Customer Satisfaction in Spa Services: An Empirical Examination of Feedback Behavior

The spa industry in Vietnam is growing rapidly; however, research on customer satisfaction in this sector remains limited. This study examines how service experience and ambient scent influence customer satisfaction and feedback behaviors in spas in an emerging economy context. A structured survey was conducted with 392 spa customers in Vietnam’s two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, the study validated five key constructs derived from 17 observed variables. The results indicate that both service experience (β = 0.375) and ambient scent (β = 0.405) significantly predicted customer satisfaction, with only a small difference in coefficient size. Customer satisfaction, in turn, positively impacts feedback behaviors, particularly revisit intention (β = 0.375), compared with time spent in the spa (β = 0.235). The study contributes to the literature by integrating sensory marketing and service experience theories in the spa context, offering empirical evidence from a developing market. In practice, spa managers should prioritize creating a distinctive, pleasant scent environment, enhancing service delivery through staff training and ambiance design, and providing transparent information about product quality to strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty.