A Note from Ilana – May 2020

  • On May 11, 2020

Adapting to Change, An Entrepreneurial Spirit:      

As I reflect on the last couple of months, which has been so uncertain and somewhat chaotic, it feels like I’ve been living in a Stephen King Novel. Dealing with an invisible enemy detrimental to everyone’s health has been unimaginable. As a Global Wellness Day Ambassador I continue to promote living a healthy lifestyle to our community as well as embrace personal well-being on most days, however surrounded by the landscape of an unknown contagious novel virus which can in many cases cause catastrophic illness and even death is stressful. Experiencing a complete shutdown of life as we know it, watching schools, parks, restaurants and our magnificent spas close has been disheartening. Seeing our grocery shelves empty of everyday products like disinfectant, hand wipes, paper towels and what’s with no “toilet paper”? Social distancing, being the temporary solution to flatten a curve of spiking illness is most definitely not in my DNA, but I heed the warnings and follow the rules to ride out the wave.
Yet, I was truly inspired at the resilience that exists in our society, especially the people in our spa industry and community. As we were told to social distance, that term immediately transformed to physical distancing and socially connecting. Reaching out to one another by means of virtual zoom and webinar calls became a daily calling and has connected us more than I could have ever imagined. The more we connected, the more we socialized. And the more we brainstormed, more creativity began to unfold which unleashed the entrepreneurial spirit that is lies within us.

As we started to realize the projected benefits of a major change, our industry seemed to possess an ample amount of energy for an incredible adaptation process to unfold. This capacity involved the mental, emotional, and physical means to incorporate new mindsets, behaviors and ideas to absorb the key elements of a much needed change in our new spa environment. Our industry adapted quickly to this change and from it came so much creativity from organizations, suppliers and spa leaders to acclimatize to our new normal. Vendors started manufacturing products focused on sanitation and touch free devices as well as producing creative equipment and supplies to adhere to sanitation and safety. The products that have surfaced have been astonishing, in the true style of entrepreneurs. Spa leaders moved quickly to connect with each other and fashioned new standards of operation to comply with safety guidelines to protect their staff and providers while creating consumer confidence with the ambiance of a luxury setting.

Being creative gave us opportunities to try our new ideas and new ways of thinking and problem solving. The amount of creativity in our community was persistent and unwavering.

The ability to adapt in the most difficult of situations unlocks mental power that we possess and allows us to be resourceful and enterprising. The ingenuity from everyone in our industry has helped us acknowledge our own uniqueness. The desire to coalesce our individual ideas and share in team spirit and camaraderie not only helps to foster friendship, support and build loyalty but offers up unique opportunities that will prove to provide for continued luxury experiences as it unites our industry to return with strength in spa and wellness, resulting in success due to our persistence and commitment.

Stay Safe and Live Well,

Ilana

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