As Spa Managers it’s not unusual to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty details of running a luxury spa, which is why it’s important we take a step back and reassess all of our responsibilities on a consistent basis – or “spring clean our spa management routine.”

Here are a few ways you can get your personal schedule, your therapists, and your spa reorganized and ready for the impending influx of travelers this summer. 

Evaluate Your Staffing Needs

With the spring season upon us and the busy summer quickly approaching, it’s time to ensure you have enough staff to cover your bookings. Take a head count on how many people you have full time and those part time. Before hiring out, check with your current employees and see if any are willing to increase their hours. If not, it’s time to put out hiring ads for the different positions you are hiring for.

Storage & Stock

More than likely, your spa and salon has shelves of inventory. Take some time to inventory what you have and don’t have. Take a look at last year’s sales reports and see what were the best sellers so you can be sure to stock up on these products. It might even be time to update and move things around so it looks new to your repeat customers. 

Clean Up Your Website

Take a moment to pull open your website and review the content on your homepage. If you have out-of-date information, such as services you no longer offer, or your hours have changed, make a list of all items that need to be changed, and deliver them to your web developer to make those changes.

Revitalizing The Spa Space

At least once a quarter, require every spa associate to go through all cabinets and drawers to update your spa products, reorganize the space and deep clean any fans or special equipment in each service room, and spruce up the break room.  

Having an immaculate property is imperative for the health and wellness of spa guests, but reports also show it improves mood – 66% of Americans say a dirty home makes them feel stressed or anxious. As the saying goes, “tidy house, tidy mind.” 

While we know it can be hard to delegate, it’s necessary to make sure you aren’t spreading yourself too thin. Also, it’s important to note that giving employees more responsibility often encourages a deeper sense of empowerment and motivation in the workplace, a win-win for everyone! 

From The Pros At ISM Spa, Tips On How To Turn Spring Hotel Guests Into Spa Guests

With warmer weather and spring break on the horizon, travel is growing busier. As hotels get reserved for sunny weekends ahead, it’s important to capture the attention of visitors and persuade them into booking a day of ultimate relaxation at the spa. Resort spas are unique as they have a built-in, captive audience of hotel guests who, if the spa is creative and strategic, present plenty of revenue opportunities. The key is to first draw guests into the spa, and then to make their experience so incredible that it fuels great referrals and repeat business. With that in mind, here are our pro-tips on how to successfully convert spring hotel guests into spa guests, just as the first buds blossom.

Pre-Arrival

• Include spa details in hotel booking confirmation communication

It sounds simple, but often hotel guests are completely unaware of the spa within the hotel. Sometimes, guests hesitate to visit the spa unless they know exactly what to expect. That’s why it’s a smart gesture to include information about spa offerings immediately in the booking confirmation email. A warm, friendly introduction to the spa is essential for guests to integrate a spa day into their travel plans.  

Arrival

• Highlight spa services at check-in

Wellness should be accessible for everyone, but sometimes hotel spas can feel reserved for elite guests only. When all guests reach the spa reception, a friendly invitation to the spa is a must to ensure each guest feels welcome in its healing environment. Within the hotel, your spa should be mentioned on all hotel collateral and signage. Leave vouchers at the front desk and concierge to encourage guests to visit the spa. We recommend creating a personalized invitation to include in the check-in process, to make the spa location, hours of operation, and contact details as visible as possible. Make sure to build relationships with all hotel employees who are in constant contact with guests, from the general manager, to the front office, concierge, housekeeping, and food and beverage staff. Share your spa’s daily promotions for other staff members to extend to guests. Invite key team members to try spa experiences. A fully integrated spa team will give you the support you need to drive more visits. Remember, you have a client base of hotel guests right at your doorstep — and we guarantee everyone would love a spa day as long as they know it’s available within the hotel.  

Guest Rooms

• Place spa menu in all hotel rooms

Wellness should be a priority for any hotel guest, whether they’re on a local staycation, traveling for pleasure, or on a business trip. A great way to entice them to visit the spa is with healthy travel tips. Print the spa menu for each room or create a brochure that provides wellness education while away from home. Highlight popular services, include descriptions of treatments impossible to refuse, assert the spa team’s professional expertise, and reveal any unique modalities. Be sure to clearly feature the spa’s branding and contact information, which will make it irresistibly easy for the guest to get in touch and inquire about how you can improve their well-being and add value to their stay.

Spa Activations

• Promote the spa in high trafficked areas

Another great strategy is to think like the guests — define the demographic and pinpoint where they spend time in the hotel. For instance, maybe the pool area is where guests, who would most likely invest in a spa day on their vacation, lounge, relax, and splash around in. Why not send a friendly, enthusiastic spa therapist around your hotel’s popular areas with information on the spa to truly catch guests’ attention and spark genuine conversation about its wellness offerings? Or simply promote the spa in busy areas such as the lobby, front desk, elevators, bar or restaurant, with an eye-catching spa menu, clearly demonstrated contact information, and any current promotions for hotel guests. By marketing the spa in high traffic areas, it’s seen by the highest number of hotel guests. This is effective for building brand awareness and broadcasting your spa to as many people as possible. Because it’s in such a busy area, this marketing method tends to have the highest number of views and impressions — a sure way to attract hotel guests into the spa.

By focusing on encouraging hotel guests to visit the spa during their stay, you will be better equipped to drive your spa business forward. The way you market your spa and cater to resort clientele is pivotal. The more visible and integrated your spa is, and the more creative you are in authentic marketing initiatives, the more curious guests will be to visit your spa during their spring break vacation and beyond.

Four Tips For A Successful Spa Team Dynamic

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Have you ever observed a successful team working together in action, completely in sync with one another and the flow of work? Did you feel goosebumps? Like you were witnessing greatness?

Everything changes when you build a thriving spa team dynamic. We believe that confidence is essential for success within the operations of a spa environment. Confident spa professionals speak to one another with respect, maintain healthy dialog when they disagree, feel valued and appreciated — that their opinions matter, which increases diversity of ideas and creates better outcomes.

Creativity thrives within a confident team dynamic. Confident spa leaders aren’t afraid to fail. Lack of fear to try new things and the capacity to learn from potential failures makes up a creative team. They feel safe trying out innovative ideas and understand it’s okay to adjust if things don’t go as planned. They’re self-assured and balanced; their skills are important to the inner-workings of the spa and valuable in its success. 

Below, we’re revealing four tips to boost team confidence for a high-performing spa.

Provide Ample Training & Educational Resources

When spa management helps foster the professional growth and development of their employees, performance flourishes. A team whose members are aligned with purpose feels a challenge in their work and will have a strong sense of belonging and value. With constant new technologies, scientific discoveries, and innovation in the spa industry, it’s essential to invest in training and educational resources to nurture team motivation and inspiration. Spa professionals live a life dedicated to helping people feel their best. They are wellness warriors; they believe that the power of touch can inspire and transform lives. In order to take pride in helping people embrace self-care, they need to stay updated and participate in the evolution of the industry. By providing opportunities to do so, you’ll build a confident team of passionate spa professionals, eager to share their wealth of knowledge with the world. Clients will benefit from life-changing services and return again and again.

Hold Weekly Meetings To Keep Your Team In The Know

The secret recipe to inspire spa team members is to truly understand their knowledge, strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, and behaviors to best motivate them. Simply put, it’s crucial to get to know your team. A weekly, or better yet, a daily meeting carves time out of a busy schedule to interact, voice opinions, give feedback, set goals, share ideas or concerns, and provide a chance to reconnect the team as a whole again.

Inspiration occurs when a spa leader shows team members that they have their best interests at heart. Remember, the spa industry is centered around wellness — sustaining the well-being of both clients and employees is essential for a thriving spa business. You must invest time and energy in your team. Every member needs to feel respected, appreciated, and valued through openness and direct involvement in decision-making. During meetings, provide support and facilitate discussion to problem-solve. Regular meetings are the perfect chance to foster input and develop a confident team of empowered spa professionals, who contribute work that truly matters.

Incentives Motivate & Create Results

Generous compensation attracts spa employees who approach their jobs with energy and enthusiasm every day. Benefits include: reduced turnover, employees who give great service to loyal customers, a customer base that grows via word of mouth, and increasing profits. Goal-setting through an incentive program is linked to task performance and is the main source of intrinsic motivation. Setting specific and clear goals leads to greater output and better team performance.

Spas employ a broad range of personnel, with different roles, responsibilities, and ways in which they can create value. Incentives and bonuses can come in many formats. We have seen cash bonuses, gym memberships, meals, and a wide variety of other exciting offerings. Incentives can be used to further reward and motivate employees when your business has achieved key milestones (most positive reviews for the week, most bookings and rebookings, highest retail sales, etc.) The proof is in the pudding — employee incentives spark motivation to earn respect from leadership and peers; to achieve talent recognition alone creates a strong team of confident individuals, ready to take on the task at hand. 

Breath Breaks

The fear of getting sick and navigating a “new normal” in the spa, in which people stand six feet apart, follow strict health protocols, and wear PPEs, requires enormous mental energy. Even on the best days, stress can prevent us from being fully focused and doing our best work. And too much of it can lead to burnout, disengagement, more sick days, and strained relationships in the workplace.

It’s never been more critical for spa leaders to address the mental well-being of their teams head-on.

Wearing a mask is an essential part of our day at the spa. We know that it’s not exactly comfortable, but it is extremely important when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19. 

While wearing a mask, take a moment to feel how you breathe. Place your hands on your stomach or lower rib cage, slowly take a breath through your nose and feel your belly and rib cage push outward and exhale through your mouth.

Practice this throughout the day and provide your spa employees the chance to take a breathing break. In a safe space, allow them to take their masks off and take two or three deep breaths before returning to work. This mindful moment of breathing will lead to healthier, more efficient organizations from the inside out.

Remember, we are living through an unprecedented moment in history. This pandemic will change the world in ways we’ve yet to understand. Many of the unknowns ahead represent extraordinary opportunity, and we each get to decide what part we play in that unfolding story.