Healthy Snacks Can Make a Day at the Spa Sweeter

Move over nuts and dried fruit—sweets at the spa are here to stay. Not only is the smell of baked…well, anything über comforting but these indulgent offerings can also make your spa stand out from its neighbors. Much like Bliss’ signature brownie bar or Eau Spa by Cornelia’s tiny cupcakes, your spa can spoil guests with sweet treats. No worries, New Year’s resolutions can still be respected—try substituting high-fat fixings, such as shortening, butter, and sour cream, by baking with Greek yogurt.

Admittedly, I can’t get enough of Greek yogurt. (It seems I’m not alone—FAGE Greek Yogurt has their own fan page on Facebook with more than 37,780 followers!) I just feel like you can get so much more flavor for your caloric buck than with other kinds of yogurt. Plus, nutritionally, it just makes sense—seven ounces of FAGE Total 2% has 130 calories and 17 grams of protein! Always looking for ways to cut calories in the kitchen, I was thrilled to come across this link on the FAGE website, which includes recipes for creamy dishes like Angelic Lemon Cheesecake, Apple & Cinnamon Muffins, and Tiramisu Yogurt Cup with Chocolate Cookies. You can also find recipes for savory dips, soups, and sauces.

If your clients are crazy about the new snacks at your spa, consider printing out little recipe cards—be sure to include your spa’s logo, of course—and give them away as parting gifts. After all, it’s the smallest touches that make the biggest difference.

Holiday Party—And Networking—Tips

It’s the holiday season, which means there are plenty of parties and events filling your calendar. While it’s a great time to enjoy the festivities, it’s also an excellent time to network and get the word out about your spa. Maribeth Kuzmeski, author of The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley, September 2009), has some tips for maximizing these events to make connections that will benefit you well into the New Year.

Have a plan of action before you go. First, think about which contacts are the most important to you, and make a point to speak to each of them during the event.

Let them do the talking (You ask the questions!). There’s nothing worse than coming away from a great networking opportunity realizing that you didn’t capitalize on the situation. As you work the crowds this holiday season, be sure to have more in your arsenal than small talk. Here are a few great ice breakers to get the ball rolling:

• Where will you be spending the holidays?
• Where did you grow up?
• Do you still have family there?
• How are your kids?
• What are they up to this holiday season?

Once the conversation is flowing freely, then you can move on to more in-depth business questions, like

• What’s the best thing that has happened to your business this year?
• What’s one thing you’ve done that has really changed your career?
• What will you never do again in business?
• What’s your biggest challenge?
• What’s makes a good client for you?
• What do you find is the most effective way to keep a client happy?

Be prepared to pitch yourself in 15 seconds. When you’re meeting new people at this season’s holiday parties, you should resist the urge to give them a 10-minute introduction about yourself and your spa. Instead, prepare a short, 15-second elevator pitch. Think about what’s unique about you and your spa and what will stand out in a room full of people who are also talking about themselves. Be sure that whomever you speak with will still remember you at the end of the night.

The party may end, but your connection shouldn’t. Following an event, be proactive. Spend 10 minutes cementing your connections by creating a database that allows you to keep track of all the connections you’ve made. Include reminders to yourself of interesting or remarkable things that people said or that you learned so that you won’t forget them and can refer back to them in later conversations. And be sure to use social media to keep in touch.

“When you think about it, the holidays are all about connecting,” says Kuzmeski. “So don’t throw out those holiday party invitations this year. RSVP with a ‘Yes!’ and resolve that you won’t leave any event without having a made a couple of great new connections. Put yourself out there, make the first move, and be yourself. It just may be the best gift you give yourself this year.”

Industry Insiders Reveal What it Takes
to Operate a Successful Day Spa

If you’ve always dreamed of becoming a spa owner, then you won’t want to miss the upcoming seminar, “How to Start A Day Spa,” at The Learning Annex (304 E. 42nd St., lower level, New York City) on Sat. Oct. 17 from 12:00 to 6:00pm. The half-day event will feature a panel of experts, from successful spa owners to consultants and creative designer, who will share information on how to make your dream spa a reality. The seminar will be moderated by Nancy Trent, president of the New York City-based marketing and publicity firm Trent & Company. Panelists include:

• Isabel Anton and Anna Antal, co-owners of Advanced Skin Care Day Spa (New York City)

• Wendy Bosalavage, president of American Leisure Corporation, innovators in cutting-edge design and operation of spas and wellness centers

• Mike Canizales, founder of Spa Chakra, a worldwide network of luxury spas

• Chris Kofitsas, owner of New World Design Builders, designers of a number of New York’s hottest new spas and salons

• Lorraine Massey, owner of The Deva Spa at the Devachan Salon, a widely known sanctuary for those with curly hair

• Sergio Mercado, creative director at Clodagh Design, known for visionary blending of leading-edge technology, innovative materials, and ancient techniques

• Candida Molina, director of The Deva Spa at the Devachan Salon (New York City)

• Melissa Shea, newest member of Fresh and the leader of the REFresh Spa Program

• Maria Varriano, owner of MariVar Spa Builders, a leading consulting firm in the development of spas and wellness centers

• Denise Vitiello, spa director at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, New York

For more information about the seminar, contact Nancy Trent at (212) 966-0024.

Introduce Date Night and Make Your Spa a
Romantic Retreat

This past Friday, Ivy Spa Club (Minneapolis) gave Twin City couples a reason to rejoice thanks to its new Date Night package. Starting at $200 per couple, the package includes two indulgent 50-minute Ivy Signature Massages; a cheese, cracker, and fruit platter with decadent chocolate-covered strawberries; two glasses of champagne; complimentary valet parking; and a couple’s photo and gift from B. Kamins, Chemist. “Ivy Spa Club’s Date Night was designed to offer couples a relaxing getaway to celebrate a special occasion or to simply unwind together,” says Ivy Spa Club owner Pam Margolis. “With the Date Night package, couples can take time out of their hectic schedules to recharge and reconnect.” Future Date Nights are slated for Saturday, Oct. 17, and Thursday, Nov. 19. Want to attract more couples to your spa? Then consider creating your own date night package.

ISPA, STR Partner for Spa Benchmarking

The International Spa Association (ISPA) has teamed with Smith Travel Research (STR) to expand an online benchmarking tool for spas. The Spa STAR report first launched in 2007 as a benchmarking tool for hotel and resort spas. Now, the program is growing through partial funding from ISPA to include the rest of the spa industry. The online Spa STAR report will allow spas to enter monthly information on various metrics, such as treatment revenue, number of treatments, treatment room hours available, treatment room hours utilized, spa revenue, and more. Using this information, spas can pull Spa STAR reports showing monthly and historical performances, which enables them to benchmark themselves against other spas.

Members of ISPA will receive an exclusive one-year STR discount through this partnership beginning in January 2010. “The key is to get spas to participate in the monthly reports, so that this can be a valuable resource and a true benchmarking tool,” says Lynne McNees, ISPA president. “The hotel industry has relied on STAR reports for years to provide timely information used in their operations, and we are proud to provide all spas the same benefits.”

“In these times of unprecedented economic upheaval spa operators are looking for more sophisticated tools and for actionable information,” adds STR Vice President Jan D. Freitag. “The Spa STAR report will equip owners, operators and investors with strategic planning tools for the future”

Visit www.experienceispa.com for details.

Learn More About Leadership with SpaExec’s Advanced Management Seminars

Interested in sharpening your management skills? SpaExec is introducing Advanced Management Seminars: Management and Marketing Strategies for Spa and Hospitality Professionals. For $95, participants are entitled to a networking luncheon and a three-hour course, which will give you the tools to do the following:

• Learn the key components of a successful spa business model
• Acquire new skills to evaluate and influence your spa’s performance
• Improve your skill set to be an effective leader in the spa industry
• Discover effective manners to communicate with your GM

Taught by industry veteran Deborah Evans, the seminars are sure to inspire creativity and give you the competitive edge necessary to maneuver through this dicey economy.

The schedule for the seminars is as follows:
•October 20th at The Balboa Bay Club Resort (Newport Beach, CA)
•November 6th at The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina (FL)

For more information, click here!

SpaFinder and Red Mountain Spa Host Educational Event to Help Spas Boost Business

Want to make 2010 the year your spa thrives? Then you may want to consider attending SpaFinder’s 8th annual Spa Learning Event slated for Oct. 18-21 at Red Mountain Resort & Spa (Ivins, UT). The program will teach you how to develop stronger marketing initiatives, generate ideas for profitable yield management, benefit from social networking, and make your spa more eco-friendly. A host of industry experts will be on hand to help you evaluate your business and marketing plans, online strategies, and more. Award-winning television journalist Joan Lunden, former host of ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker and discuss her personal road to transformation and change. Other speakers will include: Rhana Pytell, board member of the Green Spa Network and executive director at GAIA Spa; Kristi Konieczny, founder of The Spa Buzz; Kimberly Matheson Shedrick, president of Natural Resources Spa Consulting; Christine King, president of TMG International; Dan Chandre, vice president, operations, SpaBooker; and Milana Knowles, vice president, day spa sales and marketing, SpaFinder.

For those interested in attending, a limited time offer is available through Sept. 10 giving 10 percent off all bookings. Deluxe single occupancy ($289 per person, per night) and deluxe double occupancy ($259 per person, per night) includes three daily meals, one Swedish massage, and a host of activities and amenities. For more information or to RSVP, contact Loreen Guertin at (212) 716-1167 or loreen.guertin@spafinder.com.

Online Initiatives Offer Added Exposure

As you may know by now, American Spa has jumped on the social-media bandwagon. We are active on Facebook and Twitter and we’re learning a lot from both. Not only are the sites useful for exchanging information and learning what others in the industry are up to, but they are also great media for free advertising. Properties and product companies are taking advantage of these forums and making it difficult for potential clients to not notice them. Here are a handful of promotions we found today on Twitter—be sure to check them out!

•Solage Calistoga (CA): This Napa hideaway is offering a 30 percent discount for select days August 9-31 when people mention Twitter. Club Solage members are entitled to 40 percent off rates. http://twitter.com/SolageCalistoga

•Kalianas Med Spa (Indialantic, FL): Spa-goers who make an appointment in the month of August receive 25 percent off the HydraMedic Acne Facial, ideal for those suffering from problem skin. http://twitter.com/KalianasMedSpa

•Pueblo Bonito (Mexico): This company, which owns luxury oceanfront resorts in Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan, is offering three free nights. http://twitter.com/PuebloBonito

•Pure Aveda Salon Spa (Mount Dora, FL): Along with free shipping on Aveda orders, customers receive a free sample of Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener. http://twitter.com/PureAveda

Setting up a Facebook page or Twitter account only takes a few minutes. Invest the time in figuring out how to navigate the sites and get a handle on how you can make them work for you—the effort will truly be worth your while.

Are you offering online specials? Have you figured out how to attract a lot of followers or fans online? We’d love to hear about your tactics—email us at spablog@americanspamag.com.

TheGiftCardCafe.com Debuts Real-Time Gift Card Sales

Spa-goers—and spas—can get instant gift gratification courtesy of TheGiftCardCafe.com’s new myPOS Service, which allows retailers to instantly integrate the website’s gift cards into their operations from any point of sale. The TheGiftCardCafe.com shopping cart blends in with any spa or hotel website, molding to the company’s distinct look and feel. When a customer purchases a gift card online on the site, myPOS Service sends secure data to the company in real time, allowing retailers to automatically process and input the data into their systems. Customers who receive instant gift certificates can immediately come into the spa, and the gift certificate will be quickly and easily processed. “This is all about finding additional sources of revenue. As we’ve seen, not even the largest retailers are able to avoid economic hardships,” says Gregg Gottschling, co-founder of The GiftCardCafe.com. “With more and more people going online to find gifts, retailers can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity to sell instant gift certificates on their websites.”

SpaFinder Gives Spas the Opportunity to Promote
Their Own Instant Online Gift Certificates

SpaFinder, a leading spa and wellness marketing and media company, recently introduced a new feature to its SpaBooker management software that allows spas using it to sell their own instant gift certificates on their websites and on SpaFinder.com. The new revenue-generating program gives consumers a chance to personalize their gift certificates by choosing from more than 10 templates and adding a personalized message. “SpaFinder’s new Instant Online Gift Certificate program can help any spa increase revenue and strengthen their relationship with valued customers,” says Peter Ellis, chairman and CEO of SpaFinder. “Now it’s easy for spas to offer their own personalized, attractive gift certificates and make them available where millions of spa customers are searching online.”