As the dreaded ‘low season’ sets in and the threat of hurricanes looms ominously close to those of us around the coast what better time to focus on your spa marketing techniques to fill the treatment rooms and maximize your revenue. This issue brings you spa marketing techniques from two industry experts with extensive knowledge of spa operations and marketing strategies.

While marketing brings the clients in, what else could be done to make sure they stay longer in your spa, enjoy their experience and return once again? This issue’s feature on spa music provides insight into the benefits of customizing spa music to suit your clients, offering them the power to choose and displaying branded music CDs as retail items for your clients to take home.

Discover some of the latest innovations in skincare research such as products containing Stem Cell technology, Copper Peptides and Zinc Fingers. View the results of our ‘Tried and Tested’ section, focusing on Body Firming, one of the most requested results from a non-massage body treatment.

Enjoy both National and International Spa Experience reviews from the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas; Spa Matilda, San Miguel de Allende and Tatewari Spa, Villa La Estancia, Nuevo Vallarta.

With this year’s ISPA Conference and Expo taking place November 7th – 9th in Las Vegas, I hope to see as many of you there as possible representing the growing Mexican spa industry and benefitting from the international knowledge and education the conference has to offer.

Enjoy this issue of Spa Professional Mexico.

Sara Jones

Editor

Recently, we called several resort spas and spoke to the spa receptionist, (one Mexican to another, therefore without any language barriers) and asked a couple of questions, the results were astonishing…

When I think about visiting a Spa one of the first things I want to know is the product brand they will use for the treatments. Now I understand that as a spa professional my knowledge of the brands is more extensive than most, but many of our clients are seasoned spa goers who would like to know this information beforehand.

When asked what product brand their spa used 57% of the spa receptionists replied saying they didn’t know and no effort was made to find out. What would be the answer from your Spa Receptionist? Is this information they are trained in or are they just there to accept bookings without the knowledge to back it up?  If so then your Spa is no doubt missing out on both treatment and retail revenue.

Only 35% had immediate knowledge and were able to advise us of their product brands (well done to these spas!), 4% replied by saying we should send an email to receive this information and a further 4% said they would not give out this information. This last category gave perhaps the most worrying response we came across, implying that they have the information but that potential clients are not allowed to know this information before arriving at the spa or resort.

I return now to my initial question; does your Spa Receptionist know enough about your Spa? Try having a friend or a colleague from another department call your spa and ask some basic questions that you would assume they should be able to answer, the results may surprise you!

After the great response to the first edition of Spa Professional Mexico it’s been a busy 2 months preparing for this edition and attending both the Expo Spa in Mexico City and the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference in Las Vegas.

This issue brings you spa news from around the world including this year’s Global Spa Summit held in Bali, Indonesia. The most notable news from the summit is the launch of ‘Spa Evidence’, the world’s first portal collating thousands of medical studies and providing evidence for spa and wellness therapies. With a wide range of therapies covered and more research to be added as it becomes available, this is a fantastic resource for the spa and wellness community around the world. Visit spaevidence.com to start benefiting from the wealth of information available.

Our feature article this issue looks at the challenge and opportunity of the male spa and skincare market. Are you capturing your share of this market?  Are you retailing to them? Learn the secrets of this rapidly growing market sector and how to cater to it successfully.

The topic for discussion this issue is the emergent trend of salt rooms, a historic therapy returning to popularity across the spa world. Salt rooms provide health benefits such as improved immune system function and relief from respiratory ailments. Adding this service to your spa not only provides an additional revenue source without the use of a therapist but also has proven health benefits your guests may be looking for.

Once again, please enjoy this issue of Spa Professional Mexico,

Sara Jones

Editor

This year the Global Spa Summit, held in Bali, May 2011, launched ‘Spa Evidence’ via their website.  This fascinating collection of scientific research covers a vast array of spa treatments and alternative therapies presented clearly and simply for the use of spa industry professionals and spa goers alike.

Once on the site I could barely tear myself away. The wealth of objective information will help to serve the industry by providing evidence of the beneficial effects of so many therapies.  I am sure this will be used in the future, if not already by insurance companies looking to lower payouts by improving the health of their customers with preventative therapies, corporations aiming to reduce sick days in their workforce due to stress related illnesses and spas to provide proof of the effects of their therapies and further evidence that a course of treatment is needed rather than single sessions.

Spa Evidence is a greatly welcomed resource to the global spa industry with fantastic potential.  Thank you Global Spa Summit!