A meetpete Believe it or Not: In the United States, there are more spas than Starbucks! While the number of branded coffee outlets currently hovers around 10,000, the number of spas, according to the International SPA Association (ISPA), is fast closing in on 15,000. Granted, ISPA uses what can only be described as a “loose definition” in making the argument that “spas are now the fourth largest leisure industry in the U.S.” But lodging developers and architects seem to be listening: the basic hotel fitness center has given way to more elaborate facilities that mirror the “spa lifestyle.”