Inspirations for You.
For over two decades, one of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been inspiring and motivating my teams. Each day, through our daily briefings, I shared a vision of what is possible, empowering both my team and myself to excel.
My unwavering passion for inspiring others has been a driving force behind our success, leading my teams to achieve numerous international accolades, including the prestigious Forbes Five-Star rating.
Through this Spa & Wellness Blog, I aim to continue inspiring spa professionals to reach new heights of success. My goal is to spark ideas and actions that will naturally elevate and enhance your spa.
Take a productive break to read and enjoy these insights. Allow yourself to reflect, review, and refine your vision, paving the way for even greater success in your spa journey.
Valentine’s Day Preparation for Success.
Happy (almost) Valentine's Day, Spa Boutiques! Since the day of affection is upon us, I believe it's time to remind us about what you and your teams can do to spread the love. Our Spas don't belong to the flowers or gift industry, but there are great ways to point out your V-Day spirit in your retail offering.
As you'll see below, there are many experiences you and your team can create around Valentine's Day to celebrate with your customers and staff and to inspire them. From promotion ideas to effective campaigns, discover some tactics to make the romantic day of the year a profitable one for your Spa & Wellness operation.
New Year’s Resolutions for Success.
A new year is a great chance to reset. It is a chance to review if our processes still work well. It can be a chance for new beginnings, new habits, and new energy.
At the beginning of a new year, I like to plan for the year, establish new goals, and have new or improved habits get me there. So, in today’s blog post, I want to share some of my new year’s resolutions that might help to inspire you for yours.
Holiday Celebration for Success.
Celebrating your team during the holidays is one of the most rewarding feelings I have experienced over the years. This feeling of giving has always cheered me up and gave me those holiday vibes we all love. At the end of the year, you want to give back for the hard work everyone put in this year.
I know, often there is no budget, and this year more than ever… it has been a tough year! Therefore we got some tips for you on how you can make this holiday season memorable for your team and have them feel your love!
Price Increase for Success.
Over the years, I have initiated and lead price increases in my own Spas and the Spas I oversaw and often this was not a fun activity. But a necessary one! What I have learned, is that it’s important to have a plan and not just to start somewhere.
Lots of work went certainly into your budget for next year. And this new budget has been created with some sort of price increase in mind, so NOW is the time to start acting and to put your budget vision into action. If I can give you one tip upfront: Do not wait until January 1st. You will lose precious days of the new year to start working towards achieving your Spa’s new budget. Let me share what has worked best over the years for the smoothest, hence most effective process.
Vendor Relations for Success.
If you would ask any of my previous Assistant Managers what my main wisdom was in regards to relationships with brand partners and vendors, I think all of them would say the same: ‘Keep a clean shirt!’ which was my way of describing how I deal with vendors.
In some instances of my career I had to witness when Spas were getting their shirt dirty which in the moment didn’t seem a big deal, but the moment came when it was. - But what does it mean to ‘keep a clean shirt’ in business relations with vendors? We are our vendor’s clients, aren’t we?! So why do we have to make an effort, you may ask. As a Spa Leader you want to create lasting partnerships and they require input and commitment from both sides!
Team Meetings for Success.
One might wonder, why I highlight Monthly Department Meetings as we all have experienced or entertained them forever. Well, I highlight them as in my Spas they are the HIGHLIGHTS of the month - for my team and for myself!
When it was time for my first monthly department meeting in one of my previous Spas and I was ready to get the entire team excited in the days prior. What faced me were odd regards, question marks in my team’s eyes and an anxious energy around me … from the line staff employee to our Assistant Manager. At this point, I generously offered to take care of the preparation and entertainment of the meeting - to the enormous relief of our Assistant Manager. Knowing this unwell feeling when your department meeting is coming closer ??! Here I share how you can overcome this and motivate your team at the same time!
Retail Merchandising for Success.
When have you been window shopping recently? Yes, just window shopping with the intention of window shopping. The more I do it, the more I learn. Especially from high end retail and department stores you can copy so much for your own Spa Boutique!
But why is this important you may wonder. Well, retail stores, especially larger brands, they are well trained and experienced in what works. As the psychological aspect in retail is incredibly important. And I remember when I started running Spas, I had no clue. Over the years I dived into this topic and am happy to share my findings with you, to have your Spa or Wellness Boutique become more profitable.
Browsing Catalogs for Success.
Just by reading the headline of this Blog Post, you probably think “What has she now in mind?”. And I will get you maybe a little more confused: I always had catalogs from several F&B suppliers in my office and even joined meetings when they came in to meet the F&B team. A MUST!
You would see me sneak into the F&B office and chat with the chefs or stewarding manager, asking for some of their vendors’ catalogs. They always wondered how I could have time for this. Well, for me it was not a loss of time as some thought, but the opposite: I gained time!! What I was sourcing? To be honest, I never knew before. But that was not the question. Only what I found mattered!
Signature Treatments for Success.
Have you come across Spa Menus and wondered why one of the signature treatments was classified under signature treatments. Have you ever wondered when browsing a Spa Menu of another Spa than yours, how the highlighted signature treatments were connected to each other and/ or to the Spa’s concept? You did??! I am not surprised. I had those experiences many times myself.
But let’s make sure, no one is wondering the same way about our own Spa Menu. Some years back I learnt, what a signature treatment actually should look like and I am sharing this here!
On-Boarding for Success.
Let’s start this Blog Post with some questions: How many jobs have you started in your career? - What are your memories from each of your FIRST DAYS at those new jobs? - While you find back these memories, try to remember the feelings you had… the days and night before, the morning of getting ready, when commuting to your new job, when walking for the first time through the employee entrance…
I truly hope that you had some great experiences! If not, let’s dig into what went wrong!
