Marti Morenings

Welcome to Universal Companies’ Spa Insider blog! Specifically for spa industry professionals, this blog was created to encourage ongoing conversations and provide an interactive forum that will inspire you and help you grow your business. Our contributors include experts, insiders, and guest writers “from the trenches,” and since this blog was designed just for you, we hope you’ll offer input and invaluable insights, too. 

So let’s start by discussing the concept of wellness. This topic has been first and foremost on my mind as I think of my aging parents. I happen to fall into the same demographic as the average spa-goer, so I share a concern that many of your customers do:  How do I help my parents stay active and enjoy a quality life as long as possible? 

I visited my dad and his wife in Florida recently, and while I was there, I was able to give them the gift of wellness in the form of a practitioner named Adele. This multitalented professional is not only a gifted massage therapist; she is also an excellent personal fitness trainer. In addition to kick-starting my parents’ daily exercise regime (to which they have been strictly adhering for the past 3 weeks), she is giving them regular therapeutic massages to reward their hard work and to provide their tired muscles with welcome relief. I really liked Adele’s technique (yes, I indulged in a massage myself!), but what struck me most about her was how well an independent practitioner like Adele was tapping into the wellness market (without overhead I might add) by effectively marketing herself to the children of aging parents. She even had her own brochure which included her menu of services  and prices. 

I can’t help but think this type of holistic healing is the future of the spa industry. With minimal resources, Adele provides a holistic healing regime, including exercise and bodywork. In addition, she sells gift certificates (which I purchased for my parents) and Biofreeze® for home care (a godsend to anyone in this age group).  

No doubt the wellness component is a big part of the spa industry’s future. With the average life span increasing, wellness is becoming an important focus of enhancing one’s quality of life. What’s exciting to me is Adele’s great example of making wellness work for the small day spa or independent practitioner. Wellness can work—whatever your resources and budget—and Universal Companies is excited to work with you to develop ways of integrating wellness into your business.

Our growth during the past 28 years is directly attributed to the give and take between our customers telling us what they want and need and our passion and desire to fill that gap. We encourage you to share your thoughts on the topic of wellness and any other topics that are important to your business for future Spa Insider discussions.

Yours in health,

Marti