Special Treatments

Everything “bad” is good again! Eat dark chocolate for the antioxidants. Drink red wine for the heart-healthy benefits. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee and lower the risk for diabetes.

Not so fast, though.

Too many sweets can cause weight gain. More than two drinks a day? Thy liver doth protest. And while java might be passable in theory—three words make that a practical impossibility: venticaramel macchiato.

Though “everything in moderation” isn’t quite as inspiring as the indulgent alternative, health-minded distributors still have a few aces up their sleeves when it comes to wellness promotions. There will always be that one thing people can’t get enough of, and it’s the antidote to one of the most lethal health risks of today’s overworked, overwrought, overwhelmed population.

“Spa items show a brand cares about their customers,” noted Katie Kaalberg, director of marketing for Raining Rose in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “It is an easy and inexpensive way to give them a little pampering.”

From a marketing standpoint, it seems only natural to align products with end-users at a time when shutting out the rest of the world is the name of the game. “A little pampering” could go a long way to break through the clutter.

Julie Warnock, co-owner of Gardena, California-based Bath Promotions, said her distributors find spa products make their way into an end-user’s inner sanctum simply by design. “They want to get this logo and this feeling next to people,” she explained. And while certain items might never make it out of the office, “You get an aroma diffuser, you’re going to take that home and you’re going to use it,” Warnock added.

But when it came to who, exactly, was taking these items home, for years there was a pretty simple answer: women. Warnock jokingly likened it to selling candy to a baby, since the fairer sex just seemed naturally receptive to spa luxuries. However, lately, men in growing numbers have been indulging on their own. “People are pretty aware of sun and skin care now—[both] men and women,” said Tom Whaley, CEO at Aloe Up in Eden Prairie, Minn. He noted that, while having a significant other at home helped men find a reason to open up to these products (i.e., “brownie points”) a greater awareness of sun damage in both genders has helped sunscreen bridge the gap.