Please try really hard not to cave and offer discount coupons to the consumer. If you rely on selling discounted spa services in mass numbers to stay afloat, you may as well be running a Ponzi scheme, or a CouPonzi scheme, if you will. The “investors” in the scheme are the consumers who bought your deals from a discount site. The “high rate of return on their investment” has to do with the benefits they plan to receive from your...

Remember 10 years ago when spas were taking out print ads in magazines hoping to drum up business? Remember when letting the world know about your business meant several thousand dollars per quarter given to a public relations firm that offered no guarantees as to whether an editor would mention you or not? Do we really put much stock in whom or what a magazine endorses anymore? I received a call from a national beauty magazine about a month ago...

The word “experience” in the spa profession is a double-edged sword. It can either make you or break you. Spa employers are having better luck with just-out-of-school massage or skin care graduates. They can be molded to perform services according to the spa’s protocols. They bring energy and enthusiasm to the field. And most importantly, they haven’t learned any bad habits. So how much clout does “experience” really hold as a spa professional? If you are not present or engaged...

You’ve landed an audition at a great spa. Terrific! You’re prepared, poised and early for the interview. Your paper work is in order with your state license and school diploma in hand. Fast forward. You’ve completed the audition. The spa manager who has just experienced your work is exiting the treatment table. But the treatment room looks like a tornado came through it. This is where the interview and the audition go awry. You might be surprised to know that...

Seasoned spa-goers are not generally the ones who book couples massages. Guests who book couples massages view it as an afternoon activity to spend time together much like going to dinner or a movie. They are not likely to make spa-going a habit. A couple’s massage is more like an event for them. You and your massage therapy colleague need to keep this in mind when servicing both partners. Your approach should be straight forward: greet the guests, show them...

Not sure how to read a certain spa therapist on staff? There are subtle ways to gauge if they have a vested interest in your spa organization. Ask if they would like business cards of their own to hand to spa guests when they are working. I offer to order business cards for all therapists on staff. I pay a portion of the business card costs and the balance will come out of their pay check and will be noted...

We’ve all been there: a guest arrives late for her treatment. This is added pressure for the spa therapist to deliver a service that still presents the ‘wow’ effect. Especially when we have a guest booked in the next time slot after her. Since the spa industry is about selling time, I have instructed my staff of spa therapists not to volunteer that the guest will only be receiving the time that is left. Instead, she is greeted and brought...