The Sustainability and Best Practices of Wellness and Spa in Cebu: A Case Study

Abstract

The emergence of BPO companies and export-oriented companies in Mactan Export Processing Zone increased the target market for wellness and spa. Although the spa business is thriving, it may not be for long since the challenge of service-business management begins with a design that effectively meets the needs and desires of an attractive group of customers. This is what they do not have. This study is anchored on John Elkington’s pillars of the triple bottom line of sustainability (environment, social, and economic performance). It aimed to explore the experiences of the 10 managers/owners of wellness and spa in Cebu for the year 2018. This study utilized five sources of data: (a) documents from spa’s standees and brochures; (b) online website records, such as threaded discussion records; (c) journals of observations and photos, (d) face-to face interviews, including the researcher’s narrative log (transcription); and (e) artifacts such as newspaper clips. The data were analyzed using Yin’s pattern matching technique. The emergent themes that described the best practices were in the areas of service delivery, personnel recruitment, products used, facilities, and competence of service providers. It further revealed themes on resource allocation, finance, social, environmental, and political-legal aspects of the business as elements of sustainability. The study proposed a guideline for sustainability for wellness and spa in Cebu.