Hire a Spa Professional at Minimum Wage??

Hello Corporate Spa Raiders….this is not a minimum wage business.    A recent ad in a local paper offered work at a hotel spa–Nail Technician-$6.95 per hour plus tips.  Yes, the schools we go to don’t offer a four year degree, but we are professionals who have spent years perfecting our skills.  We spend a great deal of money training, learning and practicing our skills.

Do you really think it is appropriate to pay minimum wage plus tips for a perfect manicure or pedicure?  Let’s see, you get what you pay for? Or do you really want to hire a professional, someone who knows about diseases of the nails, who knows proper sanitation, who knows how to file properly, who knows how to massage to perfection?  Which do you want–the skilled professional technician or the just out of school untrained, will work for minimum wage. 

How about you?  Will you pay a little more for a skilled and knowledgeable technician?  Do you want someone who is touching you to be a professional?

Maybe the corporate spa director never had a pedicure before?  Who would have thunk it?

Three Lessons Learned at Les Nouvelle Esthetique

This past weekend marked the Les Nouvelle show in Miami Beach.  Primarily an esthetician show in years past, it has now turned a little green and way more “spa-like”.  Walking the trade show floor, there were vendors showing their “stuff”.  Up and down each row, you heard manufacturers and sales reps preaching their gospel.

1. Lesson #1:  Don’t Buy Immediately.  Here, let me put this on one hand.  Wow, look at that.  Compare the two hands.  Wow, look at that.  Lesson #1….walk away, and compare your hand in 5 or 10 minutes.  Does it really look different?  Betcha, it doesn’t after ten minutes, but if it does, run back and buy it!
2. Lesson#2:Vendor Training Is a REQUIREMENT, not optional and not at a cost.  One vendor proudly announced to me–”Your first training is FREE.”  Are you kidding?  You want to sell products to me that you want me to sell to my clients and you will graciously give me the first training for FREE?  PLEEZE!  Have you heard of vendor partners?  Please don’t do me any favors.  On to the next booth.
3. Lesson #3:Packaging Sells.  Booth after booth, we kept looking at some of the worst packaging in the world.  Some of the manufacturers have some of the best products in the world, but they put them in the worst bottles, with labels that look like they were designed in a word document.  Welcome to the new millennium and take a trip to the mall to look at your competition.  If you have a great product, make it look great from the outside too.

Every show has highlights and lessons.  It’s how we learn and grow in the industry.

Training is Draining

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.

The Only Thing Tackier Than Asking for a Tip in Cash, is an Actual Tip Jar Itself

Imagine the horror when you hear that a therapist is telling new clients that she only takes tips in cash.  The ongoing debate on tips in the spa has reared its ugly head.  Some spas charge the tip automatically giving the entire tip to the therapist, while others split the tip with a percentage going to cover overhead.  Others have even been known to use the tip as part of the therapist’ compensation plan.  The latter, I think has some type of moral repercussions, if not labor laws.

1. Last time I checked, a tip is not required.
2. A tip is an appreciation for super service above the norm.
3. Why only in cash, because you get it sooner?
4. Did you also tell the client that you have to wait until your paycheck to receive your other tips?
5. Did anyone share with you spa etiquette?

Whether your spa collects tips automatically or as a thank you, my southern hospitality tells me that from the dawn of ages, a tip is a special thank you for going above and beyond.   It should not be automatically added to the check unless you have a large party and it definitely should not be part of a compensation plan. 

The client’s motive for telling us about her experience, was that she thought it was inappropriate to discuss tips before having and during the service.  The client also questioned as to whether we actually paid the whole tip to the employee (a practice which some spas use by taking a portion of the tips).  In this particular case, the employee had breached the client/staff line, where something that should be private is aired in public–like airing your dirty laundry.

When approached, this employee, of course, denied telling the client she only took tips in cash.  She said that the client must have misunderstood.  We walked through the inappropriateness of the conversation and why you do not discuss tips with your clients and guests.  Discussing money with anyone except your accountant or a financial adviser is etiquette taboo.

Is Your Spa Vision Eastern, Alternative? Are Your Therapists More South Beach Hip?

On a recent visit to a gorgeous spa, we experienced a 2 day training event that made us very glad to work at our spa.  You see there were some major differences in our culture (fun, family, client is king) versus their culture (cold, lack of customer service, no sense of spa culture). 

On the way home, my manager and I discussed the animosity in the training room, and the therapists that showed disrespect.  The culture and vision of the owners and manager did not match the vision of the therapists.  We basically felt that the spa should wipe the slate clean and start over with new therapists that understood their mission and vision. 

1. What happens when your therapists don’t see your vision?
2. What happens when you are not able to express your vision?
3. Does your vision clash with religious or political beliefs?
4. Is your spa vision in conflict or are therapists getting mixed signals?
5. Does your vision match your mission?

This spa has a wonderful opportunity to be an outstanding spa, but the spa culture and mission must live and breathe in every one of the therapists.  Sometimes it is just not a fit.  Do your therapists believe in the mission of your spa?