‘Is he going to be sleazy?’ Women’s experiences of emotional labour connected to sexual harassment in the spa tourism industry

Despite the popularity of spa tourism worldwide and the size of the labour force, there is a paucity of research about these employees. The casual, often low paid, workforce is largely comprised of women, and there are challenges associated with body work – touching another person’s naked body in intimate settings – and its association with “dirty work” in a moral sense. The potential for experiencing sexual harassment from clients and the emotional demands this can place on employees has negative implications for the social and economic sustainability of the industry, including employee wellbeing, and may contribute to staff turnover. A qualitative phenomenological study based on interviews with spa therapists in Victoria, Australia explored these women’s experiences of sexual harassment, with emotional labour used as a theoretical lens. Findings suggest that some therapists feel obliged to hide their true feelings when experiencing sexual harassment by their clients, which results in emotional dissonance and exacts an emotional toll. Participants discussed strategies to cope with the emotional dimension of their experiences, and to address the perceived taint arising from occupational stigma. Implications of these findings for gendered practices, decent work and sustainable employment within the spa tourism industry are discussed.