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72 DAYSPA | JUNE 2014 GLOBAL SPEAK The business environment in Brazil is not without its obstacles. There's a 35% payroll tax, and taxes on busi- ness operations range from 9% to 18%. The country has protectionist policies that make it extremely dif- fi cult and expensive to import goods and equipment. Spas in particular need to be cautious when conceiv- ing their menus, as certain treatments, especially those that are perceived to be medical in nature, will trigger changes in the business's taxable rate. Gustavo Albanesi is the owner of the Buddha Spa chain (buddhaspa.com.br) and the founder and former president of Associação Brasileira de Clínicas e Spas (abcspas.com.br), the Brazilian spa associa- tion. According to Albanesi, the country's aesthetics clinics, which number more than 5,000, have their own associations, but ABC is the only one specifi c to spas in Brazil. There are approximately 1,000 spas in Brazil, but so far only about 100 are members of Brazil's spa association. The association's main activ- ity is a Spa Week-type promotion run several times per year, which has been very successful, attracting as many as 250 spas in fi ve states. The association's other responsibilities include: • Coordinating a non-profi t organization called Levar Bem-Estar (translation: Bring Well-Being), responsible for providing basic spa education training for people on low incomes, which enables them to perform quick, relaxation-style massages for the elderly in hos- pitals and in other situations • Publishing Spa Brasil, the only digital magazine in Brazil focused on the spa market • Promoting seminars and supporting other events for spa and clinic owners • Publishing the fi rst statistical report for the Bra- zilian spa industry (in 2013) SPAS IN PRACTICE How does the spa culture in Brazil differ than that of the U.S.? Albanesi relates that the Brazilian people are constantly seeking new esthetics procedures but that "Spa services are still in the developmental stages; outside the large cities, the rest of the coun- try still hasn't acquired the habit of visiting spas." Orientation for the spa guest is also a little different. "Clients come to Buddha Spa specifi cally for relax- ation treatments, as the brand was built with that in mind," Albanesi explains. "Facials don't sell much in spas, because clients go to doctors or aesthetics clinics for those treatments." Buddha Spa currently has 18 locations, both Airnergy Breathing Therapy at Kurotel aims to boost energy. PHOTO COURTESY KUROTEL G l o b a l S p e a k . i n d d 7 2 Global Speak.indd 72 5 / 1 / 1 4 3 : 3 5 P M 5/1/14 3:35 PM