Long gone are the days of when kids and teens were seen and not heard. In today’s society, youth have more influence and presence than generations past. They’re dictating the clothes they wear, the food they eat, what they want, and how they want it. These choices include discretionary purchases at the mall, at the movies, on vacation, and in the spa. In recent years, an increasing number of kid- and teen-focused services have made their way into the industry...

Business and consumer news in 2013 continues to be sharply focused on the introduction of the next great computer tablet or smartphone – or speculation about what the future holds for the generations of tablets and smartphones sure to follow. If they seem to be everywhere, it is because they are, and savvy spa owners have already learned that they need to make adjustments to remain visible in an increasingly mobile world. If you are still relying on a desktop-optimized...

In this blog post, we discuss the use of text messaging to stay in touch with your spa clientele. Since 95% of all text (SMS) messages are open and read, harnessing the power of mobile to reach customers should be a goal for any spa marketer. Spas have the opportunity to use mobile marketing to deepen relationships with clients and gain access to the “inner sanctum” of their lives. They also have the opportunity to alienate clients and deteriorate the...

In-house signage will help you and your staff do your jobs even better. If you are opening or renovating a Spa, put signage on your task list…and in your budget. An effective signage program shouldn’t be an afterthought Signage is important from both a guest’s perspective and a business’s point of view. And it’s never too late…when you are ready to enhance your signage program, there are just three simple rules to remember: 1. Maintain the value of your messages...

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...

Do you want to increase your income exponentially? You can, by focusing on delivering a complete guest experience, “in the spa” and “at home!” The spa industry does a great job with performing treatments “in the spa”, but in most cases, misses the boat with retail opportunities and educating guests on how to take care of themselves at home BETWEEN TREATMENTS. I don’t know why, but most spa teams don’t recognize the importance of home care products in the wellness...

In May 2010, the Global Spa and Wellness Summit partnered with the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and completed a profound study entitled Spas and the Global Wellness Market: Synergies and Opportunities . According to this report, spa represents $60.3 billion of the $1.9 trillion global wellness market. Is your spa tapping into this? Wellness is a huge untapped resource for new revenue streams and happier employees. At SpaExec Sonoma in May 2012 and SpaExec Palm Springs in July 2012, attendees...

Need to create effective branding for your spa, but don’t have thousands to spend? Try online crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to a large group of people or community. Well-known examples of crowdsourcing include Wikipedia itself and Trip Advisor. Larger companies are also using the model. For example, the consumer goods giant Unilever recently hosted an online event to crowdsource ideas for sustainable production and marketing. Another example, Spa Revival...