Spas in many areas are having to protect themselves against legal action by tightening their procedures after a barrage of personal injury claims have been made against them. The National Spa Authority reported a staggering 36% increase in the number of claims in the first 6 months of 2009. The situation has led to an increased depth in the spa treatment screening process of clientele and more legal protective procedures to be put in place.
A case last year of a woman suing a local spa after she claimed she was injured by a bad massage, is likely to be the cause of the increase in claim activity.Even though she had previously sought medical treatment for issues related to her back, she verbally confirmed with the therapist that she no longer had any problems.Even so, she still decided to sue the spa when the her massage left her with supposed mobility problems and she was awarded a 5 figure pay out.
Since this incident, the amount of claims being filled has gone through the roof. Although most of the cases have also been related to massage treatments, there are also lots of incidents such as skin burns, hair loss and even weight gain that people have tried to claim for.There is little doubt that a large number of these claims are not genuine and are simply scams to get money from the spas. A number of insurance companies have announced that they will take strong legal action against false claims, but this is still a worrying time for any health spa.
Spa authorities are encouraging spas to maintain as higher standard as they can and to make sure they screen each client thoroughly. They are advised to source their skin care products from reputable companies, service and check over their equipment as often as possible, and maintain regular high quality treatment training for their therapists
Tags: business, claim, Insurance, personal injury, spa
