segment in this way can breed loyal clients, but for salons and spas looking to reach a wider demographic, this issue also explores how make-up events and new body treatments using microdermabrasion can help you attract new types of clients.