This is such an important question/issue. From the trends I am reading in the spa industry, people now are not only looking for pampering, but prevention and tangible results. These could be reduced heart rate, less stress, feel/look younger, more relaxed, etc. It seems to me if we stick with results and find a way to measure them over time, this will be motivating for clients and health practitioners.

Getting clearer about the definition of wellness would be a great start. So long has it been associated with the western medical world. However, the trend and results seem to be coming from the inside out via holistic medicinal practices (acupuncture, massage, psychotherapy, yoga, nutrition). An integrated approach, to me, means results.

Thanks for your post and starting the conversation. I would like to see where this goes.

Until the insurance companies get involved and offer reimbursement to clients/guest of our spas, it maybe a while until a lot of spas start offering detox programs, weight loss, smoking cessation, etc. A wellness spa consists of services that are meant to heal. The services are free of chemicals, loud chatter, and are not expedited so they can move on to the next waiting client, i.e. a nail technician who performs speedy manicures. The focus is on building relationships so that we, as spa therapists, can gauge how our work is coming along and whether or not the treatment we are providing is helping.

But there are “wellness” centers that take advantage of insurance companies. Back in my private practice days, I had chiropractors competing with me for massage clients. They would run ads in the yellow pages under ‘massage therapy’ (back in the 1990s) and claim that in big letters, “INSURANCE PAYS FOR MASSAGE.” One chiropractor in particular had so many massage therapists on hand that he would rake it in with charging insurance companies for massage sessions taking place in his chiropractic office. It became a haven for people to get “free” massages by allowing him to adjust them for 60 seconds and then they head off to a massage in a no-frills- environment but not be expected to pay anything for the visit.

My massage work had to be more detailed and I had to be extremely present in my technique and convince these clients they should come to me and pay $60 out of their pocket because I was worth more than a freshman masseuse in a chiropractor office. I did lose some clients to him but ultimately I was able to create a commodity out of wellness.

The chiropractor eventually packed his office up and moved his practice five blocks down the street into the same medical building where I and other massage therapists rented space. It was like guerilla marketing.

After speaking with a friend of mine, she had worked in another chiropractic office. Again, the chiropractor had so many massage therapists on hand that the insurance company didn’t believe all of the patients were coming for adjustments. He did more repeat business in massage therapy than adjustments. So the law apparently changed, and he was only allowed to have one massage therapist on staff. The law was something like, “one doctor per massage therapist on the premises.” It really drove a wedge into his business and he owed a ton of money to the insurance companies for what I imagine was questionable revenue he collected on patients who only came for massages not adjustments.

It takes a massage therapist to understand how to treat and support her staff of healers. Massage therapists get used by so many avenues. They are used as an attraction to luring patients for adjustments. They are placed on-call and left wondering if they are going to have any work. Or they are left to rot in a so-called salon and spa where the only treatment room they have is a multi-purpose room in the back. And they are not given the support they need to work steadily. Business owners need to be the ones attracting the business. They need to create a peaceful sanctuary where the healer will WANT to go to demonstrate her work. A successful wellness spa is one that doesn’t exhibit too much turnover in healers. This can be very difficult to maintain. Massage therapists have never been known to have sharp business skills. As a massage therapist and business owner, I try to make sure their treatments are spaced 30 minutes apart. I encourage them to trade with one another if we are slow. I reimburse them half of the workshop cost if the continuing education class they want to take is relevant to our spa menu of services. I also give them structure. I make sure they have enough work. We even accept Spa Finder gift certificates to ensure that calls will always be coming in so the ladies on staff will be steadily booked. We don’t make any money on Spa Finder gift certificates and our regular clients take precedence over a random person calling with a SF gift certificate. But it’s great having this extra outlet to ensure that the staff of therapists can breathe easy and focus on what they are good at: healing.

Until the length of the massage therapy profession is longer than seven years, and the therapist isn’t burnt out after two years in a spa body mill, we may see this profession taking more shape. It may start to attract people to the profession who want to make a difference in the world and are ready to leave their corporate job behind. A lot of people in corporate America are attracted to the healing arts but there isn’t enough steady work for them to transition into it.

If insurance companies got more involved in reimbursing clients for massage therapy, acupuncture, weight loss support, more people would be apt to try these forms of healing. More people would be attracted in getting a license to perform these treatments.

Depending on where you live, there might not be much call for it. Oncology Esthetics may do better in a skin care spa located near a hospital. But I doubt a cancer patient would travel to a resort to have oncology esthetics performed. Weight loss programs may do better in a resort setting because the patient can be taken away from her poor eating habits and focus in on creating healthier habits.

There is enough business and purpose for everyone to share. It would just be more fruitful if we had support from the insurance companies.