6 min read
Technique. This is a sacred word to skin therapists. To begin with, it's French-more on that in a moment. For generations, technique has been the skin care profession's raison d'etre-oops, I mean entire reason for being. Mastering the traditional posture, movements, and protocol defined the very essence of being a skin therapist, similar, let's say, to the discipline of a classical ballerina or a Cordon Bleu chef faceting perfect, six-sided baby carrot nuggets. But here's the big news: technique is not enough. Read More
- Published in Client Care
7 min read
Thanks to the popular television series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy a sudden wave of men are having their eyebrows waxed and shaped to improve their appearance. Men have increasingly become enthusiastic customers of many traditional spa services, particularly therapeutic massage. But now we are seeing more opportunity for spas to work with male clients. Men's health and fitness publications, travel magazines, and lifestyle television shows are routinely pitching the spa ritual to the male client, encouraging him to upgrade his level of personal care. Some spas dedicate specific time to men's treatments, and new spas are emerging that are designed to cater to men. Read More
- Published in Client Care
5 min read
What will skin care look like in the future? This is the question I'll be exploring in my new series of ongoing columns for DERMASCOPE. After 30 years in this remarkable business, I've formed some strong opinions. But you already know that - otherwise you'd stop reading! And, I welcome your input - please be sure to check out the contact at the end of each column. Of course, the future is now. Are you ready? Just like comic book space invaders, skin therapists indeed have laser-guns-and that's not an intrinsically bad thing. Read More
- Published in Client Care
7 min read
One of the greatest perplexities to any spa owner is advertising. When to do it? Where? What makes sense? How much should I budget? We all understand the business of skin and body care, but getting our spa-oriented mind into marketing mode takes a real push. Marketing and advertising is a vast field of possibilities-both good and bad. Every business needs to market itself, to get the word out about the availability, uniqueness, and quality of its goods and services. In the increasingly competitive day spa industry it's important to make potential customers aware of a company's distinctive qualities. Read More
- Published in Marketing
7 min read
Close your eyes and imagine being enveloped by the soothing embraces of a beautiful day spa. Mmmmmmm... What special images and sensations are drifting into focus? Make a mental list of these details as you indulge in this fantasy. Now, imagine what things would disrupt your serene daydream, regardless of how large or small the flaw might be. What comes to mind? More importantly, as a customer have you personally experienced both satisfying and irritating details at a spa? Yes? Then consider what the delight or disappointment was, how it affected your overall satisfaction, and what you, the spa professional, could do to either highlight or eliminate similar occurrences where you work now. Read More
- Published in Client Care
7 min read
Does Your Spa Speak the Right Language? Busy, but not too loud. Elegant, yet affordable. Relaxing but invigorating. It might be difficult, when thinking of your spa’s environment, to find a happy medium. Finding that perfect environment, one that speaks to all clientele – returning clients and newcomers to the spa experience, might be a daunting task. It’s possible you’ve seen your ideal workplace…imagined the ambiance of the spa that you’ll call home, talked about it with fellow workmates. Read More
- Published in Business
7 min read
"I've trained them and trained them but they just do what they want!" laments a frustrated spa owner with a staff of 17. As her business coach I sit and patiently listen to her story, observing the tense body language of a woman that feels powerless to change a stubborn and under-performing team. Turnover is approaching almost 100 percent for the second time in two years while customer complaints have risen sharply. Burned by a train them and lose them history my client has become embittered by the prospect of having to invest more time and money into employee development, and she doesn't want to do it again. Read More
- Published in Client Care
5 min read
A good training manual is worth its weight in gold, or at least good old U.S. currency, since solid education is key to solid profits. A great training manual must be pure “take-away” for the readers—it’s all immediately applicable information, which will make your cash register buzz faster than the speed of sales. The purpose of a training manual is to first set the standard for service, based upon the company vision, then to lay out in actionable steps how that standard may be achieved and surpassed daily for optimum team achievement. Read More
- Published in Business
9 min read
If you have tried repeatedly to get a focus on customers, customer loyalty, and customer profitability inside your organization with less than stellar results, you’re far from alone. Most companies jump in without evaluating how the organization works together, whether the CEO is truly committed, and if the patience exists for the long road ahead. These are the key issues that usually get in the way of making progress. See if you recognize any of them in your organization. Read More
- Published in Business
8 min read
In this month's column I want to offer simple corrections for what I consider to be some of the most routine but unrecognized customer service mistakes found in day spas. Whether the spa spends lavishly or neglectfully on customer service training I discover these costly oversights at virtually every one I call, consult to, or visit. The fact is that spa businesses lose their profit potential more through numerous small failures in building customer rapport and sales than to large management errors. Yet many spa owners and directors are simply too busy, overconfident, or unaware to recognize the steady losses generated by company policy and protocol. Read More
- Published in Business
