PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has published its Spa Benchmark survey for the spa sector in the Middle East – with Doha giving a strong showing in the only report covering spas from the Jordanian Dead Sea region, Doha in Qatar and Beirut in Lebanon.

Issued on a quarterly basis, the latest edition covers the period from January to March 2014 – tracking key metrics and information on the performance of the sector in the Middle East market.

The average treatment revenue per treatment sold during the first quarter of this year was highest in Doha (US$140), roughly 50 per cent higher than that of the Dead Sea and 120 per cent higher than in Beirut – according to the report.

The Doha market also captured the highest average daily treatment revenue per available treatment room (US$326) while the revenue in the Dead Sea was US$92 and US$61 in Beirut.

The study also stated the average daily revenue generated per therapist for Doha spas was 26 per cent higher than Dead Sea spas and 244 per cent higher than Beirut spas.

Although average treatment revenue per treatment sold and average daily treatment generated per therapist are higher in Doha, the Doha spa market accounted for the lowest utilisation of therapist hours in the three markets surveyed.

“The Spa Benchmark report has been created as an additional service to our hospitality clients as part of PwC’s Thought Leadership programme for real estate and hospitality sector in the Middle East,” Mohammad Dahmash, partner and Middle East leader of real estate, hospitality and construction said in the introduction to the report.

“Our objective is to provide spa operators with a benchmark of internal spa operations that can be used as a tool for driving operational decisions and profitability, as well as information on common indicators that can be used by investors and developers in the sector,” Dahmash continued.

Performance data was contributed by PwC’s data partners – leading spa resorts in the Middle East.