Spa teams must find passion to ‘amplify’
While the industry trend has been to simplify, Jean-Guy De Gabriac, CEO of Tip Touch International spa consultancy & training company, argues that today’s spas need to shift direction. In an exclusive Thought Leader column for Spa Opportunities, De Gabriac reveals ways in which spa teams can steer away from complacency and amplify their energy.
A few years ago, the key word was to simplify: Simplify spa menus, simplify treatment descriptions, simplify financial reports. Now, however, the pendulum needs to swing in a new direction, and spa teams need to dig deeper into their expertise and passion to amplify.
First, they must amplify immediate emotional connections. Forget about “clients”; concentrate on each person coming to the spa so they feel expected, considered, and understood. In order to treat a client as a guest, spa and wellness professionals need to consider themselves as hosts. No day should be ordinary, and spas should be places where guests look forward to going back (over & over again) to celebrate life and feel joyful!
Next, they must amplify long-lasting and documented physiological results. Over the last decade I’ve spent as a consultant and trainer, I have met therapists who punch their hours with superficial skindeep work, while others train tirelessly, understanding body mechanics, discovering new healing techniques and documenting their guests’ progress. I encourage therapists and aestheticians to steer away from complacency and strive to reach the noblest level of their craft: becoming healers and caregivers, delivering nothing short of undisputed physiological benefits that their guests will rave about to their three Fs (friends, family and Facebook).
Finally, they must amplify the scope of spa & wellness experiences. Guests should not have to choose between pampering treatments and transformative experiences: spa managers should encourage their teams to constantly raise the bar of their creativity in order to cross-link spa/salon, fitness, mindfulness and healthy food with fun.
Once you know that you have the skills to deliver serious results, make sure you make them original and exciting enough for guests to want to try them. As International Coordinator of Global Wellness Day, last June I saw so many hotel spas and day spas create amazing classes, workshops and marketing collaterals that spa-virgins and locals alike were compelled to say ‘yes’ to wellness!
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates