ISPA Academy Articles

<<< Back to ISPA Academy

Video: The Top Social Media Trend of 2017

June 12, 2017

Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat Stories are exploding in popularity over the traditional vertical newsfeed post format! Erin Gargan explains why and issues a social media challenge to the ISPA community.

Volcanic Mud Therapy

Other Name(s):
Volcanic mud baths, volcanic ash treatments

Definition of Offering:
Volcanic mud treatments utilize the healing properties that are found in volcanic ash to treat, soften and detoxify the skin.

Walking Our Talk: Creating thriving leaders, teams and organizations

October 3, 2023

Compounding crises in recent years have placed a significant strain on our collective and individual well-being. To address this, forward[1]thinking leaders are reshaping their organizations around the principles of wholeness, connectedness, adaptability and resilience, recognizing that thriving individuals are essential for a thriving company.

This is even more crucial for health and well-being providers, as people look to us for solutions on how to be well amid the increasing complexities of our global world. By prioritizing well-being within our workplaces, for ourselves and our employees, we can lead by example while providing our customers the services and products they desire. “Walking the Talk: Providers of Well-being Services Must Remember Their Own Wellness” (August/September, page 20) introduced Wisdom Works Group’s Leading in the Health and Wellbeing Industry 2023 study that revealed considerable potential for our industry to prioritize leader well-being. Wisdom Works defines leadership as a stance a person takes to actively create the conditions where all people can thrive, grow and accomplish work together they cannot do alone. This means everyone can be a leader, in management and nonmanagement roles alike.

Why is thriving a goal of leadership? Because thriving is a dynamic and renewable capacity that exists within every human being—plus, it’s a pragmatic skill you and your team can develop to elevate effectiveness. When we prioritize individual and collective thriving, we are naturally developing people to solve problems with purpose-driven, creative, “both/and” thinking, plus use their personal, interpersonal and existential challenges to grow new degrees of discernment and resourcefulness.

Walking the Talk: Providers of Well-being Services Must Remember Their Own Wellness

September 7, 2023

“PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF.” It is not a new idea: Writers in biblical times already referred to the adage as an age-old proverb, and versions of it are found in Classical texts from the 6th century B.C.E. and earlier.

The words sometimes have been used to taunt and doubt the individuals providing treatments—but at its core, the message is clear: To be able to nurture others, a caregiver must first tend to his or her own needs.

The concept may be ancient, but it has never been more applicable than in 2023. Only now, it may be quantifiable.

A pioneering study of leaders across health and well-being industries shows prioritizing leader well-being is critical for increasing industry and social effectiveness. In research findings reported this spring, Wisdom Works Group finds a unique opportunity for these leaders to enhance well-being for themselves and the people and organizations they serve.

Watsu

A form of aquatic bodywork, Watsu is characterized by one-on-one sessions in which a practitioner or therapist gently cradles, moves, stretches, and massages a receiver in chest-deep warm water.

Waxing (Hair Removal)

The act or technique of applying a depilatory wax to the body for removing hair.

Webinar: Using Online Quizzes to Grow Your Client Base

March 28, 2017

We’re all curious to take quizzes that reveal ‘which Kardasian are we’, or ‘what haircut you should actually have’… and websites like Buzzfeed have taken full advantage of this fact to grow their fan base by leaps and bounds.

What to Know When Engaging a Coach

July 11, 2024

The spa industry puts an emphasis on self-care and helping guests to be their best selves. It’s no wonder, then, that as coaching grows rapidly, spa owners and operators are working with coaches to bring their best selves to their companies, too.

When engaging a coach for the first time, spa professionals have a lot to consider. After all, working with a coach is an investment in the business and must be done thoughtfully and strategically to achieve the desired values.

Where is Spa Technology Heading?

September 5, 2023

Innovative spa technology has changed the experience of both staff and clients in the spa and wellness sector over the past four decades. The integration of spa technology— the use of equipment and machinery to enhance the customer experience and improve the efficiency of spa operations—has been a slow and steady process. It started with small steps like switching from burning real candles to using electronic versions with recharge[1]able batteries. A larger leap was the conversion of appointment scheduling, from a hand-written calendar to online booking systems. Vichy showers and spray-on tans in treatment rooms are other instances of new technology in spa menu offerings. In recent years, Covid-19 encouraged many facilities to incorporate new technology further and faster, with self-check-in and semiautonomous services as prime examples. A recent study of technology acceptance in the hospitality and spa sector indicates guests enjoy and sometimes even prefer the consistency of technology in various experiences.

Why a Remarkable Customer Experience Is Your Best Sales & Marketing Strategy

September 14, 2023

“We don’t need more marketing,” Dan Gingiss says. “What we need is more experiences. Experiences are the things people talk about, remember and want to share with others.”

Dan says he used to be an acolyte of email marketing. Now, he would happily give up the practice entirely. “Customer experience is the best marketing you do.”

How do we get more people to share their experience? “We only share two kinds of experiences: Really good and really bad experiences. We don’t talk about normal or ordinary or average or ‘meh’—we talk about extraordinary or terrible.”

Dan has found spa consumers want to share positive experiences. “All you have to do is look at your Instagram feed to see that.” He shares a methodology—the WISE framework—for creating experiences people want to share:

Scroll to Top