Skin Deep: Book Clubs Are Turning Up in Spas

At what seems to be a growing number of spas, clients are comparing their thoughts about something other than the newest anti-aging facial or which technician gives the best deep-tissue massage. They’re discussing a suspenseful page-turner or recently released self-help best seller.

Book clubs have become a popular way for day and destination spas to bring in potential clients and to give existing ones an excuse to keep coming back. At the Carlyle Hotel, a monthly literary group began meeting this week at the Yves Durif Salon inside its Sense spa and listen to Erica Jong discuss “Sugar in My Bowl,” a sex anthology she edited.

At the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Tex., a series called For the Love of Books is held monthly, and Canyon Ranch established a series of author appearances last year at its flagship Tucson location. The “Paging” Happiness Book Club, introduced last month by Bliss, promotes a new release quarterly: for each title, the book and a companion package of products are sold on the spa’s Web site, with a themed treatment, like a manicure-pedicure accompanied by a guided meditation recorded by the author Gabrielle Bernstein around her book “May Cause Miracles,” available at most of its locations starting early next year.

Such promotions, said Heather Mikesell, executive editor of the trade magazine American Spa, make spa-going more social. “It’s more than hiding in a treatment room,” she said. “It’s something you can share with your friends, so it brings more to the table.” And because they both attract demonstrably more women than men, spas and book clubs are a logical match.

They are also a low-overhead investment. At day spas that offer book conversations and author appearances, it’s usually free to attend. At residential spas like Rancho La Puerta near San Diego in Tecate, Mexico, literary programming is included in the price of a stay. (Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa in Tucson charges a fee to attend its book series, which was introduced last year; it revolves around intimate talks by authors affiliated with the spa, like Dr. Andrew Weil.)

Most spas sell the books that are discussed, and some offer either a companion treatment or, as the Spa at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H., does, occasional discounts on services to book-club attendees.

With the rise of these book gatherings, publishing houses are building spa appearances into their authors’ promotional tours. “It used to be that there were four different components: radio, television, magazines and newspapers,” said Leigh Ann Ambrosi, vice president for brand publishing at Crown Archetype. “Now when you look at the bookings, it’s so drastically different, and kind of anything goes. Everybody’s trying to do new things and establishing new partnerships and cross-promotional opportunities.”

“Happier at Home” by Gretchen Rubin, one of the titles Ms. Ambrosi is working on, is included in the Bliss book club. To promote it, Ms. Rubin will appear at the spa’s Lexington Avenue location in December and answer questions on its Web site after stops on “Today” and “Katie,” at chain and independent booksellers, and at several locations of the store Anthropologie. “Part of it is, ‘Kiss more’, so here’s lip balm, which is funny, but it’s really true,” Ms. Rubin said.

Participation in the Bliss events probably won’t spike sales the way a mention in Oprah Winfrey’s book club might have, but Ms. Ambrosi is still happy with the alliance. “You’re capturing the person that already wants to take care of themselves,” she said, “and now wants to take care of themselves in a more emotional way.”

Although authors are typically not paid for spa appearances (they fall under the umbrella of promotion), it doesn’t usually take a lot of arm-twisting to get writers to a spa. “It’s a nice treat for the authors,” said Robbie Hudson, director of programming at the Lake Austin Spa Resort. “The book tours can be pretty grueling. Sometimes they like to end their tour here and be pampered. They can do a talk and they’re a spa guest.”

Author appearances are not necessary for a book club to thrive. Ethos Fitness Spa for Women in Midland Park, N.J., has not included them in the literary discussions it offers periodically for members. The Ole Henriksen Face/Body Spa in Los Angeles plans to introduce a traditional book club for clients early next year, following the success of similar staff-only gatherings. But an author’s presence can help attract guests ... and sell books.

“It was delightful to understand more of what a writer does,” said Debbie McLeod, 57, a nurse administrator based in Arlington, Tex., who timed a visit to the Lake Austin Spa Resort in June with her mother and sister-in-law around an appearance by the author Claire Cook. Although she’d read only one of Ms. Cook’s novels at that point, after meeting Ms. Cook and hearing her speak, she said she subsequently bought another of her titles and is looking for a local book club to join as well.

Beyond just attracting clients, book clubs help spas position themselves as more than just a place for a restorative treatment or a regular eyebrow wax. “It’s allowed people to see us with an expanded view,” said Susan Grey, regional vice president for spa operations at Bliss. “You might come in one week for your laser hair treatment, but the next week you come to learn about how to achieve a higher state of happy at home or at work. That is our overall message: we would like people to think of Bliss as a place to come for overall wellness.”

In other words, though you might be doing more reading at the spa these days, don’t expect intellectual heavyweights like Jonathan Franzen or Zadie Smith to come wandering out of the sauna in terry-cloth sandals.

“For the spa owner and operator, it is an opportunity to touch that consumer in a very nonthreatening way: to educate the consumer that there’s a talk about a really great book but also, ‘Let us introduce you to this massage or pedicure,’ ” said Lynne McNees, president of the International Spa Association, a trade organization. “You really kill lots of birds with lots of stones during a book club. It’s good for the business.”

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