In the spa industry the focus is not on spectacular locations, beautiful cabins, signature treatments and extensive treatment menus. The focus falls on passion and compassion. Without the right people, with the right skills and abilities, your investment in bricks and mortar will never realize its full potential.
What we need to understand is that this business is about excellence: providing the details that make a difference, exceeding client expectations, turning an experience into a "wow" experience that results in client retention and referrals to friends are all defining elements of quality service. This can only be done by therapists with a high degree of positivity, intelligence, professionalism and training.
In the spa, the search for the best therapists must be continuous, their training continuous, the formation of a team with a fluid and unified way of working, central.
1) hiring, 2) training, 3) retention.
It is a known fact that spa therapists are hard to find, hard to keep and expensive, that is why the employee's portrait should be well created before starting the search process. Much of the spa experience takes place behind closed doors: employees need to have not only thorough knowledge, but also goodwill and high ethical standards. It is an industry with many "fine lines", easily crossed. What happens in the cab is as important as it is delicate and subjective.
The interview phases (theoretical and practical) should be carefully punctuated and weighed in order to avoid both an even more costly process of hiring and training another therapist, as well as negative side effects on the guests and other team members.
The training must be complete before you put the employee on the floor and must cover all aspects of the job - from the mission and vision of the center to operating protocol and etiquette.
A final hurdle for the director is the retention of the therapist once he/she has been successfully trained and introduced in the team (In the USA statistics show a spa therapist migration of 33%) and here the focus should be on expectations and motivations.
But what do we want from this therapist after all? Why are they so rara avis?
Let's see what precious qualities we cannot leave aside when choosing a masseur or esthetician in our spa. We ask the therapist to be an embodiment of all these characters that in another context would each constitute a professional in itself:
Excellent therapist: good training in the protocol of the treatments applied is desirable. It is not inappropriate for spas to train a therapist 1-2 months in their service protocols to ensure fluidity in the client experience. In addition to knowledge of the therapies we want the professional to have a solid knowledge of physiology, anatomy, industry practices, nutrition and possibly herbology.
The therapist must "read" the client, decipher his body language, anticipate his desires, listen to him without getting involved, know how to win the client and turn him into a permanent guest.
Good retailer - it is well known that sales of services must be accompanied by good sales of products in order to increase the profitability of the spa. The therapist must be educated on all product lines in the spa, and how to promote and sell them.
A professional approach: team spirit, initiative, collegiality, positive energy, taking responsibility, confidentiality, verticality, etc., are all skills that we require from spa therapists. All this against a backdrop of long hours of physical effort (sustained, in the case of massage therapists, for example).
It's a lot. That's why the attention needed to choose and cultivate a spa professional must be maximized: after all, we don't simply "hire", we create the basis of the spa business. Experience in the therapies that will be on the menu of services, experience in customer service or/and sales, a certain set of values, certifications in the areas promoted, various attributes that an employee must possess to create the atmosphere of relaxation and spa-specific care, are all coordinates that you need to analyze in identifying the skills and knowledge possessed by a potential therapist.
When we created a spa team we chose therapists with eclectic backgrounds, but with a common passion for holistic techniques and continuing education. I always asked therapists to work at 100% out of their potential - not the best professional in the business, but the best therapist they could be. I realized that I had to seek education and the potential to be educated before knowledge.
To be an example: it is well known the competitiveness and the spirit of dissension that can arise in this environment. An outstanding professional will follow processes, accept the manager's decisions without question, face a challenge with enthusiasm, have a positive attitude, recognize the efforts of others, work hard and take responsibility.
To become an expert: I have read that a good therapist must invest a minimum of 15 hours of study per month in his education, he will know more than others, propelling himself to the top of the client's preferences, he will offer seminars and consultations to his clients, he will be able to act as a spa spokesperson in front of the media.
To improve their performance: A good therapist will know and analyze his KPI's (key performace indicators) and know how to interpret them in order to improve his performance in the spa. He/she will know (with the help of the manager) the levels of productivity (actual potential versus maximum potential, ratio between retail and services, sales per day, customer retention rate, etc). In order for an employee to be the best, they need to know where they stand.
To develop a specialty: a good therapist knows that although they can't do everything superlatively (but they can try) there is always a subject that is better mastered. He will study where there is a professional niche or create one. He will create a specialty and not deviate from it. It can be a particular service or detail, so that when clients, colleagues or the manager needs that "special" thing, he will be the one asked to do it. He can become an expert in waxing, Thai massage, treatment design, merchandising, baby massage, therapeutic facials and the list goes on.
The therapist will promote the business in the community in a positive way, will gain new clients, will retain the old ones, will help create the spa's image, will be in the business both personally and professionally, so that if the collaboration will end he will know that the spa did not create him, but he created himself as a professional.
With the spa industry on an upward trend at the moment and due to the competitive nature of the industry it is difficult but vital to hire therapists who are competent and caring, willing to give and educate, want a career and not just a job, feel rewarded from bringing pleasure to others, understand the link between pampering clients and producing profits for the owners.
When you find the right employees take care of them personally and professionally so that they can take care of the guests. Try to promote a positive working atmosphere where staff feel valued and respected. Allocate time and money to make sure your people have what they need so they can focus on the needs of the guests.
Industry Spa it's about people (staff and guests)... when you take care of them, they will take care of business.
Oana Manole
SPA D'Or Consulting
Virtual Wellness Explorer
