US spas earn four times more than those in the UK

American spas are generating more than four times the revenue per location of their UK counterparts. This according to a new benchmarking report from Trybe.

The spa software provider gathered operational data from more than 400 spa, leisure and activity businesses across the UK, Europe and the US, covering £181m in revenue.

Findings reveal that US spas average £1.44m in revenue per location, against £961,000 in Europe and £323,000 in the UK.

Spa packages and upsells

The State of Spa Revenue: Global Benchmarks for 2026 argues these global revenue gaps are driven less by price and more by how well spas use their time.

For example, European spas charge less than those in the UK for a 90-minute treatment – £168 in Europe versus £200 in the UK. Yet European spas earn more per guest (£85 against £79) and see almost three times as many guests per site.

“The difference comes from filling time well and selling packages,” said Amy Moore, marketing and partnership lead for Trybe. “The data shows 93 per cent of bookings through Trybe are spa days and breaks. Upsells built into the booking flow add an average of £266 per guest.”

Bigger isn’t always better

The headline findings show the UK’s smallest spas are also its most efficient.

Operators with one to five treatment rooms earn £142 per treatment hour, more than double the £67 earned by those with 30 rooms or more.

The report links this to staffing and investment rather than size alone. A room that can’t be staffed earns nothing, and spreading budget across more rooms dilutes the experience.

“The operators winning do so through intentional design, how they schedule, package and price, not through size or pricing power alone,” the report states.

“The pattern across all three markets points to the same underlying tension: scale introduces complexity, and complexity, without the right systems, erodes efficiency.”

A different kind of guest

Much is made in the report of the changing spa guest. The 25 to 44 age group (referred to as WELLZoomers) now spends the most. The 55-plus market, often seen as the traditional spa goer, spends the least.

WELLZoomers treat wellness as part of their routine, rather than an occasional treat. They book on their phones (76 per cent), often out of office hours (51 per cent) and male bookings have grown by 255 per cent in a year.

Monday sees the most bookings but the lowest spend. Saturday sees the fewest bookings but the highest spend per transaction.

“The WELLZoomer is ready to spend,” said Moore “The operational question is whether the business is ready to capture it. If the booking journey isn’t mobile-first, fast and available around the clock, that impulse doesn’t convert. It disappears.”

Looking ahead to 2027

With labour costs rising and margins under pressure, the report concludes that growing revenue simply by adding more appointments is a strategy that is reaching its limit.

The operators pulling ahead are leading with packages, using dynamic pricing as standard and building their offer around the guests who are actually spending.

“The gap between average and excellent is not a matter of resources or market privilege,” said Trybe co-founder Ricky Daniels.

“It is a matter of design, how systematically an operator has built their commercial model around the realities of how guests behave, what they want and when they are most ready to spend.”

To download State of Spa Revenue: Global Benchmarks for 2026, click here.

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