State of the Wellness Industry in China: Lessons from Market Leaders

23 Sep 26

with Yuwan Hu, Luca Gualdrini, Benjamin Jiang, David Chioe

What does it really take to succeed in China’s rapidly evolving spa, wellness, beauty, and fitness market?

Recorded at the Spa China Summit, this episode of the StarrCast Podcast takes Lisa Starr directly into the market for conversations with four industry professionals who bring distinctly different perspectives on China’s wellness economy. Together, they explore changing consumer expectations, localization, technology, equipment innovation, fitness growth, and the importance of understanding China as a complex collection of regional markets rather than one uniform consumer landscape.

What You’ll Learn

Why Chinese beauty and wellness consumers are increasingly balancing efficacy, quality, and value for money, and where premium opportunities remain.
Why international wellness brands need to localize their strategies rather than simply bring a successful Western business model into China.
How relationships, trust, local partners, after-sales support, and cultural understanding can influence success in the Chinese market.
How Chinese spa consumers and operators are embracing new technology, AI, robotics, wellness concepts, and equipment innovation.
Why commercial fitness is gaining momentum and why more Chinese hotel brands are incorporating fitness facilities into their guest experience.

Episode Highlights

00:00 – Yuwan Hu on China’s changing beauty, lifestyle, and wellness consumer

07:08 – How efficacy, price, and perceived value are influencing purchasing decisions

11:58 – How wellness opportunities differ across China’s tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three cities

18:41 – Why international brands need localization and cultural understanding to succeed in China

25:18 – Luca Gualdrini on bringing icoone® into the Chinese market and learning to operate differently

36:15 – Benjamin Jiang on China’s evolving spa equipment market, technology, innovation, and wellness experiences

52:14 – David Chioe on the resurgence of commercial fitness and growing hotel fitness demand in China

Meet the Guests

Yuwan Hu, principal of HY Nexus, brings a market research and brand strategy perspective to the conversation, with a focus on consumer insights, beauty, lifestyle, and wellness.

Luca Gualdrini, co-founder and general manager of i-Tech Industries, shares lessons from bringing icoone® technology into China and building the local relationships and infrastructure needed to support the market.

Benjamin Jiang, Sales Director for Asia Pacific and China for Intentional Wellness Brands, offers a perspective shaped by 16 years working at the intersection of global wellness equipment, manufacturing, hospitality, and the Chinese market.

David Chioe, Regional Director of Sales for the hospitality channel in Asia Pacific for Matrix Fitness, discusses the growing Chinese commercial fitness market and increasing demand for fitness facilities within local hotel brands.

Closing Insight

One theme runs through all four conversations: China rewards businesses that are willing to understand the market on its own terms.

Consumer expectations are changing quickly, technology is reshaping the wellness experience, and opportunities extend well beyond China’s best-known cities. But succeeding in this enormous market requires more than scale. It requires cultural awareness, strong local relationships, meaningful differentiation, and a willingness to keep learning.

Join Lisa Starr for this on-the-ground look at the opportunities, challenges, and changing face of spa, wellness, beauty, and fitness in China.