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Evolve or Become Irrelevant
How do you make sure your spa stays relevant with the changes we’ve experienced in the past several years?
Embrace technology
Touchless therapies have become popular—especially during and since the Covid pandemic. While acknowledging that “it can be scary to embrace technology,” Emyln Brown offered hope that “it can also lead to change,” and the panel shared ways new technology can be a positive change for spas.
Amanda Al-Masri finds “more people are interested in wellness, but we have less people to work” and advises spa leaders to “embrace touchless therapies, as it’s a great way to add revenue. Hands-on therapies are still very important and should not be replaced, but the touchless helps amplify results.”
“Touchless is complementary to human interaction,” agrees Simon Marxer. “Being able to offer a broad menu is sound business.”
Exceptional Experiences: Providing Excellent Customer Service
In many industries, companies follow one of two “go to market” strategies: focus on providing extraordinary customer service, or emphasize low prices. While most bus[1]nesses make efforts to cater to both goals, every company leader has one or the other priority in mind when making day-to-day decisions. For spas, the default is nearly always to promote great experiences.
The challenge of creating a customer-centric environment is not new. But many spa leaders say staffing turnover during and since the pandemic has exacerbated an existing issue. In an era of decreasing service mentality, how can spa leaders train and promote exceptional customer service? Conversely, do spas face a decreasing return on investment when trying to win the approval of every client?
Executive/Management Focus: Spa Employee Wages
Three leaders in the fields of personnel management and employment policies offer the following insights that will be of special interest to spa leaders. With their knowledge of employee compensation and their experience guiding businesses through the complexities of hiring and workforce development, these professionals share valuable perspectives and provide practical advice and strategies on key employment topics.
- Candra Bryant leads Hanna Resource Group, an HR focused consulting firm dedicated to creating thriving workplaces. With a rich background in corporate HR leadership and consulting, Bryant excels in crafting employment policies that align with applicable regulations, best practices and organizational culture.
- l Alison Harrigan is a senior client partner and leads travel, hospitality and leisure practice for global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry. Harrigan’s career background includes experience with franchised businesses, hospitality, real estate and wellness.
- Julie Keller-Callaghan is a co-founder of Well Defined and managing director of recruiting for Hutchinson Consulting: An Arch Amenities Group Company. A longtime influencer and advocate in the wellness world, Keller Callaghan serves as a consultant and content strategist for numerous wellness brands.
Expect More Be More: The Power of Holding Yourself to Higher Standards
Made for more. If you hold yourself to high expectations, you already know that a bare-minimum mentality is your enemy. Doing just enough is your rival. Merely complying with requests is your nemesis.
High expectations demand that you do more, reach higher and go farther. All of which requires effort. And that’s where the challenge lies: Many people are simply unwilling to make the sacrifices required to reach the next level. The late nights. The early mornings. The missed milestones.
Expect More, Lead More: The Art of Setting Stubbornly High Standards
Leadership is not for everyone. It demands a person who consistently sees the best in others—and acts on it. That takes energy, perseverance, forgiveness, faith and— gasp—stubbornness.
Wait, stubbornness? Yes, stubbornness.
As a leader of a high-performing spa team, you have to be stubborn enough to maintain high expectations every day— even when you don’t feel like it. There will be days when you’re tired. Emotionally, mentally and physically spent. Everything in you will urge you to “excuse” someone coming in late… or doing their job half-way… or being short with their teammates. Don’t do it.
Exploring Hospitality Trends with Jan Freitag
ISPA’s first Town Hall of 2025 set the stage for an insightful discussion on the trends shaping the hospitality industry this year. Presented by Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics for CoStar Group, the session shed light on economic projections, consumer behavior and challenges facing the industry. Here are Freitag’s key takeaways:
Fangotherapy
Fango is the Italian word for mud. Used in treatments, a highly mineralized mud may be mixed with oil or water and applied over the body as a heat pack to detoxify, stimulate the circulation and relieve muscular and arthritic pain.
Faradism
Electric muscle stimulators used to tone muscles through low-level electricity conducted through contact pads attached to the body for “passive exercise,” often used for treatment of certain medical conditions.
Feast Your Senses: How Serving Up Wellness on a Platter Can Boost the Spa Retail Experience
Integrating self-care food and drinks into spa retail spaces aligns with the growing trend of holistic wellness, where nourishing the body is seen as integral to achieving overall balance and harmony. By offering a curated selection of nutritious snacks, herbal teas, cold-pressed juices and other wellness-focused products, spas can cater to guests seeking a more comprehensive approach to overall harmony.
One of the key benefits of incorporating wellness food and drinks into spa retail is the enhancement of the guest experience. In addition to external pampering through treatments like massages and facials, spas can now provide guests with nourishing options to support their internal well-being. Whether it’s sipping on a detoxifying herbal tea before a treatment or enjoying a nutrient-rich smoothie post-session, these offerings add an extra layer of indulgence and care to a spa visit.
February 2015 Snapshot Survey – Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Topic of focus – Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Spas are creatively finding ways to encourage existing clients to help spread the word about their treatments and products. Among ISPA spa members, 39 percent have a referral program in place to incentivizes customers to refer new clients.