The store of’Bamford’, a spa brand opened in the department store of’The Hyundai Seoul’ in Yeouido, Seoul. Reporter Lee So-ah
The Spa market, which was hit hard by Corona 19, is reviving silently. The demand for spas declined significantly after the spread of infectious diseases along with hot springs and saunas due to physical contact such as massage. However, this year’s recovery is clear. In particular, it is eye-catching that the main consumer segment has changed from foreign tourists to locals, and from middle-aged to 2030 floors.
People getting spa in department store
The second floor of’The Hyundai Seoul’ department store in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th. The fitting room is the only place in a department store where clothes are undressed, but in the’Bamford’ store here, you can occasionally see people lying bare in sheets or even taking a shower. These are people who receive spa services because they are blocked from outside noise.
Bamford is a British organic cosmetics, clothing and spa brand. Cotswolds in the southwestern part of England, where the representative store is located, is home to celebrities such as Prince Charles, football star David Beckham, and top model Kate Moss, and is considered the most desirable place for British people to live after retirement.
The’Bamford’ spa in Kingham, Cotswolds, UK. Photo Bamford Homepage
Bamford opened its first store in Korea this time, decorating the interior with a similar atmosphere to the Cotswold store and creating a spa space that uses its eco-friendly and organic products containing jasmine, rose, and geranium. The price ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 won on average, depending on the time and part, and it is never cheap, but when I inquired about the store, it was less than a week before the store opened, and more than 30 people used the spa.
Mr. Park, 35, who visited the store that day, said, “I came to look around while I was looking for a spa to go to near Yeouido because my workplace is Yeouido.” “For health, I eat lunch lightly or skip it and take a yoga class or a spa.” “These days, there are many cases of having a spa instead of rice by a friend or coworker or having a couple spa as a date course,” he said. “It’s expensive, but I don’t think it’s a waste because it’s just for me.” .
Inside the’Sulwhasoo Spa’ store near Dosan Park in Sinsa-dong, Seoul (left) and the’The Bell Spa’ in The Plaza Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul. There are many places with the concept of nature. Photo companies
Foreigner vacant seats 2030 fill up
In fact,’The Bell Spa’, located in The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, has its main customers in their 20s and 30s. With the concept of nature in the city center, the finishing materials of the spa space are decorated with trees, stones, plants, etc., and it is getting a good response from young people who want’healing consumption’. A hotel official explained, “Before Corona, customers in their 40s and 50s were 70%, but now customers in their 20s and 30s account for 60%.”
‘Sulwhasoo Spa,’ operated by AMOREPACIFIC, also increased by about four times from the previous year, mainly for young people, and sales in February increased by more than 10% from a year ago. An official at Sulwhasoo Spa said, “As the need for well-being and health has expanded to the younger generation, interest in anti-aging and skin care has greatly increased.” “He said.
Posts that posted spa reviews on Instagram. Photo Instagram capture
Jeon Hye-rim, 33, who recently went to a hotel spa with his mother said, “The generation of parents could buy a house in Seoul if they saved money hard, but our generation is impossible. By delaying buying a house or getting married, I have the opportunity to spend more on myself,” he said. “My friends in their 30s and over now have no use in things like bags, cosmetics, and cars, and they are more interested in spending for my health and mood, such as spas, exercise, and nutritional supplements.” On social media such as Instagram, there are more than 440,000 posts with information and reviews of high-end spas such as’Guerlain Spa’,’Evian Spa’, and’V’Spa’.
Enjoy the’experience’ from luxury goods to spa
Accordingly, domestic companies are also focusing on’basic’ fields such as skin, body, and spa, instead of color cosmetics that have sharply decreased in demand due to refraining from going out and wearing masks after the coronavirus. Bamford is also a brand that Samsung C&T Fashion Group has been working on as part of a new business. Shinsegae International is starting its business in earnest by acquiring’Swiss Perfection’, a luxury spa brand in Switzerland.
Hyang-eun Lee, a professor of service and design engineering at Sungshin Women’s University, said, “It is important for the 20s and 30s to spend the same amount of money to get a’feeling that they live meaningfully and for some reason’. Interpreted it as a’small luxury’ with a pretty good cost-performance ratio.” Professor Lee said, “The MZ generation thinks of stocks, golf, and luxury goods as a’experience’ and approaches’Why can’t I do it?’ It is a continuation.”
Reporter Soah Lee [email protected]
