Spa tourism as a part of ageing well

ABSTRACT

Due to increased life expectancy and the prevailing ideological elements of wellness and active ageing, wellness-related consumption has become a distinctive part of many retirees’ lifestyles in affluent societies. This qualitative case study illustrates this trend by examining older adults’ experiences of spa tourism in connection to their broader strategies for ageing well. The data consist of 18 interviews carried out in an Estonian spa destination among Finnish retirees regularly visiting spas in Estonia. Focusing on the perceived benefits, the study shows how spa vacation promotes participants’ wellness very holistically and is therefore an essential part of their individual wellness routines. The study demonstrates how variety of aspects related to ageing and retirement are reflected in participants’ experiences, motives and expectations of spa vacation. Thus the study suggests that the tourist's stage of life should be more widely taken into consideration in tourism experience research and the development and targeting of wellness services to different customer segments. Overall, regular spa tourism is a great example of retirement lifestyle tied to consumerism and wellness-based individualism that supports both individual and societal perceptions of good ageing.

KEYWORDS:

• Wellness
• spa tourism
• ageing
• retirement

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the people who participated in this research, all the cooperative partners who enabled the data collection, and the colleagues who shared their expertise and commented on the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Veera Koskinen is a PhD candidate at the University of Jyväskylä, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Her current research interests involve wellness and related consumption from the perspective of aging and stage of life. At present, she works at the University of Helsinki in a project that examines medical travel in the Baltic Sea region.

ORCID

Veera Koskinen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9446-3406

Notes

1 The spa vacation included half board, three spa treatments per day (prescribed by a physician at the spa), collective morning exercise, and free spa and sauna usage. In addition, two excursions and two evening gatherings were arranged.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kone Foundation.