UpClose & Personal - Massage Today

Last month we were in construction planning, so we are now shifting gears a bit and putting our focus on the actual internal operations of running a successful spa/dayspa.

Before we hire our therapists, we have hopefully done our homework in the theme planning and should have penciled out our menu to some degree. That means we know our specialty treatments will fit right into that particular personality and image we want to manifest.

Sometimes there are situations that come up in the hiring process that will trigger new menu items such a massage therapist with other skills that would be beneficial to offer. Modalities such as Polarity Therapy, CranioSacral Therapy, chair massage, aromatherapy, Ashiatsu foot massage, or even Aaron Mattes’ Active Isolated Stretching technique could be extra offerings that could expand your theme. There are many more, but the point is that your employee’s extra skills could add more depth to your spa menu that will set you apart—even though you did not plan it.

When you hire, there are so many qualities to look for. When I think of the most important ones, I would say attitude first and then a passion for their work. They must love it so they will naturally promote. Don’t forget, you are married to your employees; therefore communicate and make sure their vision is in line your vision.

I recently visited the DePasquale Day Spa in New Jersey, which is in my opinion a 5-star operation and very well managed. What most impressed me was the hiring procedure and the steps it would take for a new therapist or stylist to make it to the point of actually working the main floor. There was a training in their school area, then you would perform your skills on the department heads, and finally the owners would get to experience you before you were ready to treat a paying customer.

Generally you should start your staff training about four weeks before you actually open. They need to know not only their area of work but must have an overall training of your philosophy, fit into your theme, know your internal operating systems, and know your products so they can sell products and services besides their own. They must be trained as team players and be ambassadors to customers and the public. This can only happen if they are happy with their relationship with their supervisors or owners.

Another very important key to success is to set up a computer system that will give you all the information you need. With the right information you can manage and make decisions that are based on true facts. Computers will not solve your problems if your systems are not prepared; and wrong or incomplete data is worse than a manual system. In choosing your software program do your homework.

Ask yourself some questions. Will it be easy to learn and operate? Is it a complete bookkeeping and operations package? Can you get any kind of report you need easily? How does it handle commission splits? Does it create Barcodes for your inventory? Will your reports produce graphs? If used correctly, your computer system will save you lots of work—don’t skimp.

A few months ago in article #4 on Spa Budget and Finance [Clare, link to it please], I showed startup cash requirements and cash flows. It would be a wise business practice to prepare those same charts with real every day numbers so there is a constant pulse of the business, which would immediately show the details of where you winning and where you are losing. From this type of a daily record, trends will show up along with the ability to quickly make adjustments before they are costly. I like to post daily sales figures and also employee performances, which help build teamwork and create a challenge to set higher goals. From that original business plan with cash requirements you should be in the ballpark to know what your marketing budget is and at this time there will most likely be some adjustments since the original was done before the final design.

One of the most important but often neglected areas of attention is retail sales. It could be a huge extra revenue that absolutely should not be overlooked. When setting this up consider a full time retail sales manager and some incentive for your therapists who sell. A good person could make you a lot more money than just letting the receptionist ring up a passive sale. This may depend on how big or small your operation is and the quality of your employee knowledge of the products.

If you hired a spa consultant, you may already have a complete operations manual that is done and based on experience from similar past clients. Don’t forget to allow for and plan for regular cleanup and maintenance in off hours so your place will always be sparking.

Next month we will dig into the initial startup marketing strategy for your spa. Keep reading those spa magazines.

John can be reached for comments at john@goldenratio.com