The layoff trend in the SPA industry has sparked controversy, with technological substitution and upgraded emotional value game
On September 2, 2025, Shenzhen - As preparations for the 2026 World Pool, Hot Spring, Bath, and SPA Expo begin, an industry debate about "technology replacing human labor" continues to ferment. Due to the blind introduction of AI massage robots and automated management systems, some traditional sweat parlors have experienced a cliff like decline in service quality, with a sharp decrease of over 40% in customer traffic. Meanwhile, high-end clubs have achieved counter trend growth in performance through the "human-machine collaboration" model, revealing a new path for industry transformation.
The logical fallacy behind the wave of layoffs
During a visit by reporters, it was found that a certain chain of sweatshops has reduced their front desk and cleaning positions by 50% in order to save costs, and instead used voice interaction systems and self-service disinfection cabinets. However, due to frequent equipment malfunctions (such as a speech recognition error rate of up to 30%) and insufficient supply of dry towels, negative reviews of Dianping have surged. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for 'warm services' rather than cold machines, "said Ms. Li, a massage parlor technician in Chengdu, representing the views of most practitioners.
According to data from the Global Health Research Institute, by 2025, the added value of emotional services in China's SPA industry will account for 62%, far exceeding technical operations (38%). The "Aromatherapy+Underwater Yoga" experience cabin launched by Thai brand THANN at the Bulgari Hotel in Shanghai has achieved a single consumption of over 2000 yuan through the guidance of human technicians, confirming the market value of emotional connection.
Empowering technology to create new job opportunities
In sharp contrast to the wave of layoffs, there has been a surge in demand for emerging professions such as smart device operation and maintenance engineers and health data managers. The "Pool Brain" platform developed by Alibaba Cloud requires algorithm engineers to optimize water quality monitoring models in real-time; The Meituan "one click reservation" system requires offline teams to coordinate 4000 cooperative venues across the country.
The real crisis is not the replacement of humans by machines, but the failure of enterprises to balance efficiency and experience, "said experts from the China Swimming Association." The policy side is making efforts - the 2025 Guiding Opinions on the Construction of National Fitness Pool Facilities clearly require that newly built community swimming pools must be equipped with human service positions to avoid technological abuse
Expo Preview: 10000 cutting-edge products unveiled, defining the future of the industry
According to the organizers, a "human-machine collaboration experience area" will be established at the 2026 Shenzhen SPA Expo, where visitors can wear biosensors to take a bath, monitor muscle relaxation and blood circulation index in real time, and generate personalized chemotherapy recovery plans through an AI system. At the same time, Fialand's innovative products such as hydrogen energy pool heat pumps and Dassler's "AI Pool Steward" will showcase how technology can help the industry reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Machines are responsible for precision, while humans are responsible for temperature - this will be the industry consensus for the next decade, "concluded the chairman of the Expo Organizing Committee.