Feeling good, looking good
by Joy JordanToday’s baby boomers are not like retirees of yesteryear. They are more fit, active and youthful. They are more educated on the health benefits of fitness and the importance of feeling – as well as looking – vital through longer life expectancies.
A Del Webb/Harris Interactive survey of baby boomers found that 62 percent were “extremely concerned” about being healthy enough in retirement.
“Baby boomers want more when it comes to fitness – they want programs that challenge them, they want more choices,” said Barbara Niggel, owner of Willy’s Gym, with locations in Orleans, Eastham and Hyannis. “They want their needs met. They are busy, and also need the treatment side – Jacuzzi, steam, sauna. Their demands have changed, and we want to meet their demands.” In order to meet those demands, Willy's offers full day spas in its clubs, Smart Trainer, an exclusive 30-minute intuitive workout, and a cardio system that engages the mind using virtual reality programs.
Baby boomers also take a more holistic approach to health and fitness. No longer is a gym visit about aerobics or weightlifting, tanning and people-watching. “I think the baby boomers are more interested in healing their bodies, becoming connected to their bodies and soul,” said Lynnette Walker of the Yoga Center of Cape Cod. “In contrast, younger students are in class for a workout.”
In the past, “people were working out to look good; today it is to feel good and be healthy,” said Niggel. “And now there are the added concerns about cholesterol, blood pressure. People are aware and educated.”
Walker explains that yoga is not a competition, it’s about healing. “But it takes a while to move beyond the ego and get to that place of accepting our bodies as they are, honoring our limits – and caring what the person next to you thinks. Experience is the best teacher for this and many other lessons. The baby boomers seem to understand this concept.”
The Cape’s booming baby boomer population is wealthy and educated; they expect a high level of service.
Niggel’s long history on the Cape gives her a special perspective. “We have been here for 22 years; we have grown up with these people. They came here in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s. People are a lot more sophisticated today. Even top-of-the-line fitness equipment is not enough. You really have to raise the bar in what you bring into a club.”
To meet those demands, Niggel is constantly updating and refining her offerings, which include fewer aerobic classes, more yoga and Pilates, pools, tennis, rock climbing and more.
Many are making social outings out of fitness activities. “We have baby boomer couples that come in on a Friday night, climb the rock wall together, swim, take a sauna, get a massage and then go have dinner and movie.”
Willy’s largest facility is in Eastham, where population is relatively sparse; yet, the region has a large proportion of baby boomers. “No one thought a large facility like ours would make it there, but it has,” said Niggel.
Another business that is catering to the baby boomers is Curves, an international chain of franchised fitness centers that focuses on 30-minute programmed workouts in an all-female environment. There are Curves in Centerville, Dennis, Orleans, Falmouth and Sandwich; and the clientele is 80 percent baby boomers, said Bonnie Aunchman, marketing director for the Cape Curves.
Aunchman said her baby boomer customers are concerned primarily with staying or getting healthy in their older years. “We find that their primary goal is being fit and healthy, not so much how they look. Many are on medication and want to pay attention to exercise to avoid medication or go off medication. Many of them have doctors who have encouraged them to participate in an exercise program.”
Curves has a program it calls SmartFit, which remembers each customers’ fitness levels each time they return, without having to reprogram each machine each visit.
Yoga is one fitness activity seeing extreme growth among baby boomers. It is an effective way to attain and maintain flexibility and improve relaxation techniques that can carry over to all aspects of life. “It’s hard to tell how old some people are,” said Walker. “I have many students whom I would label ‘ageless’ – regular yoga students have a glow to their skin, and their bodies are supple and strong.”
Many students use yoga in conjunction with other fitness activities. “They tend to work out at a gym, or are runners, or horseback riders, or do some other physical activity, and they cross-train with yoga. Yoga helps prevent injury, and helps them stretch out problem areas, like lower back, or hamstrings.”
Walker has developed a new class called Gentle Yoga specifically geared to baby boomers. “In fact, about half of my teachers are in their late 40s and 50s, and they are in great shape themselves.”
Looking good
In addition to staying healthy, boomers want to look as young and vibrant as they feel.
“We know that this is an intelligent, demanding consumer – they are often knowledgeable about product ingredients and treatments, particularly in the ever-evolving category of anti-aging home-care products,” said Melissa Mason, co-owner of Bellezza Day Spa in Falmouth. “They don’t mind the numbers ticking by, but most don’t want to look their age.”
The Cape’s demographics come into to play for Bellezza, as well. “In Falmouth, in particular, we have a large cadre of high-end second-home owners who ultimately plan to use this as their retirement home. They are coming here at different times throughout the year – not just the summer.”
“We’re targeting those people now and as future year-round clients. The people living here and working remotely also tend to gravitate to us – they are professional, affluent people and that’s a core demographic for us. We modeled the business to cater to educated, affluent people. They know quality and very quickly identify it, and that has served us well. Once people settle on the Cape, they don’t necessarily want to hike up to Boston for regular hair and skin maintenance”
She also has found that people at this stage in their lives are less reticent to treat themselves – many feel they have spent a lifetime caring for others or devoted to a career, and now they know what they want and they want it now.
While many boomers on the Cape have retired or plan to do so soon, many others are starting new careers or pursuing entrepreneurial dreams, and Mason notes that appearance can play a large role in success. “People starting new careers want to maintain their professional image and look the part. They want to remain current and relevant to their clients and today’s world.
“Lots of bankers and realtors, financial advisers, mortgage brokers, salespeople, they know image is important in the business world – perhaps especially so in professions that often are asking clients to trust them with large sums of money. We’d like to think that it doesn’t matter, that we’re above that, but impressions really do matter.” Specifically, she said, when retaining a more youthful look, the focus should be on “No roots, no gray hair, glowing and vibrant skin, and makeup that does not accentuate wrinkles.”
In order to maintain that vibrancy, Mason recommends that every 10 years you get a complete professional reevaluation of your makeup and hairstyle. “Your face will have changed and your hair and makeup need to evolve, too, otherwise you are doing yourself a disservice. To look your professional best, you need to come to a team of true professionals. This definitely applies to men, too.”
Sheryl Baba, owner of Solstice Day Spa in Hyannis, also counts the majority of her clients as baby boomers. “We have a steady clientele younger and older, but for the most part our spa is full of the 45- to 60-year-old crowd. Many of my clients are seriously concerned with slowing down the clock, reducing stress and maintaining their vitality.”
While wrinkles are often the first concern that comes to mind, Baba said there are a host of age-related skin changes that can be remedied by proper treatments. “Women are experiencing skin changes due to hormonal fluctuations, new symptoms of sensitivity, dryness and breakouts when they've never had any as a teenager. Rosacea, hyperpigmentation, loss of elasticity and deepening of expression lines are all visible signs of environmental exposure and the passage of time.”
The list may seem daunting, but there are solutions. “Some signs can be corrected through facials, injectable cosmetics, good home care and a more cautious lifestyle in regards to outdoor living,” said Baba. “To keep up with the demands of my clientele, we have made an investment in new technology and advanced training. Microdermabrasion is one of the most efficient means to improve the texture of the skin, increase clarity and impart a more youthful glow. We also recommend photo-rejuvenation to improve the health of the skin, and reduce hyperpigmentation and redness.”
Adds Baba: “Men are not immune to discomfort with the aging process. Sun damage, blackheads and rogue hair growth are on their list of complaints as well. We have many men that come in for eyebrow shaping, back waxing, facials and advice on what to do with the long hairs growing from ears and nose.”
Like most successful business owners, Baba has evolved her offering to meet her customers’ needs. “We have made investments of time, product lines and equipment to address the concerns presented to us. We have grown more specific in the type of client we attract because of it.”
With the wave of baby boomers starting to crash over this region, it is a lesson all businesses would be wise to remember.
Published in Cape Business Health & Wealth July/August 2007
Joy Jordan is managing editor of Cape Business magazine. She has worked in the technology and publishing industries and was chief copy editor for Cape Cod Community Newspapers. 
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