Wellness spas form a large and diverse global industry. In 2023, 191,348 spas generated $136.8 billion in revenue worldwide. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) projects that global spa revenue will reach $184.3 billion in 2028, while its 2023 figures show a market that had recovered above its pre-pandemic revenue level.
Table of contents
- Global spa industry size
- Pandemic disruption and recovery
- Regional wellness spa statistics
- Spa types and business models
- Leading national spa markets
- Revenue growth and outlook
Global spa industry size
The GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024 reports 191,348 operating spas worldwide in 2023. Those establishments produced $136.8 billion in global revenue during the same year. The figures cover the spa industry as a whole, including hotel and resort spas, day and club spas, salon spas, medical spas, destination spas, health resorts, thermal and mineral springs spas, and other spa businesses.
The 2023 revenue total was 118% of the industry’s pre-pandemic level, according to the GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024. For context, global spa revenue was $116.3 billion in 2019. The comparison shows that the 2023 total was not simply a return to the earlier baseline; it was higher than the 2019 figure.
GWI’s separate Spa Industry page estimates 201,861 spas worldwide in 2024 and $157 billion in worldwide spa revenue for that year. These are estimates for 2024, rather than the 2023 reported totals. The same GWI page states that spa revenue grew at an average annual rate of 7.4% from 2007 to 2024.
Longer-term historical figures also show expansion. In 2007, the global spa industry had 71,800 spas and generated $47 billion in revenue, according to the GWI Spa Industry page. The 2007 and 2024 figures are from that source’s longer historical series and should be read as reported historical estimates, not as independently verified measurements here.
Pandemic disruption and recovery
The global spa market experienced a sharp contraction at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global spa revenues fell 38.2% in 2020, according to the GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024. The industry also lost more than 4,700 businesses during 2020.
The annual revenue series reported by GWI shows the size and timing of the change:
| Year | Global spa revenue |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $116.3 billion |
| 2020 | $71.9 billion |
| 2021 | $83.9 billion |
| 2022 | $105.8 billion |
| 2023 | $136.8 billion |
The figures indicate a staged recovery rather than an immediate rebound. Revenue increased from $71.9 billion in 2020 to $83.9 billion in 2021, then to $105.8 billion in 2022 and $136.8 billion in 2023. The GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024 identifies the 2023 figure as 118% of the pre-pandemic 2019 level.
The industry also recorded a 4.1% compound annual growth rate from 2019 to 2023, according to the same report. That period includes the 2020 decline, so the rate describes the overall change across the full interval rather than uninterrupted annual expansion.
Regional wellness spa statistics
Europe was the largest regional spa market in 2023, with $49.7 billion in revenue and 65,385 spas. Its spa revenue per capita was $54. Europe’s revenue grew 22.4% from 2022 to 2023 and at an annual rate of 3.3% from 2019 to 2023. These regional figures are from pages 82–83 of the GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024.
Asia-Pacific had the largest regional spa count in the supplied six-region totals, with 91,160 spas in 2023. The region generated $36.0 billion in revenue and had spa revenue per capita of $8. Asia-Pacific revenue grew 54.5% from 2022 to 2023 and at an annual rate of 2.6% from 2019 to 2023.
North America generated $31.1 billion in spa revenue in 2023. Its spa revenue per capita was $83, the highest per-capita figure among the regional values listed here. North American spa revenue grew 10.4% from 2022 to 2023 and at an annual rate of 4.6% from 2019 to 2023.
The remaining regions reported the following 2023 revenue and growth measures:
| Region | 2023 revenue | Revenue per capita | Growth, 2022–2023 | Annual growth, 2019–2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin America-Caribbean | $10.7 billion | $16 | 46.3% | 7.8% |
| Middle East-North Africa | $6.7 billion | $12 | 41.8% | 11.7% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $2.7 billion | $2 | 53.9% | 6.5% |
The regional comparison highlights different dimensions of the industry. Europe led in total revenue among the listed regions, Asia-Pacific led in establishment count, and North America led in revenue per capita. The Middle East-North Africa region had the highest annual growth rate from 2019 to 2023 at 11.7%, while Sub-Saharan Africa had the lowest listed 2023 revenue per capita at $2.
Spa types and business models
Spa revenue is distributed across several operating categories. Hotel and resort spas were the largest revenue-producing category in 2023, generating $66.02 billion. Day, club, and salon spas generated $39.05 billion. Medical spas generated $10.61 billion, while destination spas and health resorts generated $10.04 billion.
Thermal and mineral springs spas generated $6.21 billion, and other spas generated $4.90 billion. These category revenues are reported by the GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024 on page 85.
The establishment counts show a different ordering from the revenue ranking:
| Spa type | 2023 revenue | 2023 establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel/resort spas | $66.02 billion | 80,728 |
| Day/club/salon spas | $39.05 billion | 72,247 |
| Medical spas | $10.61 billion | 10,225 |
| Destination spas and health resorts | $10.04 billion | 2,800 |
| Thermal/mineral springs spas | $6.21 billion | 9,276 |
| Other spas | $4.90 billion | 16,072 |
The GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024 reports 191,348 establishments in total for 2023. Hotel/resort spas accounted for 80,728 establishments, while day/club/salon spas accounted for 72,247. Together, those two categories represented the largest establishment counts in the supplied breakdown.
Medical spas numbered 10,225 establishments in 2023 and generated $10.61 billion in revenue. Destination spas and health resorts had 2,800 establishments and generated $10.04 billion. Thermal/mineral springs spas had 9,276 establishments and generated $6.21 billion. The category data describes the size of each business segment; it does not by itself measure consumer outcomes, treatment effectiveness, or the average price of an individual visit.
Leading national spa markets
The United States was the largest country spa market in 2023, with $28.70 billion in revenue. China ranked second at $11.74 billion, followed by Germany at $8.73 billion. France ranked fourth with $6.36 billion, and Japan ranked fifth with $5.65 billion.
The next five countries in the supplied ranking were Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, India, and Russia. Their 2023 spa revenue totals were:
| Rank | Country | 2023 spa revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $28.70 billion |
| 2 | China | $11.74 billion |
| 3 | Germany | $8.73 billion |
| 4 | France | $6.36 billion |
| 5 | Japan | $5.65 billion |
| 6 | Italy | $4.61 billion |
| 7 | Spain | $3.36 billion |
| 8 | United Kingdom | $3.27 billion |
| 9 | India | $3.03 billion |
| 10 | Russia | $2.96 billion |
All country figures in this ranking are 2023 spa revenue figures from the GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024, page 84. The ranking compares total market revenue; it does not compare population size, number of establishments, revenue per capita, or the mix of spa categories in each country.
Revenue growth and outlook
The supplied GWI figures combine recent reported totals with longer-term estimates and a forward projection. For 2019–2023, the global spa industry’s reported compound annual growth rate was 4.1%. From 2007 to 2024, the GWI Spa Industry page gives an estimated annual growth rate of 7.4%. These rates cover different time periods and source presentations, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measures.
The GWI Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024 projects global spa revenue of $184.3 billion in 2028. That is a forecast, not a reported historical result. The GWI Spa Industry page estimates $157 billion in worldwide spa revenue for 2024, also distinguishing it from the $136.8 billion reported for 2023 in the monitor.
Taken together, the figures describe an industry with substantial scale, a severe 2020 interruption, and a reported 2023 recovery above the 2019 revenue level. They also show why “wellness spa” is not a single uniform business category: market size varies by geography, operating model, establishment count, and whether the measure is total revenue, per-capita revenue, historical growth, or a forecast.