Poseidon Spa at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA unveils a brand new menu inspired by the oceans and enhanced with modern antioxidant rich products to restore and rejuvenate. Poseidon Spa is part of the Kessler Collection of Hotels, part of Marriott's new Autograph Collection and provides guests a welcome respite from the stresses of everyday life.
Under the care of ISM, this new spa menu is quickly gaining in both local and national attention, with services signature to the Poseidon Spa brand and indigenous to the unique geographical location of the spa. A particularly special treatment at The Mansion on Forsyth Park is the Tranquil Sea Odyssey. This luxruiously pampering treatment includes a facial, massage and body cocoon in one restorative experience.
To prepare for the new menu launch, ISM partnered with Privai Academy, the east coast's premier spa training facility and developed signature protocols and treatment standards unique to the Kessler Collection. Trainers from around the world were brought in to provide the five star training that ISM is known for delivering. For over sixty hours, therapists participated in elevated training classes to prepare for the launch of the new menu. Ilana Alberico, Founding Partner of ISM oversaw the transition and is staying on property until the welcoming of new spa director, Lindsay Neeley, formerly with Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel and Spa where she served as Assistant Spa Director.
At The Mansion on Forsyth Park, guests of Poseidon are pampered in style and enjoy full resort amenities including the Marble Courtyard, Pool, Fitness Center, and Spa Cuisine from 700 Drayton, home of the world class cooking school.
My grandmother said “By the time you are 40 you are either your own doctor or a fool.” Start practicing these five simple health habits today and find a healthier you, soon.
Keep a Health Journal. This one habit can fundamentally change the relationship that you have with your body, mind and energy. If you hold yourself accountable to writing everything that you eat down, you are more likely to monitor more closely what goes in your mouth. If you start writing down your water intake, chances are you will start to drink more water. Start by purchasing a journal that can easily fit into the bag or purse you keep with you at all times. Write food down directly after you eat it. Do not try to remember your entire day at once. This allows for errors and selective memory to kick in. Remember that everything counts. That after dinner mint? Write it down. You will start to see patterns. My health journal also serves as my water, sleep, exercise, energy, weight, and waking heart rate journal. Because I track my energy, emotions and nutrients, I can see the effects of my daily activities on my overall attitude and health.
Eat Clean. Reading food labels is confusing. Don’t bother. You have started a journal and most likely found that it is much simpler to eat clean. One of the ways to eat clean is to eat foods with as few ingredients as possible. My personal grocery rule is that if there are more than six ingredients on the back of a food, I don’t purchase. Eating clean means eating fresh and this means changing up your diet with the seasons. Shop for vegetables at your local farmer’s market as this practice not only supports your local economy, but it also provides you with the freshest and most nutrient rich vegetables available. If you have to eat out, make sure you order items that are steamed, broiled, or grilled. Ask for no butter or oil and no sauce. This will save you from needless sugar, salt and fat.
Drink More Water. Like to the tune of a gallon. A hydrated body is a happy body. Also, by committing to drinking more water, you may find that you end up eating less! Your brain doesn’t really know the difference between full from water or food. Your brain just turns on to being “satiated”. Sometimes people eat food when really they need to rehydrate. Staying hydrated will also have a desirable effect on the appearance of your skin. I recently trained and competed in my first bodybuilding competition and part of the training included drinking large volumes of water, sometimes two gallons per day! The more water you drink, the more efficient your body becomes in using the water for hydration and flushing out your body! You will feel wonderful!
Be Present. Being present is part of the journey to optimal health. Multi tasking can actually be a counterproductive action. Do you check emails while being on the phone? Do you “mind talk” when you should be listening? Staying in the moment with people will create deeper connections with them and deepen trust. Try breathing consciously to bring you back into the moment. In fact, if you can develop a habit of daily breath work (think simple: take ten slow deep breaths) you can start to “listen” to your body and focus your presence. My father, who recently survived a pulmonary embolism, only realized there was something wrong when he sat to take his daily “meditation breaths” and felt a tightness and shortness in what he was used to experiencing. Learn to “listen” to your body. Close your eyes and take a “self scan.” It could save your life.
Sleep More. Your body needs rest to restore and replenish. Give yourself permission to sleep. Sleeping is the time that your body produces human growth hormone which supports vitality. Operating on too little sleep can affect your ability to concentrate, make you depressed and cause more stress in the body. Commit to powering down your tv, phone, laptop or any other electronic device at least two hours before bed. Use your bedroom as a sleep room. Reading, watching TV, working on your laptop, surfing the internet should all be activities for outside of the bedroom.
With a little discipline and a consistent commitment you can improve your overall health.
By: Ilana Alberico, Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Spa Management, a Spa Design, Consulting and Management Firm and Founding Partner of Privai Academy which offers licensure programs and advanced training for Estheticians, Massage Therapists and Spa Managers. To open a spa or learn about education, visit www.ismspa.com. Ilana may be reached at ilana@ismspa.com or 828-713-5240.
Scrub Island in the beautiful British Virgin Islands opens its Spa Villa offering indigenous treatments including Massage, Facials, Nails, Baths and Body Scrubs. Inspired by the Age of Discovery when Christopher Columbus named the Island during his voyages at sea, the resort boasts an impressive Marina, two Dining options, a Boutique and Market.
ISM has trained two spa therapists through Privai Academy (www.Privai.com) and these therapists will be spending one magical year of their lives living and working at this Five Star Resort!
The Spa Villa is a 6,000 square foot exclusive venue for relaxation and pampering. With limited access and a private beach, infinity pool and attentive treatments, the Spa Villa offers incredibly personalized service in the privacy of a cliff-side location.
Anti-aging products rich in Antioxidants, Botanicals and Essential Oils provide treatments with effective results and authenticity.
ISM has facilitated the pre opening consulting of this phenomenal Spa and will continue to provide ongoing management.
Out of tragedy comes compassion and hope. Our Admissions Coordinator of Privai Academy, Gloria Coppola was inspired to take the generous hearts and gifted hands of the healing arts community that thrives in one city and coordinate efforts to organize an event that would donate resources to support the people of Haiti through Partners in Health.
On January 31, 2010, Privai Academy hosts Massage for Haiti, Hands Across America. Within 24 hours of confirming the concept and sharing the idea with a close network of professionals, the donations started pouring in. Thousands of dollars and dozens of hours were donated to contribute to help raise money for this cause. Within 48 hours, four other cities had signed up to become part of the Hands Across America and have committed to hosting their own events to raise money.
I am truly amazed at the effort, dedication and outpouring of support that the community and now country is sharing for this cause. Please join us on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 from 1-4pm at Privai Academy located at Exit 51 on Interstate 40 in front of the Fun Depot!
Many thanks to those that are making this happen, but especially to Gloria Coppola who has spearheaded this event and made this flickering thought a national event!
Close your eyes and imagine your dream life? What does it look like, feel like, include? Are you on your path right now to living your dream?
Life is not a series of events that "just happens." You actually play a role in paving the path of your experiences. Your dream life may seem like a far off distant experience, but you actually have great power in aiding your dreams to come true. Taking the first step of your journey is as simple as sitting down and setting some goals. According to Tom Venuto, "Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed." In order for you to find yourself living your best life, take time to create written goals to help you succeed.
I recently spoke with my husband about his goals for the year. He said his goal was, "To learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete." (he is a Mixed Martial Arts fighter). On first glance, this seems like a reasonable goal, but it's not. This is an empty, sure fire failure as far as goal setting is concerned. So, I asked him to think about what accomplishments would provide him with the knowledge he needed to improve himself as an athlete. I said, "Imagine that it is one year from now, what have you accomplished?" He simply said, "Trained for 8 weeks at a professional school. Increased my record to 5-0. Documented my food/training/emotions on a daily basis to learn what affects me as an athlete."
Goals have to resonate with five metrics. Luckily, the metrics spell an easy to remember word, SMART. The goals my husband spouted off each meet the SMART criteria and according to research he now has a higher percentage of achieving these goals. Note that his original goal "to learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete" was eventually broken into three different SMART goals.
Now its your turn. What would you like to achieve? Write down your goals and then measure them against the following acronym.
S= Specific
The goal needs to be specific. Make sure that it specifically answers the W's, who, what, where, when, why. A general goal would be, "eating healthy overall" and a specific goal would be, "Document my food intake daily." Being specific helps you understand exactly what it is that you are working towards.
M=Measurable
The goal needs to be measurable. Saying that you want to "learn as much as you can" is not measurable. Saying that you want to "improve your record to 5-0" is. At the end of the year, there will either be a 5-0 record, or not. Making sure your goal is measurable helps you stay on track.
A=Attainable
Does this goal make sense for you? If the goal is "Train for eight weeks at a professional school," make sure that this is attainable. Do professional schools exist? Do they offer training? Will your job allow you extended time off? Make sure your goal is attainable. Setting goals that are attainable will build your self confidence as you achieve them. Goals that once seemed unattainable will begin to become a reality as your expand your horizons to achieve the goal.
R=Realistic
You must be willing and able to achieve this goal. Be realistic, but not undemanding on yourself. Setting your sights high will allow you to be more motivated to achieve the goal. You must really believe that you can achieve the goal and understand that you will have to exert effort to ensure that you reach it.
T=Time Dated
Making sure that your goal has an end time attached keeps you accountable. Having a time dated goal creates a sense of urgency. A deadline makes you work harder to achieve the goal and minimizes procrastination. If you want to lose 10 pounds, make sure you indicate by when.
The more you think about your future and your accomplishments, the higher your chances of being successful. Happy Goal Setting!
Ilana Craig Alberico, is a Spa Consultant who specializes in creating successful business and management models, creative branding design concepts, and operations for unique spa properties. She has consulted in the design, development, and operations of boutique and destination spas. Formerly a Spa Director with Noble House Hotels and Resorts, a Spa Supervisor and Trainer with the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, and a massage therapist, she offers proficiency in both business and in the healing arts. She is passionate about education and dedicated to elevating the professionalism of the spa industry through no nonsense education and is the Founding Partner of Privai Academy an accredited and licensed provider of massage and esthetics training.
Building a long term clientele is essential to your business.Having a high client retention rate ensures that your business will continue to flourish as long term clients are more likely to refer others to your spa.Here are the top ten things you can do today to increase your client retention and reap the benefits of a highly engaged, dedicated clientele.
1.Stop Advertising
Immediately, stop advertising!Advertising without a plan or without a goal in mind is like throwing mud at a wall and seeing what sticks.Not effective and defitnitely not pretty.What you need to do immediately is start to market to your current clientele.They are there for a reason, do you know what it is?Before you go out and search for a brand new client, get your current clientele using more of your services and buying more of your product.It takes much fewer resources of time, energy, effort, and money to engage the people that have already selected you and learn everything you can about what they want and need.Spend your advertising dollars in ways that better serve your current clientele.
2.Build Trust
This excellent rule, be Impeccable with your word from “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz reminds us to do what we say we will do.The fastest way to lose a client is to give them reasons to not trust you.If they have a question, find out the answer.If you tell them you will call them back in 20 minutes, call them back in 15.In every situation, ask yourself if your action is building or breaking trust with your clientele.Teach this to everyone that comes in contact with the clients.Always look for ways to follow through on your promise.
3.2C’s
Compliments and cards.Although this may sound trite, compliment your guests.Be sincere and find ways to point out the things that you admire, respect, think are beautiful, and nice.Every time you see a client, you should be looking for something that you can compliment them on.This makes them happy to see you, excited about your business, and eager to return.Write cards.If each of your employees took twenty minutes a week and wrote a few greeting cards to your clients thanking them for their business and sharing their appreciation for them, your clients would be a very happy bunch.It takes very little time and it has a very big impact.
4.Ask for feedback
Give your clients the tools and resources that they need to give you honest feedback.Provide a comment box, place phone calls to your clients, and send out surveys.You need to know how to improve.Reward and publically praise clients who take the time to give you feedback.Send out a newsletter thanking them, put up a sign that highlights the change you have made because of their input.Give away a product basket to clients whose ideas create change in your organization.Encourage employees to ask for feedback and honest assessment from clients.
5.Get personal
Find out the milestone events in your clients lives.Know how many kids they have and their names.Know their anniversaries, their birthday, their pets name and what their hobbies are.Show them that you care.Develop personal relationships with you clients that communicate sincere appreciation for their lives.Celebrate their life with them.Ask them questions and seek to understand who they are as a person.Find out what they love and make sure they get it!If your client loves lavender oil for her massage, put it in the notes.Don’t make her ask for it every single time!
6.Incentivize
Since you have stopped advertising, you will need to establish a plan for getting new clients in the door.Start by incentivizing your long term clients for bringing in their friends, family, and co workers.Show them publically your thanks and gratitude.Make them feel like a VIP through gift baskets and services the longer they stay with you and the more people that they refer to you!This is your best advertising campaign.You want to attract more of the same, and your current clients are friends with and work with the exact target person that you want in your business!
7.For life approach
Become a resource for life for your clients.Say things like, “I don’t want to just be your day spa, if you ever have any questions about achieving optimal health, even if we cannot provide a certain service here, ask me and I will help you.”Let your clients know that you have their best interest at heart and develop a relationship that proves this by referring them to what they are looking for.
8.Share Information
Create an environment that is honest and straightforward.If they are interested in learning more about a certain product, connect them to the information that they need.If your clients consider you to be a valuable source of information, tools, and resources, they will most likely spend more time in your business and spend more money on your services.
9.Consistency
Building an environment that is consistent is imperative to building trust.Make sure that your employee training program addresses the importance of a consistent experience.Making sure that you have your retail shelves stocked, that there is always toilet paper in the bathroom, and that they always get their post treatment beverage are all simple elements that contribute to a consistent experience.
10.Continual Improvement
To really develop a long term relationship, you must also develop yourself.Your commitment to continually learning and deepening your own knowledge will enhance your relationship with your clients.Not only will you have new information to share with them, but you will sharpen your skills of service and demonstrate that they are special to you.
Imagine that everyone has a necklace hanging over their heart that says, “I want to feel important.”Ask yourself, are we doing everything that we can to ensure that this client stays with us for life?Make a commitment to strengthen the loyalty that you have for your client and in turn, that your client has for you.
Spa Theology, Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Suraj Spa Salon, Hands on Health, Results Spa, Poseidon Spa and more! How do you figure out which one is right for you? Asheville, NC is home to dozens of spas. Each one holds a very special place in the healing arts community. Selecting a spa can be a challeging, if not confusing endeveour. I am a spa owner, so I understand the subtle differences from one spa to another and the type of experience you can expect to have. In order to make the most out of your spa experience you need to find a spa that will meet and exceed your expectations.
Why are you going to the spa?
Relaxation and Pampering? If you want to completely let go and be pampered, you would be more interested in a spa that has beautiful ambiance and amenities like Grove Park of Spa Theology. The attention to details and the beautiful architectural design make these places a sanctuary of the senses. Going to Spa Theology or Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is like taking a mini vacation in itself.
Pain management, relaxation, sore muscles? If you want a more therapeutic experience, look for places that are set up more like a medical clinic. Hands on Health offers excellent massage services in a comfortable setting. Chiropractors also offer massage services. Communicate to your therapist the goals that you have of the session.
Celebration? Suraj Spa Salon has an escape lounge where bridal parties, girlfriends, couples, and groups can relax and mingle before and after treatments. The bright environment and customizable spa menu are perfect for celebrating fun events. For an inexpensive option, you can take a group of friends to Privai Academy where students perform facials and massages in an open spa setting. http://www.PrivaiAcademy.com
Spa Day and Shopping? The Grand Bohemian Hotel is right in the heart of Biltmore Village and is a boutique hotel. The Hotel is home to the Red Stag Grill, a contemporary restaurant famous for fresh fish, meats, and dynamite deserts. On the third floor of the Hotel is the Poseidon Spa, home to some of the most unique body treatments available in Asheville. A perfect spa and shopping day would include valet parking at the Grand Bohemian, eating lunch, shopping Biltmore Village and then ending with one of the Poseidon spa packages.
With all of the spa options in Asheville, you are sure to find one that meets your needs. Happy Spaaahing!
The Wedding industry is big, and growing. Smart spas are paying attention and learning how they can create experiences for brides that help them primp and pamper themselves for their big day. In this blog I will explore why your company even wants to enter this industry and next month will follow up with the 5 Service Steps for Wedding Parties. I have a fresh new perspective on this subject, because I was recently a bride. In fact,that's me on the left. So, from first hand experience from both a bride and a spa owner, here are the 5 reasons you want Bridal Parties at your spa.
1. Exposure. By hosting bridal parties, you are exposing your spa to other vendors in the community that you can network with. Caterers, photographers, florists. They all have friends and families who live in your area. TIP: Treat the brides ancillary vendors to spa goody bags. Insert several menu's into the bag and include a first visit discount for them to share with friends.
2. Free Marketing. While your bride is getting ready, she is taking pictures in your salon. these show up on Facebook and Myspace among others, so make sure you have signage in your spa. Photographers will use the bride's pictures to market themselves. Inevitably, a future bride will say, "I love her hair! Where did she get it done?" You will get new clients because of your beautiful work.
3. Brides spend money. Believe me, during this very special time in a bride's life, she wants to spend money. She wants things perfect and is willing to pay whatever it takes. I was more interested in making things "right" then worrying about an extra $10, $20, or $30. Brides want education and they want to look pretty. Tell them what treatments they need to enhance their appearance...and they will get them.
4. Retail. Offer day of spa baskets for the bridal party from the bride. Include a lipstick for free with the purchase of their lip liner. Find ways to enhance the pre wedding ritual with retail. This can increase your average ticket cost and imprint the memory of your spa on your guests.
5. Power Booking. Bridal parties schedule services weeks in advance. Knowing the spa schedule this far out allows you to manipulate your schedule so that you can increase your other bookings. Most bridal parties need 2-4 hours in the spa, so ensure that you are maximizing your resources for the most revenue from your bookings.
You want to be a place that offers bridal services. You can create a life long memory and offer the perfect start to a very magical day.
make sure to visit next month when I share 5 Service Steps for Wedding Parties.
Our company seeks to provide "operative excellence, optimal spa experiences." In order to achieve this lofty goal, we have to hire only the best, train smart, and manage properly. Very few people can achieve the level of excellence and expectation that we place on our employees. But, in a competitive landscape, we know that ultimately, the professionalism of our employees and their expertise is what achieves our mission.
In our employee newsletter this month, we posed the statement, "You are exactly where you want to be right now in this moment. Take a look at your life, check to see if you are happy right here and right now. Are you living the life you envisioned? Your current life is the result of the actions that you have taken and decisions that you have made." It is important that our company is honest with our employees. If someone is not happy - they need to find happiness, and it may not be with the company. But, by creating a company culture where there is authentic compassion and desire for each individual to move toward their highest potential, we are keeping the dialog open and allowing the shining stars of the future to step into the light.
As a successful entrepreneurial company, we are living proof that any hard time (read: recession) can be time for opportunity. And as our company continues to grow and develop, it is being 100% in the present while planning prudently for the future. But this planning is something that we include our teams in. Each property comes up with their own strategic marketing plan, a plan that anyone can contribute to and the manager is responsible for presenting the final. Giving people a voice and including the entire team in the planning for success builds a stronger foundation and one that is built to last.
On a more micro level - we each need to be committed to our own personal growth. What can you do this moment that can set you up better for the future? Who is your mentor? Have you taken them for coffee lately? How are you inspiring results from yourself?
We ask our managers to "inspire results" of their teams. What is your company doing right now that can help your employees gain more purpose and fulfillment in their current positions. How can you use this moment to inspire results?
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What motivates the results in my company?
2. How am I connecting to the employees?
3. Who do I turn to for guidance and support?
4. How is my company/department planning for the future now?
5. What types of support can I give to help others grow?
It is the companies that spend this time training, planning, and strategizing that will come out ahead. Are you one of those companies?
Spas are spending way too much money on marketing their spas and seeing way too few results. Every month, you submit your ad, close your eyes, and pray that someone, anyone will notice your ad and come walking through the door. In education, they call type of communication the "throw and stick" method. If you really want to market your spa and find a way to get people in the door, stop wasting your money on newspaper ads, magazine ads, radio ads, tv, and park benches. Blindly communicating to a group of people your information and hoping that something sticks to someone. Stop this madness immediately! To really communicate your brand, and bring more people in the door, you have to first understand who you are before you can understand who you are trying to reach. Here are the five steps to ensuring that you create a powerful marketing campaign:
1. Find out who you are. Look at your spa through a new set of eyes. Make a list of adjectives that describe your spa. What are the goals of the spa? Why is the spa in existence? What values does the spa have?
2. Create a color board. Cut out inspirational pictures that embrace the essence of your spa. Arrange them in a visually appealing way and hang this color board up in a place where your associates can see it. All decisions for marketing need to be congruent with the emotions that this color board evoke.
3. Describe your end consumer. Who is she/he? What are they looking for? What do they want and need? How do they make their purchasing decision? Understanding who you are targeting helps you stay so much closer to the target!
4. Analyze your current clientele. Are your current clients the ones that you are trying to get in the door? If they aren't, then what is it about your spa brand and identity that is not attracting them? If you aren't getting new people through the door, there is a disconnect from who you think you are and who your consumers think you are. In other words, they are disappointed with some expectation that they have about your spa. Find that disconnect and fix it!
5. More of the same. Once you have establish who you are and who you are trying to attract, create die hard loyalty programs for the clients that you already have. Spend your money on rewarding and incentivize your current clients to bring you their friends, family, and colleagues. Find out where your current clients exercise, eat, shop, and contribute to charity and then team up with their favorite businesses and charities to create cross promotional campaigns.
So, stop wasting your money on the radio, and start spending your money on what works. Creating an environment that rewards loyal clients for coming back and bringing their friends.
Summer is a time of fresh flowers, hot weather, and exposed skin. Spas who have survived the past six months are stronger than ever, having increased market share, fine tuning their operations, and learning everything that they can about their clients' needs and desires. With a turn to the more frugal and an emphasis on simple values, many on trend spas will begin providing seasonal specials that incorporate the use of fresh herbs, vegetables, and botanicals, all grown locally and harvested for the spa. This back to nature offering not only provides a unique service offering for the clients, but it also is a cost saving measure for the spa looking to save on product expense. Look for mint pedicures, cucumber facials, and mixed green facials.
A back to nature approach to spa service offerings will excite the clients and connect them emotionally to the spa. So, start your garden today! Good luck and happy summer!
After much deliberation and multiple meetings with industry leaders, speakers, educators, operators, and technicians, we have firmly established the top 10 spa trends for 2009!
Drum roll please...
Bang for the Buck - People are not not spending money, they will just be more selective of where they spend it. So, this year the key word in spa is VALUE.
Eco and conscious - Green is a movement and spas are in the prime position to demonstrate, teach, and provide a green refuge. Look for spas to offer locally harvested ingredients in their treatments. Spas turn green in their cleaning supplies and finally start utilizing all of the gadgets in their booking system to minimize paper!
Spa - Vacations - Your local day spa or resort spa could be the location of your next get away. With budget conscious travelers, staying in town and spending a day at your favorite local place will be all the rage this year.
Teaching Spa - Look for spas to offer education and training into wellness and health. Watch for spas to partner with educational institutes to cater to a wider pool of health conscious people looking for tips and knowledge in health and wellness.
Art of Touch - The emphasis is on connection this year. People are craving connection and quality time to relax. People will choose basic spa treatments that are tried and true so that their experience in the room can be familiar and relaxing.
Multiple Treatments - On the go people need more two in one treatments. Look for treatments to cater to face and body at the same time. Time strapped people need multi tasking treatments.
Amp up the service skills - This goes for front desk to service provider. Anticipating the needs and wants of the spa guest will create WOW moments that will pull guests back for more. Spas prepare by amping up their customer service training.
Feel Good Marketing - Financially savvy spas will start getting involved in the community through sponsorships and volunteering. This low cost and highly effective strategy will reconnect spas to their community and market them at the same time!
Green Packaging - Spas will look for ways to minimize waste. Product lines who offer refill programs and no outer packaging are attractive to spas. Spas may introduce reusable spa bags for retail that offer a discount to customers bringing them back in to fill them up with retail.
Spa Culture - People are creatures of habit. Groups and special events want to create ritual. Spas will make it easier for them by offering easy and affordable packages that that create memories and turn into annual or monthly events. The Spa Culture will provide a great gathering excuse and some well deserved pampering and relaxation!
The most exciting part of spa design is defining the vision of the spa and then weaving that vision throughout the environment of that spa. Who is the spa? What is the spa communicating? Minimalist and modern? Southern Charm? Contemporary and comfortable? Defining the spa concept and then using that concept to build the foundation is the key to finding success. The foundation of the spa is made up of the environment. The environment of any spa is the most critical ingredient that leads to success. But the environment is more than just paint color and massage table selection. The environment is made up of two elements.
The first element of the environment is the PHYSICAL environment. This includes all of the ways the concept of the spa is woven throughout the actual physicalenvironment. Does the theme of the spa meet the architectural design? Does the concept of the spa communicate itself throughout the fabric selection? The physical environment is often the first on site impression that the guest receives of the spa and it communicates more than you think. Did the builder pay attention to the details of the spa translates into will the therapist pay attention to me? The guest will notice the lighting. Does it soothe, create drama, interest, and anticipation? The guest will notice the details, so the environment is the first opportunity to make a positive on property impression. But anyone can build a pretty place. The critical component of the environment is HOW the spa is maintained.
The second, and critical component of a successful spa environment is the ENERGETIC environment. This is not just woo woo mumbo jumbo. The energetic environment is real, and communicates the feeling of the spa. How is the vision and concept of the spa communicated through the energetic environment? More specifically, how are these spa people trained? It is important that the team of spa professionals act as ambassadors to the brand, champions of the vision, and communicators of the mission. The emphasis on consistent, positive service is a key component to creating a energetically positive environment. Well trained, confident spa professionals provide confident spa services. This translates into happier employees, happier guests, and higher sales.
The other day I asked our Director of Spa Operations, Kelly Fisher what she thought the major difference of being a manager in the spa industry as opposed to any other industry. Her answer was simple, "The importance of preserving the environment of the spa." This simple answer sums up what so many spas forget. You cannot just have the physical splendor, nor the impeccable service. Rather, it is a blend of the two, consistently maintained, that provide the components of success.
Build beautifully, and make sure that your spa space is maintained by highly trained spa professionals who understand the "big" picture, the vision of the spa and why they have been selected to act as the ambassador of this vision. Check on the environment consistently. Walk through the space and ask yourself, "Is what I see communicating the brand?" Then ask, "Is what I feel communicating the brand?"
In an industry where art meets science, it is frustrating to not have the labor pool needed to support the speed at which spas are being built. To combat this, schools for spa professionals are opening up, but all too often their curriculum does not meet the necessary demands that the spa industry has on employees.
Where are the classes in massage school about customer service? Where are the classes in esthetics's school about proper home care recommendations? Unfortunately, schools make money by getting students in and then getting them out. There is not an emphasis on quality, but rather the emphasis is on quantity. This sets up the employers of spa professionals to be highly disappointed when they begin fulfilling their labor demands.
What the industry needs most desperately is an educational institute that will go beyond the basics. The spa schools of the future must focus on spa specific curriculum. The spa schools of the future must teach retailing for massage therapists as well as estheticians. Most importantly, the schools of the future must elevate the expectations of their students and turn out students who are ready to walk in to any four or five diamond property and commence work.
Ideally, the spa schools of the future will have training for massage therapists, estheticians, spa managers, and nail technicians all under one roof. This will allow for standardized education as well as consistency in philosophy from the massage classroom to the spa management program.
Although there are several schools that have combined the massage and esthetics's portion of their program, it will be a true victory when a spa educational establishment incorporates spa management into the mix. In such a highly labored industry, it is imperative that the service providers are prepared and the managers are competent. Although the reality of the vision is only several months away, with Privai Academy, http://www.privaiacademy.com/ we have waited long enough.
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