INSPIRATION
How did you get involved in the spa industry?
As a teenager, I struggled with my skin. As the years went on, I wanted to be able to help other teens and adults who had the same struggle and guide them in the process of becoming confident in their own skin.
How did you develop the concept of your spa?
When I began designing my spa, I envisioned beautiful chandeliers, a serene atmosphere for my clients to immediately relax, and I imagined the comforting smell of lavender, invigorating peppermint, and a mix blend of essential oils to suit each of my clients’ senses. I made this dream a reality when I designed my spa!
LEADERSHIP ROLE
What daily challenges do you encounter
I am constantly challenging myself to make sure that we are giving all of our clients the correct education on all of our professional products and why the professional products we retail are so important to use on a daily basis.
Spa owner
How do you manage stress that work brings into your life?
I love to read self-help books and positivethinking books! I also love to play with my sweet miniature dachshund puppy that always helps with any stress I am experiencing after a long day at work! Also, it never hurts to take time for yourself and get a nice, relaxing massage or facial!
What takes most of your time every day?
Continually training my team to be successful and constantly educating them about new products and how to market themselves takes up a lot of my time each and every day. I love keeping my team positive and motivated to help them build their relationships with their clients!
TEAM BUILDING
What is your hiring process?
I conduct a very thorough interview and require a performed service so that I know exactly what the applicant’s touch is and how they talk with clients during a treatment. This industry is constantly changing and we want to make sure that all of our team members, even the new ones, are up to date on the newest and latest trends!
How do you select the employees that are going to be working with you?
I select team members who are highly motivated, goal-oriented and want to become extremely successful in this industry. My standards for all new team members are to maintain a positive attitude, build client relationships and enjoy continuing education.
How do you evaluate employees?
Evaluation of our team members is done on a monthly basis. I speak directly with each employee on what their monthly goals are and how they are going to achieve them. The team member and I will also set new goals to strive for.
How do you train members of your staff?
We participate in education classes and enjoy learning from each other to make sure that we are completely up to date on our product knowledge.
What tactics do you use to keep your employees incentivized?
Whether it’s us enjoying a wine night together as a team building event or a ladies night event that involves us surrounding ourselves with inspiring women in the community, we like to have fun! We also enjoy going to networking meetings together as a team!
RETAIL
Do you educate your clients on your retail products?
Educating our clients on why they need to go home with a skin care system and regime is definitely what we always strive for. We pull the products that we recommend and talk privately with our clients and let them know why we pulled those products for them and how to use them. We also write the products down on our Guest Recipe form and send it home with the client.
Where do you feel is the most efficient location for a retail section in a spa?
We have our retail display set up at our front entrance way/waiting area. Our retail display is beautiful, eye catching, and not overwhelmed with products. We want our clients to see our display upon arriving and when exiting our spa!
MARKETING & PUBLICITY
What have you found is most effective when it comes to marketing techniques and strategy?
Getting out in the community and going to networking groups has been very successful for me! Building relationships among community members and business leaders is something that I take very seriously.
What can you tell us about your particular marketing strategies?
My team and I are also always on Facebook Live doing educational videos and keeping everyone informed of what’s up and coming! We focus on the appearance of the spa from its aroma and the music that we play, to the heated neck wraps that we offer our clients as they are waiting, and to our beverage bar where we always have fruit-infused water, coffee or hot tea.
It all boils down to what our customers, see, hear, smell, touch and taste!
EXCEPTIONAL CLIENT CARE
How do you keep clients loyal and consistent?
Building the relationships that we have with our clients is what keeps them loyal to us. We care about them, their families and we make sure that we always give them the red carpet treatment! Our monthly promotions also ensure that our clients can try new treatments at a lower cost. This is a great incentive! We are also in the process of figuring out a VIP system with our most loyal clients.
TIPS FOR SPA LEADERS
What are the most important lessons have you learned from failures or challenges that you can share with others in your career path?
I have learned to embrace each and every challenge that has come my way. If you always expect the unexpected, then you will not let difficult situations suppress you. Learn to find strength within and always have strong faith to help you keep going. I don’t believe in failure, because failure only happens when you give up and I refuse to ever give up!
If you could tell your younger self one piece of advice on the spa industry, what would it be?
The education never stops. Get as many certifications as you can so that you can always be up to date on all of the latest trends. START SOONER!
