Lisa Michaelis

Relaxing, fun, unique? What words would you use to describe your spa, treatments, or team members?  What sets you apart and will make your clients want to buy into your treatments or retail? Here are a few creative ways from my California and Hawaii spa friends:

Add aromatherapy platforms and bowls. Derek Hofmann at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills recently added Living Earth Crafts aromatherapy platforms and bowls to all his beds for that “little extra something” for his guests.  The scent of essential oils plus visual appeal of flowers and herbs will stimulate the guest’s senses and relax the mind and body.

Enhance your manicures and pedicures. At the La Quinta Resort and Spa, Leslie Johnson has trained her nail technicians in using Swedish massage techniques along with the delicious scrubs and oils from SpaRitual.  Add warm Thai herbal compresses (infused with lemongrass essential oils and ginger extract) from Akhassa to soothe away tension and detoxify the body and take those mani/pedis over the top!

Provide an entertaining evening. At La Costa Resort & Spa, Michelle Frye host their wildly popular Spa Under the Stars where guests can listen to guitar music while relaxing and sipping Spa-Bellinis with their friends.   They can also enjoy some special pricing, gourmet appetizers, and even a private reading from their onsite astrologer.

Create “made fresh” treatments. Jennifer Strouse is not just a massage therapist extraordinaire, she is also Rancho Bernado Inn’s own Made Fresh Daily spa chef.  She creates a new special treatment and protocol with fresh, therapeutic ingredients every season.  The current Made Fresh Daily special is Fruit Infusion, which includes a strawberry scrub wrap and grapefruit massage.  Guests enjoy a complimentary beverage and receive an at-home treatment recipe to take with them as well.

Support local artisans. As a recent guest at the Ihilani Spa at the JW Marriott in Ko Olina, Tanya greeted me with a great big smile and Aloha.  Her enthusiasm and positive energy immediately drew me in.  Her passion for the spa radiated as she went on to offer and give me a tour and tell me about their unique whirlpool that pumps salt water in and warmed for your comfort.  In addition, she explained how they carefully curated the retail items to include island made gifts from local artisans and how they liked to give back to the community.

These are just a few of the unique things that you can do to make your spa stand out.  Whether it’s from the small details, showing off team member talents, excellent customer service or fun, elaborate events, all of it counts.  Be bold and try new things!

If you want help brainstorming or have ideas that you would be open to share, please comment here!

Marti’s last blog post addressed the pros and cons of Groupon.  Having just returned from the Global Spa Summit, where the issue Groupon was a hot topic, Marti was curious what Universal’s customers think of this wildly popular marketing vehicle. On the positive side, the site promises to create new customers that will spend more and return. The dark side, Marti points out, is that “Groupon can set negative pricing expectations for your clients and strike a real blow to your margins.”

The Groupon conversation has definitely been skewing towards the negative. Even hard core fans of deal websites quickly lose confidence when the reality does not live up to the hype. Here are some of the common complaints:

• The Groupon value proposition is: “give us half of your already discounted treatment.”

• The majority of “Grouponites” are geographically unqualified to be regular spa guests.

• Discounts do not lead to loyalty. They lead to the expectation of more discounts.

• Retention numbers are horrible.

• Spas are often flooded with more “deals” than they can’t reasonably service.

• Grouponites are notorious for wanting special treatment to go along with their special deal.

• Grouponites are bad tippers. (Spa owner/consultant Peggy Wynne Borgman calls these types “Newbie McNotip”)

• Groupon may annoy your existing, loyal clientele if you limit it to only new clients.

• If you offer deals to current clients, your spa is essentially giving spa services away for free

Borgman says the Groupon promise boils down to this: “We’re going to fill your spa with a giant Caterpillar tractor scoop full of dirt. In that huge scoop of dirt is some gold; and it’s your job, Ms. Spa Owner, to find it. If you don’t find it, it’s because you’re blind, not because it was, in fact, nearly 100% dirt.”  In essence, Groupon would have you believe that, if their customers don’t return to your spa at full price, it’s because you suck.”

The moral of the story? Crunch the numbers beforehand and consider the many risks before deep discounting of any sort. Consider more creative and profitable ways to promote your business. Groupon promises exposure to a pool of discount seekers sure to become new clients—but do they deliver the right client, at the right time and at the right price point?

We welcome your feedback on this topic. Success or horror stories welcome!

Monte Zwang

I’m currently wrestling with a couple of my clients about raising their prices.  Is it safe?  Will it risk business? How are our guests going to respond?  We’re still in economic recovery. Money-wise, our clients are in that weird space about whether they should be spending money on guilty pleasures.  Groupon has shown us what guests are willing to pay for services. They are looking for results and a bargain. And yes, price matters.

One of the toughest decisions we have to make as a business owner is how much to charge for our services.  What we charge defines us as a business.  It places us among our competition, it establishes the expectations for our guests, and it defines our profitability. So, now that business is trending upwards and we’re starting to feel like things are moving in the right direction, we’re looking at our service menu and wondering if we should be raising our prices. No pressure.

Let’s talk about service pricing and when is a good time to raise them. Pricing services requires an understanding of guest value, competition, and direct costs.

Study your competition. Yes, it’s about market rate and where your pricing fits among comparable businesses. The service pricing conundrum.  Being the highest price in the market raises guest expectations because you’re expected to be the best in terms of service, quality, and guest experience.  Being the lowest in the market does not necessarily mean that you get what you pay for. It could mean that you charge a lower price and provide a great value.  But if your competitors are charging more than you are for comparable services, are they as busy as you are? Where do you want to be perceived? These are tough questions you need to answer.

Know your costs. Supplies, labor, payroll taxes, laundry, and other direct costs must be defined. Gross margin (Sales minus Direct Costs) of 35-40% is good.  Higher than that is great. Gross margins greater than 50% may be part of your marketing strategy, but you may want to take a good look at the value you are providing for your guests.

Supply and demand. What is the occupancy of your treatment rooms? Are you operating at 60-70% capacity?  If you’re full and your guests are unable to book services, you can rationalize increasing prices.

Gently, Gently. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what your guest is experiencing. Never forget that guests expect and are willing to pay for value and results. If raising prices is the correct and appropriate business decision, raise them.  If you chose, after careful evaluation, that raising prices is something you want to do, do it gently.  An across the boards increase may alarm your guests.  Consider phasing increases in and consider providing a loyal guest price freeze for existing clients. Look at your menu carefully and consider adding value by including some short services or add-ons to soften the blow. Remember that price matters and we are existing in a recovering, not a recovered economy. Your savvy competition is creative and would love an opportunity to lure your customers away.

As always, if you want to talk about it, give us a call.  There is never a charge for the initial consultation.

I can be reached at Monte@WellnessCapital.com or via my website at www.WellnessCapital.com.

Felicia Brown

After my last post “Whose Responsibility Is Marketing?”, there were a number of great comments about the specific kinds of marketing people were doing for their businesses and who they thought should be responsible for those tasks. After reading the remarks, I thought sharing a better explanation of what I believe constitutes marketing would help to support the points I made in that post. Hence, the topic and title of this entry.

If you asked a group of random people, “What is marketing?”, you would probably get a variety of answers. Some would say that marketing is advertising such as print ads, direct mail, and television commercials. Others would say that marketing is networking events or offering special web promotions or email newsletters. And still, others would say that marketing is just what you do to get sales.

And while none of these definitions is wrong per se, from my many years in business as a massage therapist, spa owner, and business/marketing coach and consultant, I’ve come to see things differently. In my mind, these definitions – alone or combined – along with other traditional descriptions of marketing, are too narrow. In fact, over the years, the way I think about, describe, and teach marketing has evolved and expanded tremendously.

Marketing is much more than the things you do to promote yourself or your business to your clients and prospects. It is made up of EVERYTHING that “touches” your clients or prospects and causes them to want to do business with you for the first time, the next time, or the LAST time. And, in some cases, your marketing will cause people to not want to do business with you at all. This is what I call anti-marketing or being “closed for business.” (I’ll talk more about that in a future post.)

Initial and ongoing marketing touches or impressions that reach clients can make your business and balance sheet wildly successful if delivered well. But when they aren’t, the time, money, and energy spent on traditional marketing and advertising efforts can be completely wasted.

Here are some quick examples of basic marketing touches that can really sway a prospect into trying your business or returning to it:

–An easy to find, open, and navigate website

–A receptionist who seems unrushed or distracted while taking calls

–Clean, well-stocked bathrooms or locker rooms

–An invitation to reschedule

These may not seem like marketing vehicles at first glance, but anything that makes a client happy or comfortable enough to spend money with a business is definitely a part of marketing. And believe me when I say there are plenty of prospective clients who will decide not to patronize you if one of the “touches” that matters most to them is out of whack.

To summarize, if marketing is about getting and keeping more clients, appointments, or sales, then anything and everything that increases the number of clients, appointments, or sales in your business should be considered part of your marketing. Simply put, I call it Every Touch Marketing.

Now, here’s a question for you. Are you and your team making every touch positive?

Nancy Griffin

Felicia Brown’s latest Spa Insider post “Whose Responsibility Is Marketing?” points out the pros and cons of engaging your spa staff in marketing activities. Felicia’s commentary got me thinking about the importance of involving everyone in your organization in marketing. Whether it is making outgoing phone calls or participating in social media, your staff must understand the “why” behind what they are doing and be compensated for their efforts.

As I was contemplating the spa industry’s marketing challenges,  I came across an article in McKinsey Quarterly titled “We’re All Marketers Now.” The premise is that “marketing is the company”.  It asserts, “Companies of all stripes must not only recognize that everyone is responsible for marketing but also impose accountability by establishing a new set of relationships between the function and the rest of the organization. . .In today’s marketing environment, companies will be better off if they stop viewing customer engagement as a series of discrete interactions and instead think about it as customers do: a set of related interactions that, added together, make up the customer experience.” Therefore, regardless of position or rank, we all must engage in marketing activities.

In addition to the myriad of activities a spa director must master, marketing must be at the top of the list. Resort and hotel spa directors are often taxed with marketing the spa without the support of the hotel’s in-house marketing department. Day spa owners spend countless hours designing promotions to drive traffic through the doors.  It is management’s responsibility to help the therapists see the bigger picture rather than force them to participate without explanation.

Everyone must be concerned with getting new clients through the door and encouraging repeat business.  The success of your business depends on it!

How do you engage your staff in marketing?  Share your marketing success stories and challenges below!

Marti Morenings

There was discussion about Groupon at the Global Spa Summit.  On the positive side, some felt that it can be an extremely beneficial marketing tool for spas; however, on the flip side, there was talk that if not used correctly, Groupon can set negative pricing expectations for your clients and strike a real blow to your margins. 

I am curious about your experiences with it–have you found a way to effectively use Groupon to build incremental business for your spa?

Felicia Brown

Recently I was involved in an online discussion about marketing. A service provider was complaining that she was being forced to call past clients of the business on her own time to try and get them to come in for free introductory services with her. She was unhappy with this since she was only compensated when she saw paying clients.  

I don’t think anyone should be forced to do unpaid marketing or work of any kind by his or her employer; it’s possibly unlawful and most definitely unproductive if the one doing the marketing is not a willing participant or feels like s/he is being taken advantage of . However, I believe the service provider was actually failing to see the bigger picture.

So what’s the bigger picture? As a longtime massage therapist and former spa owner, I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to market the business they work in, particularly if they will be on the receiving end of the revenue when clients come in. It helps to provide job security for the individual as well as revenue generation (hopefully) for both the employee and the business, which is good for everyone. As a business and marketing coach, I share this idea often and especially with those who say they want to be busy or successful but then complain about how the business owner doesn’t do enough to bring in new business or how hard it is to grow a clientele.

As an independent contractor and new massage therapist, I did tons of free marketing at the suggestion of my first boss, including cold calling his database of old clients and asking them to come in to see me for discounted services. I was not paid for this (nor was I forced to do it), but I did reap the benefits when the clients booked with me and sometimes became my regulars. I also worked many free events and promoted myself all over the place, all at no cost to the businesses where I worked. However, I gained many new and regular clients and increased my overall income from being a part of these unpaid endeavors. Learning to do this kind of promotion through someone else’s business is probably what helped me to have confidence to do it on my own when I later opened my own practice and day spa.

The bottom line to service providers: Do you really want to get more clients? Are you willing to do what it takes to put yourself out there, to give of your time and gifts in order to be the success you want to be? If so, then find a way to look at requests like this as an opportunity instead of an obligation and find other ways to promote yourself and the business. If not, then consider other employment options or learn to be happy with the amount of clients and income you get from where you presently work. Either way, I also suggest discussing your concerns about requests like this with your employer or manager, who may not be aware of your viewpoint or feel that s/he is imposing on you. By working together, you will both be more likely to succeed.

Alfredo Carvajal

In Part I, we talked about the guest experience and a few processional items to create a true sense of arrival at your spa, including pausing as part of the spa journey, implementing rituals to usher your guests into a relaxing state, and creating special differentiators. Now, I would like to share some concepts and best practices to help foster a quiet place to heal your healers.

In the real world, most people run out of their homes after completing a series of frantic tasks, such as preparing breakfast for their families and getting children ready for school; then, they maneuver through traffic and finally arrive to work with a caffeine overdose. Our therapists and support teams are first, people, then spa professionals. As people, it is extremely hard to jump from one world to another. In many ways, the spa experience is very intimate and physical. There’s a tremendous aspect of trust and touch involved. If we really understand the raison d’etre behind the spa experience, we should also know there is an important spiritual and energy connection with the healer. For this same reason, we cannot afford to have a stressed healer trying to heal. It isn’t fair for the client, and it isn’t good for the therapist either. Helping your team to leave the mundane out of the spa could completely change the culture and atmosphere of your location.

Before we start, let me remind you of the obvious: This can’t be just a trial exercise. Trying to enhance your spa’s culture has to be taken seriously and executed under one condition: Whatever you do, do it every day, even if you are away or busy. Make sure whatever you implement goes on with or without you. Here are some ideas:

Establish “Me Moment” Gathering (formally called the Pre-shift Meeting) 

Every morning have very short 5-10 minute gatherings with your team. This is not a regular staff meeting–this is a time to do the following:

—A brief breathing exercise, 1-5 deep inhales and exhales. (I promise you will have a good laugh the first time you do this.)

—A gentle reminder to leave negative thoughts behind. Let the spa be the refuge from the mundane.

—A simple thought about why we do what we do–heal and make people feel better. Obviously, we can’t do that in a bad mood or preoccupied with worrisome thoughts. (At Canyon Ranch, we used to read comments guests wrote in a journal placed in the relaxation/waiting room area. Some of them were very touching and incredibly thoughtful.)

—Share positive successes, such as spa goals, a top seller, or client compliments

—Share a positive thought or affirmation. Ask your team to alternate and bring one each day.

Note: Remember, the most successful teams–from corporate America to the NBA–all share one thing in common: One goal. One vision. And then, reputation. Build yours.

Furnish A Quiet Place

If you’re fortunate enough to have space for a break room, invest in it.  If your team is normally cramped into a tiny space with very little décor, make it feel homey and relaxing, but make sure you aren’t playing the same music you have in your treatment rooms. Invest in nice books, industry publications, and some pop culture magazines. If you can, invest in an ionic fan. The most important piece of advice: Keep it clean, uncluttered, and avoid TV (unless you use it for training). Many places offer free WI-FI for their teams, but restrict the use of cell phones and anything that could be disturbing to others.

Teach Meditation

I don’t know any spa school in the US where therapists are taught any form of meditation technique. Bringing a meditation instructor to your facility will definitively pay dividends with your team. Meditation is normally practiced twice a day for fifteen minutes. You can always encourage everyone to invest in it before coming to work or during breaks.

Invest in Biofeedback

With today’s technologies becoming more and more affordable, look into biofeedback software or a stand-alone piece of equipment. These incredible tools could lower stress levels and quench some of those emotional episodes that could affect your spa’s mood.

As I mentioned before, these are just a few recommendations for you to adopt when trying to create your own “Spa Threshold”. Not only will your team enjoy the benefits, but your business will also grow by way of customer retention plus something you can’t buy anywhere: a good aura.

Temple threshold in Thailand where prayers are said before entering

Marti Morenings

A friend of mine sent the following quote to me when he heard I had the opportunity to spend a month in Bali: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but rather by the number of times your breath is taken away.”  By this measure, my last few days in Bali were, well, breathless!

After attending the Global Spa Summit, I travelled to a very unique healing retreat called 5 Elements, which I will tell you more about in another post.  It was from this home base that I travelled to Mount Agung to hike Bali’s highest and holiest mountain.

My guide, Made (pronounced ma-day) picked me up at 4 am, and we arrived at the Pura Pasar Agung Temple, which was about a quarter of the way up the mountain, in time to watch a spectacular sunrise.  From this point, we still had a 4 to 5 hour trek up the mountain, and then another 3 hours back down, so I was approaching this hike like I do most of my challenges, with a very focused and determined “let’s get this done” attitude.

Making it to the top of this mountain quickly and efficiently was going to be my primary objective. For this reason, I was getting a little frustrated with Made. He kept insisting on slowing down the pace and taking frequent breaks.  He was in his early twenties and in seemingly great shape, so I could not understand why he was holding me back from my “great conquest”.    Well, after a few more stops, this young man, who spoke broken English, said something that really hit home, “Maybe you should slow down–the view from the top is not as good as what we can see along the way.” Although I had heard the cliché “It’s the journey, not the destination” so many times before, hearing similar words from Made on this mountain made perfect sense.   

I realized that each time we stopped, there was an opportunity to appreciate where we were right here and now in this very moment, and I made it my priority to be less concerned with getting to the top and more about getting the most out of my journey that day. Just feeling the cool morning air and hearing lively birds made me smile.  I began to really appreciate those breathtaking moments like when we stopped and saw a beautiful rainbow highlighting the valley below, seeing the temple from high above and listening to its rising ancient Hindu songs, and the swiftly swinging of wild monkeys.  

And, it wasn’t just the breathtaking views that I appreciated. I really enjoyed getting to know Made and hearing about how he loved spending time on this mountain and how he felt that he had a real connection with it.  He said he came often, even when he wasn’t on a guided hike, because when he was in the jungle, he felt one with nature.   We enjoyed a leisurely picnic lunch while looking up at the sky. I tried to describe for him what it was like to fly in an airplane, something he had never done before. He told me about his wife and two baby girls, and that his aspirations in life were to keep coming to the mountain and to be a good provider for his family.  

So, my hike to Mount Agung was less about getting to the top and more about getting to know one special young man who reminded me to look for, and stop to appreciate, those breathless moments along my journey.   

Made

Marti hiking along the valley below

Temple

View from the top

Alfredo Carvajal

This topic is divided into two parts. In this post, I will share some thoughts to help you create one of the most important aspects to your guests’ sense of arrival. The next post will provide some concepts and best practices to help foster your team’s positive energy.

In many cultures, a door, especially the entryway before entering a house, has great significance. For some, it is a place to leave everything unclean behind (including shoes); for others, it means a point at which one abandons the mundane (or the “bad spirits” you acquire throughout the day). In sacred places, the entryway is where you enter a haven of reverence.

I am not trying to compare a spa with a place of worship or a sacred space, but it should be a sanctuary for people to depart from day to day woes, constant chatter, and trivial worries. Nonetheless, it isn’t easy to turn off that switch; I personally have a hard time taking “me time”. Like many others, I have a preoccupied mind and a phone connected to my hip. For these reasons alone, a gentle reminder to simply slow down my world is always welcome.

One of the best spa treatments I ever had was in South Asia. Before crossing a small bridge towards the treatment room, the therapist asked me to stop for a moment to ponder what was written on top of a beautifully carved entryway; I responded that I didn’t read Thai. Her translation was, “From this threshold, leave the world behind”. Then, she asked me to take a deep breath, exhale, and walk with her. That was it. This petite, soft-spoken lady quickly eased my frantic ADD mind, and most likely, slowed my heart rate as well. This was the perfect preamble to a soothing massage that transcended the physical. I was spiritually relaxed from the moment crossed the threshold.

As you may already be thinking, it isn’t easy to replicate an exotic resort spa experience at an urban day spa.  But what if I told you that you could?  Here are a few ideas and practices to create simple, yet significant rituals to enhance your clients’ experience and build on your unique value proposition:

The Threshold Stop: After checking in and before entering your treatment area, write some words above your threshold inviting your guest to leave the world behind. The therapist should pause, read the sign, and ask the guest to take a deep breath to begin the experience. Note: It’s really important that your team perform this ritual with sincerity and with positive intentions. Basically, not rushed.  Feel free to use the words stated above, in any language of your preference. My friend and colleague, Suzanne Holbrook, at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes has choice words written in Latin.

A Symbolic Thought Pond: Using an attractive bowl or bird bath filled with clean water, place a small container with dry or fresh flower petals next to it. Ask every client, to take a second to breathe deeply and “Think a Healthy Thought” (an affirmation, a positive thought, or simply a desire to be healthy) and then place a petal on the water.

A Cell Box:  At your local craft store, buy some nicely decorated boxes to match your spa design. They need to be large enough to hold a cell phone. Before leading your client into the changing / locker room, offer the cell box and ask them to place the phone inside after taking a deep breath. Ask your team to explain to each guest that this act symbolizes the beginning of “me time”.

A Simple Pre-treatment Breathing Exercise: As part of your protocol and before commencing any treatment, have your therapist take a moment to perform a short “three-deep-breaths” exercise with the client. Before the exercise, gently ask clients to empty their minds and let go.

Not all of these rituals will match your personal choices or spa personality, but I sincerely hope you can, at least, adopt one or create one of your own. Have fun, and remember the spa treatment is just one part of the experience.

In front of a symbolic “home temple” door in Bali, Indonesia