SINGAPORE: I met up with a friend recently and noticed she was sporting a radiant “holiday glow”, knowing that she couldn’t have come back from any leisurely overseas trip.
“It must be the spa ‘day-cation’ I had yesterday,” she told me.
Advertisement Advertisement She had spent almost S$600 on a four-hour retreat at a spa, which included a massage, a facial, a manicure, and a meal.
Having known her for a long time, she had always struck me as someone rather prudent with her money. I had never would have thought she would splurge on a day spa as extravagant as this.
“I’ve cancelled all my travel plans this year and decided to direct a portion of that budget to this instead,” she explained.
(Photo: Unsplash/Kevin Laminto)
Advertisement Advertisement Her explanation justified her actions. After all, a one-week trip to Japan would have set you back by at least S$2,000 even if you didn’t shop too much.
“This is the only way for me to truly feel like I’m catching a break, especially with everything that’s going on this year.”
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Missing the thrill of dressing up for work as a man[/h]REDIRECTING TRAVEL BUDGETS
Advertisement I am also guilty of splurging on things I normally won’t spend too much on in 2020.
Specifically, expensive beauty devices – facial rollers, LED light devices, eye massagers, you name it. I acquired most of them during those two long, gloomy months of circuit breaker when facial salons weren’t allowed to operate and I was spending all my weekends at home.
I have been extremely lucky to still keep my job during this crisis. But while trying to cope with the changes and shocks that came with the pandemic and lockdown, I found respite in my grooming routines.
I consoled myself that staying home gives me more time to re-focus on myself and I should make the best out of the situation by achieving a “post-circuit breaker glow” that I can flaunt when I meet people again.
(Photo: Unsplash/Alan Caishan)
I noticed that people are spending on more luxurious beauty services on Salon Finder, a salon voucher e-commerce site owned by Daily Vanity.
Compared to the same period in 2019, the number of voucher transactions jumped approximately 180 per cent this year.
[h=3]READ: Grooming services overwhelmed, gyms grapple with distancing measures ahead of Phase 2 re-opening[/h][h=3]READ: More beauty services jobs for locals in next 5 years, says industry alliance as it launches new competency framework[/h]This trend started as early as June, even before the Government gave the green light for salons to re-open, which means that consumers are buying vouchers in order to use them later as soon as salons reopen.
And as the year progressed, with little hope for an overseas holiday more consumers are spending locally.
When she launched the Beauty Services Competency Framework in August, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling spoke of this strong demand for beauty and wellness services, despite COVID-19 restrictions.
At the event, Ms Low said: "People still want to look good and feel great. In fact, given the current travel restrictions, more people are having to look for spa and beauty services locally.’’
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Glamping at Jewel Changi Airport - where’s the fun in that?[/h][h=3]READ: Commentary: No travel plans these school holidays, but that's ok[/h]THE LIPSTICK EFFECT
Spa owners are seeing healthy numbers too – many say their packages, especially couple packages, are already fully booked till the end of the year.
Even aesthetic clinics I spoke to say they’re seeing more business than before.
They tell me people are going for treatments on weekdays since they can simply head home after their lunchtime aesthetic fix, without worrying about their colleagues questioning them about the marks on their faces.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Does long-term WFH mean goodbye to makeup?[/h]
(Photo: Unsplash)
Some call this the “lipstick effect”. This is an economic theory that says consumers are more willing to purchase relatively affordable luxuries like a Chanel lipstick during a recession, instead of big-ticket luxury goods, such as a Chanel bag since they will not be able to afford it. (Ironically, lipstick sales have gone down in 2020 probably because of mask-wearing, but you get the idea.)
While the lipstick effect may be at play, there is more to this behaviour than just an economic response.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: We know the IKEA catalogue was much more to us than pages of furniture[/h]After all, the pandemic has triggered more than a recession. Our lives have changed in so many other ways: We can’t travel whenever we want. Big family gatherings, such as birthday party for Grandma, are no longer possible.
Even eating out with friends come with restrictions too.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: What the Singapore tourism vouchers are really about[/h][h=3]READ: Commentary: I miss my regular bar – but I accept I might never get to return, even after circuit breakers are lifted[/h]WHY SELF-CARE HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT
Self-care has always been commonly practised even before 2020, whether visiting a spa or spending time at home with a sheet mask as we sip on a cup of hot tea.
But the pandemic has made self-care more meaningful than before.
Every aspect of our lives is now regulated in order to manage the pandemic, still without a clear end.
Splurging on spa treatments or a more pampering skincare routine serves as a sliver of warmth and comfort in what seems like an endless winter.
It is something we need for our mental well-being during these trying times.
I would argue self-care in a pandemic has become a necessity.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Is behaving with social responsibility during a pandemic so hard?[/h]Of course, I’m not saying you should go out and splurge on a S$600 spa day. This is still a huge luxury for many.
But it is okay to find respite in our grooming routines – expensive or not – as a way to focus on yourself and get your mind off worrisome news and the unknown future for a while.
I know my superhero mask is a sheet mask. Because whenever I take time to recharge myself through my skincare routine, I find myself emerging more energised than before to take on whatever the world has to throw at me.
Kristen Juliet Soh is the editorial director and co-founder of Daily Vanity, which owns Salon Finder.
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“It must be the spa ‘day-cation’ I had yesterday,” she told me.
Advertisement Advertisement She had spent almost S$600 on a four-hour retreat at a spa, which included a massage, a facial, a manicure, and a meal.
Having known her for a long time, she had always struck me as someone rather prudent with her money. I had never would have thought she would splurge on a day spa as extravagant as this.
“I’ve cancelled all my travel plans this year and decided to direct a portion of that budget to this instead,” she explained.
Advertisement Advertisement Her explanation justified her actions. After all, a one-week trip to Japan would have set you back by at least S$2,000 even if you didn’t shop too much.
“This is the only way for me to truly feel like I’m catching a break, especially with everything that’s going on this year.”
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Missing the thrill of dressing up for work as a man[/h]REDIRECTING TRAVEL BUDGETS
Advertisement I am also guilty of splurging on things I normally won’t spend too much on in 2020.
Specifically, expensive beauty devices – facial rollers, LED light devices, eye massagers, you name it. I acquired most of them during those two long, gloomy months of circuit breaker when facial salons weren’t allowed to operate and I was spending all my weekends at home.
I have been extremely lucky to still keep my job during this crisis. But while trying to cope with the changes and shocks that came with the pandemic and lockdown, I found respite in my grooming routines.
I consoled myself that staying home gives me more time to re-focus on myself and I should make the best out of the situation by achieving a “post-circuit breaker glow” that I can flaunt when I meet people again.
I noticed that people are spending on more luxurious beauty services on Salon Finder, a salon voucher e-commerce site owned by Daily Vanity.
Compared to the same period in 2019, the number of voucher transactions jumped approximately 180 per cent this year.
[h=3]READ: Grooming services overwhelmed, gyms grapple with distancing measures ahead of Phase 2 re-opening[/h][h=3]READ: More beauty services jobs for locals in next 5 years, says industry alliance as it launches new competency framework[/h]This trend started as early as June, even before the Government gave the green light for salons to re-open, which means that consumers are buying vouchers in order to use them later as soon as salons reopen.
And as the year progressed, with little hope for an overseas holiday more consumers are spending locally.
When she launched the Beauty Services Competency Framework in August, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling spoke of this strong demand for beauty and wellness services, despite COVID-19 restrictions.
At the event, Ms Low said: "People still want to look good and feel great. In fact, given the current travel restrictions, more people are having to look for spa and beauty services locally.’’
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Glamping at Jewel Changi Airport - where’s the fun in that?[/h][h=3]READ: Commentary: No travel plans these school holidays, but that's ok[/h]THE LIPSTICK EFFECT
Spa owners are seeing healthy numbers too – many say their packages, especially couple packages, are already fully booked till the end of the year.
Even aesthetic clinics I spoke to say they’re seeing more business than before.
They tell me people are going for treatments on weekdays since they can simply head home after their lunchtime aesthetic fix, without worrying about their colleagues questioning them about the marks on their faces.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Does long-term WFH mean goodbye to makeup?[/h]
Some call this the “lipstick effect”. This is an economic theory that says consumers are more willing to purchase relatively affordable luxuries like a Chanel lipstick during a recession, instead of big-ticket luxury goods, such as a Chanel bag since they will not be able to afford it. (Ironically, lipstick sales have gone down in 2020 probably because of mask-wearing, but you get the idea.)
While the lipstick effect may be at play, there is more to this behaviour than just an economic response.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: We know the IKEA catalogue was much more to us than pages of furniture[/h]After all, the pandemic has triggered more than a recession. Our lives have changed in so many other ways: We can’t travel whenever we want. Big family gatherings, such as birthday party for Grandma, are no longer possible.
Even eating out with friends come with restrictions too.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: What the Singapore tourism vouchers are really about[/h][h=3]READ: Commentary: I miss my regular bar – but I accept I might never get to return, even after circuit breakers are lifted[/h]WHY SELF-CARE HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT
Self-care has always been commonly practised even before 2020, whether visiting a spa or spending time at home with a sheet mask as we sip on a cup of hot tea.
But the pandemic has made self-care more meaningful than before.
Every aspect of our lives is now regulated in order to manage the pandemic, still without a clear end.
Splurging on spa treatments or a more pampering skincare routine serves as a sliver of warmth and comfort in what seems like an endless winter.
It is something we need for our mental well-being during these trying times.
I would argue self-care in a pandemic has become a necessity.
[h=3]READ: Commentary: Is behaving with social responsibility during a pandemic so hard?[/h]Of course, I’m not saying you should go out and splurge on a S$600 spa day. This is still a huge luxury for many.
But it is okay to find respite in our grooming routines – expensive or not – as a way to focus on yourself and get your mind off worrisome news and the unknown future for a while.
I know my superhero mask is a sheet mask. Because whenever I take time to recharge myself through my skincare routine, I find myself emerging more energised than before to take on whatever the world has to throw at me.
Kristen Juliet Soh is the editorial director and co-founder of Daily Vanity, which owns Salon Finder.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...