SpaTrade expert blogger Anne Bramham posed the following question in her last post— “Are we disowning our own tool box of healing therapies?” This is a serious question for our industry—most especially due to the current state of the economy. If we as an industry don’t believe in the healing power of “spa,” what message are we conveying to the consumer?
I believe the disconnect stems from a lack of knowledge of spa’s true benefits. Contributing factors include:
- Shortage of qualified therapists due to inadequate training in cosmetology and massage schools
- Poor training at the spa level (training budgets often minimal and majority is vendor-driven)
- Lack of understanding of the human body (anatomy, physiology) and the effect of natural elements and physical environments on the mind, body and soul.
- The quest for wellness outside of the spa experience. (ie “we’re adding wellness programs”)
At their core, spa treatments help bring us back into balance, defined as a “state of equilibrium.” The technical term is “homeostatis”- defined as “the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes.” The essence of spa is prevention of illness by using the elements of nature. It is true that spas deliver a relaxing experience, but at its best the spa experience can deliver so much more…
How do we solve the problem of “disowning our own toolbox of healing therapies?” How do we raise standards in the industry so we feel proud of the product we deliver and consumers feel good about spending their money on spa treatments? Your comments are most appreciated.
Comments
Too many mediocre therapists are being churned out into mainstream. They are giving weak and uninspired treatments. Plus we are competing with massage franchises that offer a $49 massage. I don't think we “disown our own tool boxes..." at all. For some of the therapists in our industry, they may have been given a tool box of therapies in school and never used it. Or the teacher they had was a fresh graduate from the year before and the massage or skin care school made her a teacher right away. These schools frequently take a fresh graduate and make them into a teacher overnight. And the new teacher instructs how to give a cookie cutter massage or an elementary style facial. What kind of tool box can a brand spankin' new teacher pass to her students?
I've auditioned massage teachers to work in our spa as massage therapists and ended up not hiring them because they weren't any good. I hate to say it but most of the teachers I've encountered in the spa industry where I live, are people who became teachers because it paid their bills and they weren't able to start a practice on their own.
I always offer to bring back in and train a massage therapist or esthetician (I've auditioned) who has potential but isn't quite ready to work on the floor. Some take me up on it but others will land employment with another organization. The massage therapist will get hired by a chiropractor who will just bill the insurance company for the freshman massage his patient has just received. Or a hotel will hire a new esthetician because she has the availability to work in the hotel spa and provide skin care to transient hotel guests she is never going to see again.
The spa standards are lacking because the spa therapists are not being held accountable for repeat business.
A spa that services locals will be held accountable for the repeat business they receive. They will get feedback right away and develop stronger relationships with clients. Raising standards in the spa industry may have to come from management, who make it mandatory for the staff to come for training, attend workshops or trade shows. If the staff refuses, they can't stay on board.
If the spa industry became a profession where you would have to sit for an aptitude test in order to gain entry to a great school, we would see higher quality people taking the spa profession more seriously. Unfortunately, there are people who enter the spa industry who were never college material to begin with.