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.
Maintenance for Success.
Maintaining the facilities I managed over the years was one of the most challenging parts of my job. Since I depended on our hotel’s maintenance team, this part was about pure collaboration and convincing of priorities. Also, I have heard from others what a struggle the relationship between Spa and Engineering often represented in the daily life of a Spa leader.
But as a Spa Manager, I had two choices: Investing energy and time over and over again. Or to give up.
Global Wellness Day for Success.
Ever since Global Wellness Day was celebrated for the first time in 2012, the Spas I worked in participated in raising awareness about living a well life. From the early beginnings, I felt it was our role, the role of the Spa & Wellness industry, to support this unique movement. I loved sharing with our employees, guests, and local communities about living well and increasing each person’s motivation to do so, not just for today but for all 365 days of the year.
Having participated actively in creative ways in this celebration each year with my teams, it was an enormous honor to become an official Global Wellness Day Ambassador earlier this year.
Homecare Recommendations for Success.
How well is your team performing when it comes to sales after a facial? Some Spas have figured out how to include this critical step into their team's daily routine, having their team members at ease with this 'sales' step and seeing remarkable results on their business's top and bottom line.
But I also know that this is far from being the norm looking at this particular part of the Spa & Wellness business internationally. I will never forget when I was appointed for the first time Spa Manager; my team made it clear upfront: "We don't sell!" That was a statement, but with training, belief, and perseverance, we moved within a few years from 11,000 Euros monthly in retail sales to 100,000 Euros monthly - and every team member, even the massage therapists, was part of this!
Post-Treatment Noshes for Success.
I am always excited to go to relaxation rooms and discover what is there that I could 'nosh'. A little snack that accompanies my wellness journey and time at a Spa. I must admit I want to get surprised and seek inspiration with my professional eyes. But today, I want to look at it from a guest's point of view.
During the opening of a recent Spa, we had discussions on how to name the ‘snack’ bar or station in our relaxation room. I’m not too fond of the word station, then instead bar. And snacks, probably through my kids, I had recently too many snacks which were not always healthy! So, after much brainstorming, we landed on the fancy word ‘Nosh Bar,’ which we used to refer to our refreshment buffet. Now, what is a Nosh Bar, you wonder?
A Team Motto for Success…
A Team Motto? … you probably think I am crazy. Well, a little bit, maybe. But I have always believed in team-building solid tools. Therefore I came up one day with 5 ‘inspiring’ words that became the motto of my various teams.
It helped the team understand in which direction we were growing as a team; it also became my answer to an employee who wondered what they had to do to rise to the next step.
Enhancement Menus for Success.
Over the last years, enhancements have gained a strong interest in Spas not just in the US but internationally. As a result, receiving a massage these days without being offered the opportunity to increase the benefits without adding time seems impossible anymore.
But there are enhancement menus, and there are enhancement menus. Some Spas add significant $$$ to their top and bottom line, and some Spas have somewhere enhancements available but sell very few. No matter what type of Spa you work in, there is always the opportunity to do better. See my insights below on how you give your guests an additional benefit during their subsequent treatment and add some $$$ at the same time to your business.
The Perfect Retail Price for Success.
Recently I was in a luxury Spa Boutique, and sunscreen was tagged at $11.50. There are two reactions possible: none and pure acknowledgment or tickling fingers wanting to change this to either $15 or $19.
Guess what was happening in my mind? And with my fingers? … You got me! My fingers were tickling, and I was ready to speak with the Spa Manager and provide her with my knowledge of one of the psychological aspects regarding the art of retail.
Birthday Celebrations for Success.
I LOVE celebrating my birthday! How about you? - It’s that one day in the year when I allow myself to pamper myself from wake-up to falling asleep. And yes, even me who has worked for so many years in Spas, I still feel in awe when my husband surprises me with a massage or a facial on that day.
But often our guests don’t wait for someone to offer them a Spa experience, but nowadays they plan for their special day and make sure they spoil themselves! - No matter how these birthday guests make it into our Spa, there is one expectation: they want to feel special, loved, and celebrated! So the question is if your Spa ready to cope with these expectations?
Spa Uniforms for Success.
Who wants happy teams? - Right, us all! And having our teams being comfortable in their uniforms is not just an essential but crucial step to their happiness. Imagine you would feel uncomfortable in your pants all day long as they are small. I would not be able to concentrate!
May I ask: “Who loves choosing new uniforms for their team?” - I see many heads shaking right now. Some of you may be very passionate about this process, but I have personally experienced this journey and know it takes much patience, time, and effort. And I also know I am not alone with this feeling.
Yielding for Success.
I have worked previously in Spas with and without dynamic pricing. However, there is no doubt that each Spa or Wellness operation should implement a yield management approach today.
No one system works for all. Before diving into this exciting field of optimizing our revenue, you should first consider a few things to ensure a smooth implementation and successful longevity. Let me take you on that journey!
