42 Spa Therapy articles.

When it comes to innovation, look to spas to continually seek ways to enhance treatments to provide clients with even more benefits. One trend that I’m most excited about is the use of vibration, sound, music, light and color in treatments. SpaFinder in its Top Ten Global Spa Trends for 2012, points out that spas have long used sound and light typically as ambient accessories.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hearts and cupid notwithstanding, today is one of those special days of the year to let others know you are thinking about them. That’s what makes today special to me. We all want to know that someone cares. The nice part is that you can help your customers convey that message. A great way to tell someone you care is to treat them to a massage or skincare treatment.

We all know that a place can impact how we feel but often times we underestimate that influence. According to the book Sacred Spaces by Denise Linn “you cannot separate the purpose of your livelihood from the space you occupy to fulfill it”. In other words your space expresses concretely how you feel about your work, yourself and your clients. Trust me, in all the years of consulting I have walked into more than a few spaces that either impressed or horrified me by their message.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and smile. This statement is printed on the back of my business cards for a reason. It is to remind my clients of one of the most important functions in life – to breathe joyfully. Joyfully? Absolutely.

I can’t believe I just finished celebrating another great birthday at the Las Vegas Spa show. I genuinely enjoy the wide diversity of participants in these classes which include massage therapists, estheticians and spa directors. I am always delighted to discover that we all share a common goal... to provide the best possible experience while delivering the most effective results.

I just got back from my week long training with Eric Dalton in Costa Rica and all I can say is wow! I am so glad I got the chance to study with this genius. I already utilized joint mobilization as a tool in my treatment room. Now I know that I was only playing with it. After his class I see so many more applications and my effectiveness have already showed marked improvement. Expanding my knowledge base has once again helped me to fine tune my skills.

At the recent New York Spa Show we had a great dialogue during our class on "Designing Your Dream Practice". One of the main topics of interest was how to attract and cultivate your ideal clients. I always emphasize the first step is to discern who those clients are, and then learning all you can about them including their needs and goals. The second thing is to deliver exemplarily customer service and build trust. Simply put "Undersell and Over deliver."

What does your establishment say to your clients when they walk through the door? Is the ambiance inviting and relaxing or does it in some way increase the tension already stressed clients may be feeling?

Do you know the 80-20 rule? It maintains that 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers. That might be high for your practice, but bottom line, the rule suggested that among a key group of customers, there is opportunity to up sell spa services and products.