China's elderly become major consumers of beauty salon services

China's senior citizens aged 60, 70 or even older have gradually emerged as a major consumer group of beauty salon services, thanks to the continuing growth in their retirement pensions and their evolved consumption concepts.

China, home to 260 million elderly people, has increased retirement allowances for 10 years in a row, leading to a significant expansion in the consumption power of senior citizens, who are embracing new experiences provided by regular body conditioning and facial care.

"When I was young, I couldn’t afford to go to beauty salons. Besides, I was focused on raising my children and doing household chores. Now that I’ve retired, I think it is worth spending some time and part of my pension to live for myself," said one senior citizen who spends half a day at a beauty parlor every week.

A 65-year-old woman surnamed Huang said she used to be an amateur in the field of beauty care, but her consumption concept underwent a drastic change last summer after she joined a modelling team under a university for the elderly after she retired.

"I wanted to learn from other teammates of similar age who care about skin care. I also wanted to look good," recalled Huang, adding that she always feels very refreshed and relaxed after her weekly facials and body care sessions.

"I believe it is totally worthwhile to spend some time and some of my retirement allowance on things I enjoy!" said Huang.

An 88-year-old woman surnamed Jiang has been a frequent visitor to beauty salons for years. Jiang revealed that in addition to beauty treatments, her routine has been made all the more rewarding by the new friends she has made. Meanwhile, she has found that a significantly growing number of her peers like to receive cosmetic treatments.

In recent years, more and more elderly people have joined the ranks of beauty salon costumers, according to Zhang Mei, a therapist who has worked in the beauty industry for 15 years.

"70 percent of our customers are over 60 years old, and there is also no shortage of customers aged 70 or 80. Apart from facials, they also have a preference for head and body physiotherapy," remarked Zhang, noting that in the past, customers in beauty salons were made up predominantly of rich people, but now more and more working class and elderly people have become regular visitors.

Yang, a retired employee of the enterprise, has patronized beauty salons for roughly two years, and said her monthly pension allowance was nearly 6,000 yuan (about $926).

As 2,000 yuan is enough for her to cover all daily expenses, and she had no need to worry about medical costs as she is covered by medical insurance, she could easily afford to spend 1,000 yuan a month on beauty salon services.

"Now we all want to lead an 'exquisite life'. There are too many steps involved in doing skin care at home, and I can't remember them. However, in the beauty salon, I can enjoy the services with peace of mind. The economic conditions permit, and it is beneficial for my mental health as well. My children are also very pleased to see my positive mental attitude and I am also very proud of this," said Yang.