Health spas all over the country are being forced to introduce compulsory disclaimers to protect themselves against the dramatic increase in personal injury claims 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.

The rise in the number of people claiming is considered by many to be caused by the recent incident of a young lady suing for damages after a massage supposedly went wrong. The lady already had previous back problems but told the therapist they would not be an issue.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.

This win has seemed to have encouraged more people to see if they can get a slice of the pie. 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 has been a lot of speculation that for the most part the claims are fraudulent and filled by serial compensation seekers. 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 any 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