A growing middle class and the rise of non-communicable disease such as stress and cancer, as well as a rising luxury goods culture, are contributing significantly to the growth of the fledgling spa business in the country. Currently, the spa industry in Nigeria is estimated to be worth over N30billion in annual turnover, says Ndidi Olatunji-Bello, CEO, Bnatural Spa, one of the first spas to be opened in Nigeria over ten years ago.

Skincare as an item of service provided by spas accounts significantly for the boom, as more Nigerians backed by a growing wallet size are recognising the importance of taking care of their skin. This has opened up the business for manufacturers of advanced skincare products in Europe to step in.

“We have been very successful in the business,” Olatunji-Bello says, adding “We opened at the time when people in Nigeria were yet to understand the concept of spas in the country. A spa is not a place where you go until you have a problem but a place to let go of the stress. A medical spa takes care of people’s general well being and it is the direction of the spa industry even throughout the world.”

According to Olatunji-Bello, Nigerians have been at the risk of using fake and or substandard skin creams for so many years, which accounts for the surge in skin cancer.

“Nigerians just apply any cream on their bodies without checking its composition. Hydroquinol and mercury are dangerous to the skin yet many people use body cream with these chemical compositions. The presence of spas in the country is set to change that and educate people on how to take care of their skin. If you take good care of your skin, you don’t have to be light, you just need to glow.”

Already, foreign skincare brands are opening shops in Nigeria to take advantage of the rising demand by Nigerians for Spa services. A Spanish company, Germain de Capuccini, an advanced skincare company based in Spain, has already established a strong presence in Nigeria, making their products exclusively available in top spas.

Maria Eppel, the company’s representative in Nigeria says the country’s spa industry is growing at a fast space compared to what it was when the first spa opened for business in the country about ten years ago. Today Nigeria has been identified as the second country on the continent for luxury goods, spas inclusive.

Faana Assafa, a renown dermatologist based in the United States says there is an emerging market for skincare products in Nigeria and smart dermatological companies in conjunction with local spas are already thinking of tapping into this opportunity. Local businesswomen are already establishing more spas to meet the demand. It costs about N30 million to build a standard spa says Olatunji-Bello.

Skin care is a big issue in Africa,” says Assafa. Skin is the biggest organ in the body. There are lasers that have been designed specifically for women of colour.”

Industry analysts say the increase in demand for luxury product like spas is a proof of the growing middle class in the country and indicates Nigeria’s rising profile as the destination for luxury cosmetics.

A report by Euromonitor International shows that in luxury cosmetics, South Africa was one of the world’s strongest growth markets between 2006 and 2011 with retail spending showing compound aggregate growth rate of 15 percent per annum. The value of South Africa’s total premium cosmetics market is estimated at around US$773 million (N121 billion) in 2011.

In both South Africa and Nigeria, there are signs that the luxury goods culture has taken root, which makes them the strongest frontier markets in Africa.

A 2011 report by the African Development Bank shows that seven of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies are currently in Africa, with 70 percent of the continent’s population living in countries which have enjoyed average economic growth rates in excess of 4 percent over the past decade.

This stable progress according to the report has given rise to a growing middle class. Approximately 310 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are classified as middle class (that is those who spend between $2 and $20 a day at 2005 prices). These are the people who drive demand for products like mobile phones, televisions, fashion, and spa services.

By: Funke Osae-Brown