Human Resources
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Insights to recruit, engage and retain spa industry professionals
Kristine Huffman for Pulse: The industry seems to be really struggling with therapist recruitment. Do you experience that too?
CG Funk: We have about a thousand massage programs in the United States today, so we have enough schools. What we don’t have is enough students. I think that’s mainly because we have not marketed and promoted it as a 21st-century career. When people think about massage as a job, folks still think about it as kind of a hippie thing. We’ve done an amazing job in the spa industry of promoting the benefits of our serv[1]ices to consumers. We have more consumers than ever before. And after Covid, it’s grown exponentially. But what we haven’t done is change the mindset what a massage career is. I also believe, as an industry, we are falling short on helping massage therapists create sustainable, long-term careers.
We haven’t approached this thing as a marketing and PR issue. The school I worked with had this ace marketing officer and he created an all-inclusive marketing campaign. We had ads running on radio, late[1]night television, print and social. We started the first online admissions department. The marketing was so strong that it pushed thousands of students to our campuses on an annual basis. I haven’t seen a strong campaign since then.
Interview Questions
Looking for new ways to learn more about job candidates during the interview process? ISPA members shared their favorite interview questions in a previous ISPA Snapshot Survey. You are sure to find some thought-provoking conversation starters for your next interview here.
Investigating New Hires
With 250 employees and a fair amount of turnover, Colin MacCrimmon has a lot of jobs to fill and several ways to gather enough information to judge the suitability of a job candidate. When hiring new employees, the human resources manager for Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, relies primarily on reference checks from previous employers and managers, as well as personal references.
Using a set of standard questions, MacCrimmon probes job candidates and their references for red flags. “It’s important not to be suggestive,” he said. “Follow a template and give people time to talk.” He has found vague answers to specific questions— like why they left a specific job—from either the job candidate or a reference can reveal potential issues in the candidate’s job history that warrant more probing questions.
Leading the Way Through Mentoring
SPA INDUSTRY LEADERS are often quick to point out all the ways in which their colleagues have supported their growth and played key roles in the success of their careers. Many can even cite a particular individual whose impact is greater than the rest. In some cases, these formative relationships happen by chance, but spa leaders seeking to foster growth in their teams, retain top employees and achieve their spas’ performance goals cannot simply place their trust in serendipity. Formal mentoring programs, though, can take luck out of the equation and help spas reach new heights.
Log In and Level Up: Your New Learning Experience Awaits with iLearn
With ISPA celebrating its 35th anniversary and holding its Conference in a five-star resort in the unprecedented altitude of Colorado Springs, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of new heights—and iLearn, a powerful new tool exclusive to ISPA members, may just top everything.
iLearn is the latest member benefit from ISPA, and it will help revolutionize industry-wide learning, spa culture and employee engagement. A learning management system (LMS) at its core, iLearn will give spa management the ability to summon knowledge from industry leaders, experts and visionaries on a whim.
Managing Difficult Conversations: Follow the S.A.F.E.S. approach to communicate better with your team
Of all the tasks a leader faces, managing difficult conversations is one of the most demanding. Hard conversations often complicate accountability and performance because they require complex or uncomfortable communication aimed at correction or change. Not many people like these kinds of conversations.
Difficult conversations involve emotionally charged topics and dynamics—such as giving negative feedback, communicating undesirable changes or discussing something that upsets or “triggers” an employee who needs that feedback to do their job well.
Member Perspectives: Reset Your Retention
As the world returns to normal after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spa industry will rebound. Pent-up demand for travel and soothing human touch will bring business back to spas and resource partners, even if consumers are demanding different treatments, clearer hygiene standards and greater transparency than before.
Mind and Body: How to Promote Mental Well-Being in Your Spa
Many people who enter the spa industry see themselves as healers by nature, whether they are working as a practitioner or creating products that are sold in a spa. That strong desire to help and take care of people is often the common thread between spa managers and vendors. When it comes to employees’ mental well-being, however, spa leaders must balance that impulse with a clear understanding of the limits of their role and the ability to recognize when employees may be best served by outside resources.
Recruitment Trends, Career Growth and Professional Development
Earlier this spring, internationally renowned workplace belonging expert and bestselling author Smiley Poswolsky joined the ISPA community in an online town hall event where he touched on the rapid changes to the work environment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the SpaSoft-sponsored event moderated by ISPA Chair Patrick Huey, Smiley shared his insights and expertise on workplace disruptions and how to engage employees, reduce burnout and encourage team interactions.
Revamped Talent Toolkit Arriving This Summer
The new ISPA talent toolkit will arm professionals with the key tools they need for success in a spa industry where talent recruitment and engagement are at the forefront of focus. Developed by ISPA and member volunteers, the Talent Toolkit will equip spas with the guidance and resources to create effective communication, recruit and interview employees, create in-depth job descriptions and much more.
The toolkit will go live on the ISPA website for members this summer. ISPA members should log in at experienceispa.com, then find the Talent Toolkit under the “Resources” tab. Sections of the ISPA Talent Toolkit.