The IECSC is in Orlando October 4th - 6th this year.  Yours truly will be speaking on Saturday morning at 9:15 on driving retail sales through the roof.  This conference has always been a mainstay for estheticians, and spa owners and this year should prove no exception.  See below the class description.  Be at my class, tell me you read about it on the TopSpaBee and you will receive a FREE gift.

Ten Ways to Drive Retail Sales Through the Roof
Nancy Reagan - Spa First Lady, N. Reagan Spa
Retail Sales are the largest driver of profit in a spa. Every increase in retail improves the profit to the bottom line. Ten ways to increase retail will include merchandizing tips, lighting, signage, recommendations forms, retail mix and other techniques (like don’t let them check out before the service) to inspire your front desk and therapists to drive retail sales through the roof. Retail Sales should be at least 15% of your revenue. This presentation would benefit spa managers, owners, and therapists. The value of increasing retail sales provides a direct flow through to the bottom line of profit and increased consumer loyalty.

If you own a spa or if you are a spa director-training is draining.  No kidding.  I ran across a word document from 4 years ago entitled “Spa Training Issues”.  I expected to open and find an outline of a monthly meeting to the staff.  Instead I found a seven page document of issues that I felt were critical to the success of the spa.

It started out with “train on the basics, like don’t point” and ended with the expected values created for a customer–”was it the expected value or was it beyond the expected value”.   What the list told me was that training never ends.  The issues that were critical to the success of the spa four years ago are still critical issues in the spa. 

Engaging the guest, checklists for perfection, standards, etiquette, culture, service information, consultative selling, guest complaints, housekeeping,….and the list goes on and on and on.  You see training can be draining, but it is critical to success.

Having the fabulous outfit to wear, plus the right shoes means you must complete the look with a flawless face. The principles for the flawless face (evening makeup) are not to pile on the makeup, but to switch to more dramatic tones to enhance the face. There is nothing worse than a gorgeous dress and really bad makeup or no makeup at all. If this little tutorial becomes too technical for the makeup novice (you can be 16 or 80), please don’t hesitate to come by the spa for your free makeup application and lesson.

Evening makeup allows you to experiment and have fun. Not only are your features more defined, but the color can be more expressive and darker. Remember the following tutorial is not your everyday makeup application, it is evening makeup for special parties, weddings, or that romantic dinner.

No matter what your age (our oldest makeup student is 85), remember to take care of your skin first. Makeup application to clean, exfoliated skin makes a world of difference. If you see a women with makeup that looks clumpy, it’s not her makeup, it it’s her skin care regimen. So start with exfoliated and moisturized skin and your makeup will look fabulous. Let’s begin.

Eye shadow primer is to keep the eye shadow from creasing and to help the eye makeup last longer. Apply over the entire eye area from the base of the lashes up to the brow.
Smooth concealer to mask imperfections: blemishes, dark circles, red capillaries, etc. Dark hides and light draws attention. Opposite colors cover. For example, green covers red.
Apply foundation with a sponge using outward, sweeping strokes, carefully blending along jaw line and hairline. Always match the color by testing on the jaw line.
Powder sets the foundation, absorbs excess oil and gives the skin a flawless finish. Use a loose mineral powder to set makeup by applying over face using light downward strokes with a large brush in the direction of the facial hair.
Apply a medium to dark shade of powder blush under cheek bone. Apply a lighter shade over the darker shade on the ball of the cheek. If you dare gold dust or silver dust creates a playful evening look on the cheeks.
Pencil in brows with 1/2 to 1 shade darker than natural color. Apply with small short strokes to naturally shape and define brows or use a brow powder. Apply brow gel to set the brows in place.
Eyes. Apply light shade of eye color from lash line to brow. Apply a darker shade of eye color in a thin line in the crease of the eye. This will make the eyelid look larger and the brow bone stronger. Apply a medium shade of eye color over the darker shade in the crease. Blend into brow bone. This will make the structure of the eye appear stronger. Apply black eyeliner to upper lashes. Start at the inner corner of the eye with a thin line, creating a thicker line along the iris. Extend line diagonally upward past outer corner of the eye. Line lower lashes with eye liner. Blend. Do not close line at the outer corner since this will make the eye appear smaller. Apply two coats of mascara on upper and lower lashes.
Lips. Use short, feather-like strokes to line toward each corner. Line center of lower lip and then apply from corners of the lip toward the center to connect the lines. Stroke color from center to corners of upper lip and from corner to corner of lower lip. Use a lip brush to blend with lip liner pencil. Apply a very light color to the center of the bottom lip and then apply gloss.

Beautiful!

As one to always try our spas for new ideas, I decided to try the newest spa in the Bahamas on a recent mini-vacation. The massage sounded nice and they had seven different kinds….ranging from Swedish, to Shiatsu, to Sports to Aromatherapy. In addition they had all kinds of body wraps from a mud wrap to seaweed to salt glows. I was really looking forward to the experience not only to relax, but the holiday was crazy and I really needed a massage. I decided to have a Swedish massage and a seaweed wrap. My friend had never had a massage and opted for the Swedish massage and the mud wrap. I just wanted a nice, relaxing massage, you know the warm, fuzzy kind of massage Little did I know, that we were in for 2 hours of torture.

The massage therapist was a rather large and took me into a very relaxing room, but it was cold. She asked me to get under a skinny towel….it was really cold. She came back in and asked how would I like the pressure….I said deep (before I knew how strong she was). After the first touch, I knew that I was in for a deep massage, but not pain. I told her that the pressure was a little too deep, but I don’t think she understood. The elbow into the shoulder blade should have been my first clue, but I was in total denial.

The agony continued with the slapping of the legs (also know as a percussion stroke in a normal massage and usually reserved for the feet), it felt like she was beating me. The strokes of a massage can include tapotaments, one of which is a tapping stroke, but in this case it felt more like a hammer. The ending was like the grand finale. While lying prone, she asked me to put my arms over my head and clutch my hands around her waist. She said to hold tight while she was going to stretch me. I kindly said, hey I don’t think my arms were meant to stretch this way….she said no problem. Little did I know, she thought otherwise.

Because the massage was so rough, I asked how many years she had trained….the reply was three years. And then I thought maybe it was because she was new….so I asked her how long she had been working….she replied two years at spas throughout the Bahamas. (So as least she spreads her torture around!)

I met my friend in the waiting room and asked her how her massage was….she said, “I feel like someone beat the dickens out of me”. I said, “me too”. They must have both trained in the, “beat the client massage school”. The bruises I had the next day was all the proof I needed to know I had a terrible massage, but what really puzzled me was why I did not stop her from torturing me.

Now for the lesson learned–we are in the spa business and I still did not pipe up and say anything. When you have a massage, yes it can be therapeutic, but it should not be painful. Why is it that when you are on the massage table, you feel powerless to say anything? We feel like the massage therapist is the expert and she should certainly know what she is doing.

If you are having a massage there should be great communication between you and your therapist. They should have communicated clearly the pressure, the touch, and the type of massage you are going to receive. Also, they should clearly know what muscle problems you might have. Massage, if not done correctly, can injure the soft tissue.
Massage is suppose to remove the pain and stiffness from the soft tissue, toning muscles, and relaxing muscle spasms. Skillfully applied, massage directly and indirectly influences the structures and functions of the body. The immediate effects are first noticed on the skin with the secondary results including more active circulation and detoxification. So the next time you have a massage, don’t forget to let them know how you are feeling….if they were fixing your car, wouldn’t you speak up?

Q. What is the best way to cover acne breakouts and acne scars?

A. When you are covering and camouflaging, remember that the color that you are trying to cover is the key to great coverage. Acne scars are sometimes purple, while acne breakouts are reddish. If what you want to cover up is red, use concealer with a yellow undertone to cancel out the red. We love the Circle 1 from Jane Iredale. Gently dab the concealer on the area. Tap the area to blend. Cover with a thin layer of foundation and brush on a little powder. Step back from the mirror and see how it looks. If you still need more coverage, repeat the process again. The thinner the layers the better, because it looks more natural. Also, remember, that people do not look at you from 6 inches away…..a more normal distance is 2 –3 feet…so stand back from the mirror to judge your makeup.

When you don’t have the fountains, the water walls, the steam rooms or the ocean view, how can you compete?  Create exceptional, no create legendary service.  Today, we are so caught up in the hype of creating these massive spa structures with amenities that are beyond the grasp of the spa consumer, that we forget about just giving down-to-earth, basic, hospitable, honest service.

So when you need to compete with the big boys, here’s a couple of ideas:

1. Customer service will always topple the competition.  It does not matter how big the building or the water wall, customer service will win.
2. Knowledge is power–it seems so cliche, but the more you know–it is power.
3. Understand verbal and non-verbal behavior and teach your staff the importance of verbal and nonverbal behaviors.
4. Expect the best.  Do you have in your head an expectation for the best?  Your customers do, why not ask them and give them something extra.
5. Shop your spa.  Find out how they really treat clients.  Find out how they answer the phone.  What happens from start to finish with the spa?

Creating over the top service is a full time job, but you will forever beat the big boys.

Training in the spa includes working with your staff who may answer the phone to put on their spa phone voice.  No matter how you answer the phone, the tone of voice, the manner of the voice, and the speed of the voice will indicate to the caller your intentions.  Fast or slow, the caller will immediately identify with the voice.  High pitched or low pitched, the caller will respond accordingly. 

Work with your staff to answer the phone with a pleasant happy tone.  Then test your staff.  Call the spa not once or twice, call 2-3 times per day.  Call at peak call times to see how the phone is being answered.   Call at dead times to see how the phone is being answered.  In training any staff that answer the phone, it is a very delicate task to train someone on telephone voice.  Someone with a very abrasive voice has difficulty communicating on the phone, while squeak voices are never able to really communicate with clients. 

Training on telephone voice is critical to booking appointments and future business.  As Rick Segal says, we are not in the “retail” or “spa” business, we are in the experience and entertainment business.  How did your future client experience the spa?  Was she entertained?  Did she feel rushed?  Was the person on the other end nice?  Did they understand them?

When the spa staff start complaining about training, I ask one question,

“Would Tiger Woods win if he had never trained or practiced?” 
Of course, they look at me, and say, “Hey, we are not Tiger Woods.” 
And, I say, “Guess you will never be at the Master’s–at least not at the Spa Masters”

Training in the spa or salon is key to providing consistent and quality service.  There are no substitutions for training.  There are no easy outs, no osmosis, no drinking funny water.  Staff from the front of the house to the back of the house need consistent, quality training.  This means that you must set aside valuable time (yes, you could be making money) to provide your staff with ongoing, hands-on training.  This is a key factor in your success. 

Training topics are endless from the actual hands-on treatment and protocols, to etiquette in handling a difficult guest.  Training in the spa never stops and you can never know enough–even if you are an industry veteran–you have to train and practice to stay in the game. 

Did Brett Favre stop training and practicing at being a great quarterback until he retired?
Did Michael Jordan stop training and practicing because Nike gave him a nice contract?

No, Tiger would not win if he never trained or practiced….and if you do not train or practice in the spa–your spa will not win. 

You train, you train, and you train.  You have staff and employees for years, and yet, just when you think everything is going well, your very best therapist decides to share her recent medical maladies.  You wish you could take it back, but the damage is done.

I was so looking forward to my 85 minute Indian Body Wrap and Massage, and was on the table in seconds.  The therapist held up the Indian peace pipe and explained that the ritual would include ancient Indian peace rituals—I can not get enough of this.  She then gave two little coughs. I expressed concern and she replied, “oh it’s nothing but my gall bladder”.

Alarmed, I said-”your gall bladder”—she replied, “it’s been acting up lately and it makes me cough”.   She then started the massage, but the Indian magic was over.  As she continued the massage, she kept up the little cough and kept leaving the table to get sips of water.

Finally, after 30 minutes, I gave in to “this massage is over,  Thank you.”  Putting on my robe, and leaving the treatment room, I was met at the door by the spa director.  “What is the problem?  What happened?”  I explained what happened.  She said that this therapist had been with her for over 10 years and she was very good and never had a complaint.  Great,  I thought, for ten years, this woman has been telling everyone her ailments and inflicting her bad mojo energy on guests. 

What part of zip your lip did this therapist not get?  Even after I ended the massage, I still don’t think she fully understood why I was ending the massage.  It’s no fun to listen to other people complain, especially when you are paying for it.

Three little rules for all therapists: 

1. If they ask a question, answer with one word. 
2. Keep the chatter to a minimum.
3. Unless you are having heart failure (or something similar), don’t ever let the guest see you sweat.