Seasons –  A Metamorphosis into Change

“The Secret of Change is to focus all of your energy NOT on fighting the Old, but on Building the New”      -Socrates

 Learning from Change Empowers Us

Change. The very thought of the word promotes a feeling of anxiety. We truly are creatures of habit, extremely and stubbornly set in our ways. Yet, in our industry, change is inevitable on every level. New choices confront us daily: new clients, new problem solving, unexpected schedule changes, new employees, new products, new policies, new treatments….the list is infinite. In our world of spa, to be successful it is without a doubt, a necessity to be a chameleon of sorts -changing with our environment as the need arises.

The one change I embrace is the change of the seasons. We have no power over this change, but it changes us. Our daily lifestyles slightly change, our eating habits shift, even our restaurant menus offer seasonal choices. It is a time to reflect upon the ending season – asking oneself, “What positive experiences can I take away from the prior months to morph into the newness before me?  What mistakes or bad choices did I learn from to create additional personal growth?”  Keep the positives from last season nestled within yourself, learn from mistakes, and then mentally discard them. No need to dwell. Skinning one’s knees, or in essence, making mistakes, helps us to realize, if we keep tripping over that same stone, it’s time to either move the stone or walk a slightly different path. A fresh season allows us to do so. (read more)

The Fall   – from Summer, Bittersweet Farewell

Florida. Yes, we have seasons. They are subtle enough to feel a shift of temperature change; we notice less daylight, experience less rain and humidity.  As our slower summer season comes to a close, a new clean slate is presented before us, a new path, a new journey, a rebirth in all aspects of our lives; in the spa, out of the spa, it all connects. As the Fall and Winter months approach, we prepare for the upcoming chapters in our spas. As the cooler weather casts its changes elsewhere with a bittersweet farewell to summer, the most noticeable change that positively effects our businesses this upcoming time of year is the vacationing tourists and returning seasonal residents.  This influx of visitors most strongly drives our work load to higher levels; their presence creates a buzz in our society, and creates a sense of happiness that is contagious. Sun, travel, and vacation equates to flowing endorphins creating happy individuals who want to play, spend, eat, and relax in our spas.

A New Season is the Reason – To Make Mindful Changes

As a seasoned esthetician and marketing/training consultant, I have had the opportunity to visit many spas, lecture on skin care technology to clients, create service treatments, and manage retail. I have come to learn that clients love change and variety-the changes that will benefit their looks and well being, yet assist in a disconnection from outside stresses of the world.  Clients love variety, especially in keeping up with cutting-edge ingredients, nutrition, and treatment specialties. Never Allow Change To Effect Quality. Consistency in providing nothing less than overall excellence for our clients should never be compromised. This, of course, includes the level of service, quality of products, with the client’s ultimate satisfaction as the ultimate goal.  Whether you are a 5-star luxury hotel or an individual local community spa, all of the above should apply.

Small, subtle changes each season can give your business a rebirth, freshness, and well-needed pick-me-up. Very often, we are so busy working “In” the business that we fail to look at our spa from an outsider’s perspective.  When creating a different spin on spa treatments and spa atmosphere, take into consideration that a client’s senses are extremely heightened and sensitive when they are present. If any of the 5 senses are negatively impacted, it also impacts the satisfaction level. We offer an experience, a journey, a haven of peace and tranquility -from the moment they enter their “escape from reality” to the moment they check out.

When entering the spa, a client “sees the beauty of their surroundings, smell an alluring, relaxing aroma, taste the delicate fruity undertones of a cup of tea or antioxidant-enhanced purified water. They feel the healing touch of the technicians, hear the soft water scapes and soft serene music. Spas are multi-sensory experiences. When making changes, keeping this in mind will help you be more creative and sensitive to the client’s comfort.

Here are subtle fall/winter seasonal changes that stay within any budget-

• If retail area is looking stale, simply changing the placement of product lines creates new perspective.
• Create a “High – Lighted” star product of the season section.
• Position furniture differently – this creates a new look without spending money.
• Select a new unique retail product once a season & utilize it in the spa experience (for retail sales boost).
• Change your scents / aromatherapy / candle selections.
• Offer hotel spa guests and local clientele a weekly or monthly lecture series of anti-aging / wellness / beauty.
• Set up a technician with a product sampling area in reception, educating clients on the benefits.
• Offer complimentary poolside product sampling with hand exfoliation/scalp massage, etc.
• New plants and flowers are a lush addition to reception and rooms- refresh them every season.
• New uniform accessories – scarfs, logo shirt, new dress code, etc.
• Offer the latest market trend “ingredient” services, seasonal treatment add-on, & upgrades.
• Cold temperatures will not follow our client, but they most certainly appreciate scents of the season as comforting and soothing – pumpkin, cinnamon, peppermint, apple, cranberry.

This is a short list of the many subtle changes that can be made, depending on budgets and policy. It will give a refreshed feel, polished appearance, and a newness for staff to enjoy.

Seasonal Mindset –Attitude Make A Difference

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   -Maya Angelou                                                                                                                                                                                  Being mindful and realizing how actions and words affect your surroundings is key to developing strong relationships in every aspect of our industry.  Attitude can mentally impact one’s self, as well as have an impact on how you are perceived by others. We are in an industry where we are responsible for setting a high standard in how we make everyone around us feel. Although we are human and fall short of perfection, our job is not behind a phone in a cubicle. We are hands on – literally. We work with a diverse amount of personalities –sometimes hard to read, others not easy to understand, and those not easy to please. But it does not matter where you have been or where you are going – we all have the same basic needs…to be loved, to be understood, to be happy.  We carry our attitude with us wherever we go and subtle positive changes in our attitude help us build each other up. With each season we welcome new experiences, new people, new relationships. In a sense, we mentally open up our inner selves as we welcome those who welcome us, for our talents, for our healing, for our love of what we do.  We build it…they will come.