CBD use at spas reaching new heights

As awareness of the perceived benefits of cannabidiol rises in the US, more spas are adding treatments and offering products that incorporate CBD.

In the 2019 ISPA US Spa Industry Study due out later this month, the International Spa Association will report that 18% of spas featured CBD last year. One-third of spas at resort hotels include the products in treatments, while only 16% of day spas featured CBD products.

ISPA found regional differences as well. In the Southwest, where such products have been available longer, 42% of spas incorporate CBD, while the rate in the North and South was only 3%.

Interestingly, ISPA’s July Snapshot Survey found that 41% of respondents have added CBD for treatments, retail product sales or both. The survey, though it has a smaller sample size than the annual study, points to the rapid rate at which CBD use is growing.

Spas are focused on a number of things as they incorporate the products, especially the purity and efficacy of the compounds and education of both therapists and clients.

“I’m more interested in how it was grown, how it was harvested, how the workforce is treated by the company and how the land is treated,” Kate Morrison, spa director at Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, Calif., told Hemp Industry Daily.

ISPA’s Jamison Stoike wrote recently of his first CBD treatment and took notice of how knowledgeable his therapist was, “which is particularly important for a product that arouses as many questions as CBD.”

Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., has found CBD Oil Massage to be so popular that its menu has been expanded to include Lavender Lemongrass CBD manicures, pedicures and body treatments. “Therapists are enthusiastic about the results and guests appreciate the soothing benefits,” said Carla Minsky, a spokeswoman for the facility.

Meanwhile, the spa at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, Calif., has added the VYBES Calm & Balance CBD Massage. “The treatment begins with a five-flavor flight of VYBES followed by a full body massage with therapeutic grade CBD oil and a full pour of spa-goers favorite VYBES flavor after the service,” spa spokesperson Taylor Thompson noted.

Overall, spas have seen increasing interest in CBD treatments. Lynne Hite, director of The Well Spa at Miramonte Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., recently told Palm Springs Life that she has seen a positive response since adding CBD.

“People who have used it will automatically upgrade their treatment to include the CBD and those who are not familiar love that they have the opportunity to try the product in their treatments,” Hite said. “We love hearing the stories from our guests when they have less pain, more mobility or simply an increased sense of well-being.”