Spa Executive July/August 2022
The Detox Issue of Spa Executive. July/August 2022.
The Detox Issue of Spa Executive. July/August 2022.
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ISSUE #38 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
SPA EXECUTIVE<br />
FOR LEADERS IN THE BUSINESS OF WELLNESS<br />
The Detox Issue<br />
Spotlight:<br />
Langham’s Amy Chan on TCM,<br />
sleep & spa marketing<br />
Staffing:<br />
Michael Tompkins on how spas<br />
can better attract and retain employees<br />
Feature:<br />
7 reasons to offer digital<br />
detox at your spa
PUBLISHER<br />
Roger Sholanki<br />
EDITOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Elizabeth Bromstein<br />
Note from the Publisher<br />
Dear readers,<br />
DESIGNER<br />
Design Pickle<br />
AD SALES, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR,<br />
PRODUCTION MANAGER<br />
Sal Capizzi<br />
We’re talking about detox in this issue of <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> Magazine. Detoxing your workplace,<br />
digital detox, and sleep as detox.<br />
Did you know that a 2013 study found that the space between brain cells may increase<br />
during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out toxins that build up during waking hours? These<br />
results suggested a new role for sleep in health and disease. And spas, of course, offer<br />
wonderful services to help guests get more sleep. We look at some of these in Sleep detoxes<br />
the brain. How spas can help guests get more of it.<br />
Langham’s Amy Chan also talks about the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to detox<br />
and Langham’s Sleep Matters by Chuan, a comprehensive global sleep wellness programme<br />
developed in conjunction with the World Sleep Society, in her Spotlight interview: Langham’s<br />
Amy Chan on TCM, sleep & spa marketing.<br />
We explore the important but sometimes difficult topics of toxic customers and toxic<br />
employees, and list 7 reasons to offer digital detox at your spa.<br />
Other (non-detox-related) topics include Michael Tompkins of Hutchinson Consulting<br />
weighing in with some sage advice on how spas can better attract and retain employees in<br />
today’s climate. And we look at how yield management can boost your spa’s revenue.<br />
<strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong><br />
Finally, we take a look at the amazing Na Ho’ola <strong>Spa</strong> at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach, and its<br />
compelling history and mythology, as our featured property.<br />
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s articles in <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> and that they provide valuable<br />
<strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> is Book4Time’s<br />
magazine for leaders in the<br />
business of wellness. News,<br />
views, and interviews for those<br />
who want to attract top talent,<br />
increase customer retention,<br />
and offer the best possible<br />
guest experience.<br />
information to help you achieve success.<br />
Roger Sholanki, <br />
CEO,<br />
Book4Time
Contents<br />
<strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2022</strong> Volume 38<br />
4<br />
MANAGEMENT:<br />
How to manage a toxic<br />
employee in your spa<br />
6<br />
STAFFING:<br />
Michael Tompkins on how<br />
spas can better attract and<br />
retain employees<br />
8<br />
FEATURED PROPERTY:<br />
Na Ho’ola <strong>Spa</strong> at Hyatt<br />
Regency Waikiki Beach<br />
11<br />
FEATURE:<br />
7 reasons to offer digital<br />
detox at your spa<br />
15<br />
BUSINESS:<br />
How to manage toxic<br />
customers in your spa<br />
17<br />
BUSINESS:<br />
Sleep detoxes the brain.<br />
How spas can help guests<br />
get more of it<br />
19<br />
SPOTLIGHT:<br />
Langham’s Amy Chan on<br />
TCM, sleep & spa marketing<br />
22<br />
BUSINESS:<br />
Increase spa revenue with<br />
yield management
Management<br />
How to<br />
manage a<br />
toxic<br />
employee in<br />
your spa<br />
Toxicity results in low productivity, low morale,<br />
and high absenteeism, and can cost a<br />
company dearly. Here’s how to manage a toxic<br />
employee in your spa.<br />
Detox your work environment<br />
Is your spa work environment being<br />
poisoned by a toxic employee?<br />
communication lines and an unhealthy<br />
management style. But sometimes, that<br />
toxicity is coming from one person. If that’s<br />
the case, you’re going to have to address it.<br />
Signs of a toxic employee in your spa<br />
A toxic employee may display one or several<br />
of the following behaviors…<br />
creating an “us against them” atmosphere.<br />
Causes tension and drama – If it feels like<br />
tensions tend to mount and fall on a regular<br />
basis, look to see if there is a common<br />
denominator. If the tension is around one<br />
person whenever they are present, that’s a<br />
potentially toxic employee. People who enjoy<br />
drama for drama’s sake are a problem<br />
ina workplace.<br />
Signs of a toxic work environment include<br />
drama, infighting, low morale, and tensions<br />
among employees. Toxicity also results in<br />
low productivity and high absenteeism, and<br />
can cost a company dearly.<br />
A spa’s business in particular can suffer<br />
from a toxic environment because a spa<br />
environment is expected to be a calming<br />
and nurturing atmosphere. Customers can<br />
sense negativity and will respond accordingly,<br />
maybe by taking their business elsewhere.<br />
There can be several causes of a toxic<br />
work environment, including broken<br />
Doesn’t listen or follow the rules – Toxic<br />
employees might not listen to you or anyone<br />
else because they think they know best.<br />
They might do their own thing, despite<br />
company rules and guidelines, because they<br />
believe their way is better. A disregard and<br />
disrespect for authority is not something you<br />
need in your workplace.<br />
<br />
Gossips – Gossip will poison any atmosphere<br />
and should be discouraged in all circumstances.<br />
An employee who gossips is always going to<br />
cause problems. Toxic employees may thrive<br />
on talking about people behind their backs and<br />
Refuses to take responsibility – When<br />
things go wrong, a toxic employee might<br />
be quick to blame someone else or make<br />
excuses. The ability to take responsibility is a<br />
key trait in a desirable employee.<br />
Says “that’s not my job” – In a successful<br />
business of any type, everyone works<br />
together to do what needs to be done.<br />
People who refuse to do anything extra or<br />
outside of their scope of work because it’s<br />
“not their job” – take phone calls, clean up<br />
a mess they didn’t make, or update social<br />
media, for example – don’t fit into this<br />
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| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
scenario,are not assets to your team, and<br />
may betoxic employees.<br />
Causes tension and drama – If it feels<br />
like tensions tend to mount and fall on<br />
a regular basis, look to see if there is a<br />
common denominator. If the tension is<br />
around one person whenever they are<br />
present, that’s a potentially toxic employee.<br />
People who enjoy drama for drama’s sake<br />
are a problem in a workplace.<br />
Has an overall negative attitude –<br />
Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and<br />
sometimes you need a good grousing<br />
session. But people who complain constantly<br />
and are always in a negative state will poison<br />
the atmosphere, which is the very definition<br />
of toxicity.<br />
Isn’t asked for by customers – <strong>Spa</strong> guests<br />
often choose a favorite service provider and<br />
will request that person specifically. If nobody<br />
is requesting a specific employee, there may<br />
be a reason for that and that person may be<br />
causing problems for your business.<br />
There are other signs of a toxic employee<br />
and you probably will be able to spot one<br />
when you see one. But what can you do<br />
about it?<br />
How to manage a toxic employee<br />
Have a conversation. Open<br />
communication is imperative. Take the<br />
employee aside and ask whether they are<br />
unhappy at work and why. Explain why you<br />
are asking without being accusatory and<br />
point out the behavior(s) that are cause for<br />
concern. Sometimes people simply have<br />
no idea how they are coming across and<br />
impacting others. There may be a reason for<br />
the behavior that can be addressed. Or, if<br />
they are unaware of how they are behaving,<br />
you may be able to help them address that<br />
too. Be supportive aboveall things.<br />
Make it about the behavior and not<br />
about the person. Make it clear that this<br />
issue is not with the person but what they<br />
are doing and that this is something they<br />
can change. Be specific in how you address<br />
the behavior and keep that separate from<br />
the individual. If you can help the employee<br />
to not take things personally, you will have<br />
better chances of rectifying the situation<br />
Offer feedback and the opportunity to<br />
change. As this Harvard Business Review<br />
article suggests, “Give concrete, specific<br />
feedback and offer the opportunity to<br />
change.” Once you have identified the<br />
problem areas you can come up with a<br />
plan to change things. Set a timeline and<br />
actionable goals, like better relationships<br />
with team members and a specific number<br />
of client requests. Have regular check-ins to<br />
make sure things are progressing.<br />
Be prepared to take responsibility<br />
yourself. There might be a very good<br />
reason for what’s happening and you might<br />
be contributing to the problem. If the<br />
employee feels unsupported or is lacking<br />
resources, for example, this may be a<br />
situation to which you have contributed.<br />
There may be something you need to<br />
address about your management or<br />
communication style, or something else you<br />
have to work on, and you have to be willing<br />
to do so.<br />
Document everything. Even when you’re<br />
working towards fixing things, it’s important to<br />
document everything in case you ultimately<br />
have to let the person go. Keep track of the<br />
behavior, its impact, and your response, so<br />
that if you are called upon to justify a decision<br />
to fire the toxic employee, you can do so.<br />
Know when to let them go. You want to<br />
avoid firing people for a few reasons. These<br />
include wanting to make things work for the<br />
business and for the employee, and the cost<br />
of replacing them. But sometimes you have<br />
to know when to say goodbye. If you have<br />
tried supporting the employee and offering<br />
the opportunity to change, and it’s not<br />
happening over the set time period, the time<br />
may have come to say goodbye.<br />
Stop a toxic work culture from developing<br />
in the first place by making sure employees<br />
are supported and that they feel heard.<br />
Avoid hiring a problematic employee by<br />
not rushing the hiring process or taking<br />
shortcuts. Watch for signs of a toxic<br />
personality like high levels of self regard,<br />
overconfidence, and blaming others for<br />
their problems. For example, saying they<br />
left their previous job because of something<br />
someone else did, or trash talking their<br />
previous boss.<br />
It’s up to leadership to cultivate a positive<br />
work environment. Toxicity affects everyone<br />
in a workplace. Stop it before it starts.<br />
5<br />
| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Michael Tompkins on how spas can better<br />
attract and retain employees<br />
Michael Tompkins of Hutchinson Consulting,<br />
former CEO of Miraval and Hilton Head,<br />
shares insights on how spas can attract and<br />
retain employees.<br />
The spa and hospitality staffing crisis continues<br />
and shows no signs of abating. Many people<br />
have left the sector in the last couple of years,<br />
fed up with rigid scheduling, insufficient wages,<br />
and lack of appreciation, and they don’t have<br />
plans to return.<br />
What can spas do to turn things around,<br />
attract new talent, and retain the people<br />
you already have? We spoke with Michael G.<br />
Tompkins of Hutchinson Consulting, a firm<br />
specializing in executive recruiting, consulting,<br />
and marketing solutions for the wellness and<br />
hospitality industry.<br />
Tompkins has extensive experience in hospitality<br />
and wellness. He has held CEO positions with<br />
Miraval Resorts, Hilton Head Health, and<br />
PALM Health, and executive positions with<br />
Canyon Ranch Health Resorts. He is also a past<br />
Chairman of the International <strong>Spa</strong> Association<br />
(ISPA). At Hutchinson, Tompkins builds executive<br />
management teams who excel in efficiency while<br />
building culture for guests and staff.<br />
Here’s what he had to say about how spascan<br />
better attract and retain employees in<br />
today’s climate:<br />
By Michael Tompkins,<br />
PartnerHutchinson Consulting<br />
The Great Resignation and how it has affected<br />
the spa industry<br />
When it comes to what is most current<br />
in today’s climate, we’re seeing some of<br />
the same issues across the United States,<br />
Europe, and South America. The Great<br />
Resignation has hit the hospitality sector hard<br />
and people all over the world have quit their<br />
jobs and are not returning to work.<br />
What happened was that a first wave of<br />
people left the hotel and spa industry to go<br />
into other sectors during the pandemic and<br />
now they’re doing something completely<br />
different. A lot of women held on through<br />
that first year and now they’re leaving and<br />
starting to look at other opportunities.<br />
Women make up a large majority of our<br />
population of skilled workers in this sector, so<br />
this has really hindered our ability to retain<br />
good employees. I’ve been saying, every time<br />
I speak at an event, “Hold onto your female<br />
6<br />
| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
employees, because there’s a huge value<br />
to them right now.” The third group that is<br />
resigning is older workers, people aged 55<br />
and over.<br />
Flexible scheduling<br />
So, how can we fix the problem? The number<br />
one thing that people are looking for is<br />
flexible scheduling, particularly women with<br />
children who need to be with their families.<br />
<strong>Spa</strong> is a service industry job that requires<br />
you to work on site. You can’t actually give a<br />
massage from home if you work in a resort<br />
or spa. And, recently, people have started<br />
to think more about their families and how<br />
they’re spending their time – having to go to<br />
work every day, as opposed to being able<br />
to stay home and do part-time work as a<br />
massage therapist or esthetician, where you<br />
control your schedule.<br />
We’re finding that spas that are more flexible<br />
around employee schedules are retaining<br />
more people than those who are saying,<br />
“Sorry, the spa world is Friday, Saturday,<br />
Sunday, and you have to work every<br />
weekend.” Those spas that are sticking to<br />
rigid schedules are finding it very difficult to<br />
continue to retain staff.<br />
<strong>Spa</strong>s should think about how they can apply<br />
flexible scheduling to keep employees. For<br />
example, this may mean split days, where<br />
employees go in for three hours one day and<br />
four hours the next.<br />
understand that they are a part of the big<br />
picture. <strong>Spa</strong> directors who are sharing their<br />
financials, their goals, and their metrics with<br />
their teams are more likely to get buy-in from<br />
employees who understand that we’re all in<br />
this together. Particularly with the millennial<br />
generation. That generation wants to work<br />
as a team and they want to be able to share<br />
with each other, to do better. Managers who<br />
are including their staffon goals and financial<br />
metrics are getting that team cohesion that’s<br />
needed intoday’s environment.<br />
Clear concise compensation<br />
Another issue that we talk about in spa<br />
until we’re blue in the face is clear, concise<br />
compensation. This has been such a<br />
deterrent in the industry, for massage<br />
therapists and estheticians in particular. They<br />
get one rate when they’re at work and they<br />
get commission, then if they do upgrades,<br />
they get a $5 or $10 kicker, but it’s very<br />
difficult for them to get benefits sometimes<br />
and if they decide to take vacation, they<br />
get paid a training rate, which is much less<br />
than their usual compensation. So let’s say<br />
a therapist works 32 hours a week and<br />
averages $50 an hour but their training wage<br />
is minimum wage. When they go to take<br />
vacation, they’re being paid the training wage<br />
instead of their blended average rate. That’s a<br />
touchy subject now with massage therapists<br />
and estheticians being in such demand. In<br />
other industries, you get paid vacations, at<br />
least in the US, and I think people are starting<br />
to ask why they don’t deserve the same.<br />
purpose in their lives and in their work. A lot<br />
of people are resigning from jobs because<br />
they are looking for an employer with<br />
purpose. They want a job that is meaningful<br />
and where they are working with people with<br />
shared values and purpose, like working with<br />
charities or DE&I initiatives, things that not<br />
only tell the story of your brand, but also of<br />
the team and the people who work there.<br />
There is already a solid foundation for this<br />
in spa & wellness. People usually go into this<br />
industry as therapists and service providers<br />
because they believe in what they do and<br />
that they are making a valuable contribution<br />
to people’s lives. It’s up to management to<br />
nurture that.<br />
If you can get people working together and<br />
to understand the purpose of what they<br />
do and how this plays a role in the world<br />
and in your business, you can build a solid<br />
community where people are more apt to<br />
stay, and that shared purpose is a big part of<br />
that experience.<br />
Include employees on business metrics<br />
and goals<br />
The second piece to this puzzle is including<br />
employees on business metrics and goals.<br />
People often go to work in a spa and they<br />
don’t understand budgets. They don’t<br />
Offering fair and clear concise compensation<br />
will be a requirement to retain team<br />
members going forward.<br />
Provide a sense of purpose<br />
Finally, employees are looking for a sense of<br />
7<br />
| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Featured property:<br />
Na Ho’ola <strong>Spa</strong> at Hyatt Regency<br />
Waikiki Beach<br />
Na Ho’ola <strong>Spa</strong> at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach<br />
Resort and <strong>Spa</strong> is an oasis of tranquility,<br />
inspiring health and wellness through the<br />
practice of Hawaiian culture, values and arts.<br />
Na Ho’ola <strong>Spa</strong> at Hyatt Regency Waikiki<br />
Beach Resort and <strong>Spa</strong> was the first resort<br />
spa in Waikiki. Located just steps from<br />
the azure blue waters and soft sands of<br />
Waikiki Beach, Hyatt Regency Waikiki offers<br />
personalized service with the spirit of<br />
Aloha, modern amenities, cultural activities,<br />
a swimming pool overlooking the Pacific<br />
Ocean, locally sourced dining, and onsite<br />
boutiques. The resort provides the perfect<br />
place for those who want to make the most<br />
of their island experience and connect with<br />
the heart of Hawaii.<br />
The 10,000 square foot spa features fabulous<br />
views of Waikiki Beach, 16 treatment<br />
rooms, locker rooms, dry saunas and a gift<br />
shop. Skilled practitioners rejuvenate the<br />
body, mind and spirit with a wide variety<br />
of massages, facials, stone treatments,<br />
and wraps. An oasis of tranquility, inspiring<br />
health and wellness through the practice of<br />
Hawaiian culture, values and arts, the spa<br />
takes guests on a journey of rediscovery, to<br />
a time and place held sacred today and by<br />
generations past.<br />
The Healing Stones of Kapaemahu<br />
<br />
The island has a compelling history<br />
and mythology.<br />
According to legend, more than 500 years<br />
ago, four Tahitian wizards, Kapaemahu,<br />
Kahaloa, Kapuni, and Kinohi, journeyed to<br />
Hawaii to share their healing practices and<br />
traditions with the Hawaiian people. When it<br />
was time for the wizards to return home, they<br />
asked the Hawaiians to select four symbols<br />
that would be erected in their honor to<br />
ensure that the healing powers would remain<br />
for generations.<br />
The Hawaiians selected four large boulders<br />
that were brought to the beach from the<br />
Kaimuki area and the wizards transferred<br />
their powers into the stones. These stones<br />
sit directly across the street from Nā Ho‘ōla<br />
<strong>Spa</strong> near the area they were left hundreds<br />
of years ago and are known as the Wizard<br />
Stones, or Healing Stones, of Kapaemahu.<br />
For centuries in Hawaii, Waikiki was a royal<br />
reserve. Natural land boundaries were<br />
formed by a number of streams that flowed<br />
to the ocean and one of the most revered<br />
land divisions was called Hamohamo. This<br />
was the royal retreat royal retreat for the<br />
Chief Aikanaka and his descendants King<br />
Kalakaua, the Princesses Likelike and Ka’iulani,<br />
and Hawaii’s last Queen, Lili’uokalani. It was<br />
8<br />
| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
elieved that the waters spouting from the<br />
ground held healing powers and Hamohamo<br />
was reserved for Hawaiian Royalty. This land<br />
is now home to Nā Ho‘ōla, which means<br />
“many healers.”<br />
Kalo, Noni, Kukui, Awa<br />
Four traditional Hawaiian healing plants<br />
make up the spa logo, Kalo, Noni, Kukui<br />
and Awa. These plants were vital to the<br />
ancient Hawaiians’ way of life and are found<br />
in many of the products that are used in<br />
the spa’s treatments. Nā Ho‘ōla prides itself<br />
on using the history of Hawaiian traditions<br />
and techniques and incorporates signature<br />
products made on the islands. In keeping<br />
with the traditions of the islands, Nā Ho‘ōla<br />
seeks to promote health and wellness<br />
through the practice of Hawaiian culture, its<br />
values and its healing arts.<br />
Hawaiian Memories<br />
This treatment starts with a hibiscus sugar<br />
scrub followed by a hibiscus mineral<br />
body wrap. The mineral wrap consists<br />
of a proprietary ocean mineral complex<br />
containing over 90 marine minerals in a<br />
super concentrated and bioavailable form<br />
supplying essential nutrients.<br />
Stand out spa menu items include:<br />
Awapuhi Retreat (Hawaiian Ginger Massage)<br />
Lomilomi massage with organic sunflower oil<br />
infused with Hawaiian healing herbal blend<br />
of Kava, Gotu, Kola, Turmeric, Green Papaya,<br />
Neem Leaf, Ginger and Noni. Extracts of the<br />
four healing plants that make up the spa<br />
logo are incorporated into this treatment<br />
formulated to boost your immune system,<br />
improve circulation and soothe your muscles.<br />
Nanea (HotStone Relaxation Massage)<br />
This luxurious collaboration of a soothing<br />
hot stone massage and essential aroma<br />
oil of Rosewood, Clary Sage and Tangerine<br />
is designed to rejuvenate, refresh, release<br />
tension, balance the body’s energies and<br />
promote relaxation.<br />
9<br />
| <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
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7 reasons to<br />
offer digital<br />
detox at<br />
your spa<br />
We spend a lot of time looking at screens and<br />
consuming media. Is a digital detox in order?<br />
Here are 7 reasons to make this an option at<br />
your spa.<br />
Detox your life<br />
Should your spa be offering digital detox<br />
options, be it a full day a month, an hour<br />
a week, or specific areas of your property?<br />
Here’s why you might consider this compelling<br />
option if you’re not already doing so.<br />
We spend a lot of time looking at screens<br />
and, whether we all agree on this or not, it<br />
would be hard to argue that there isn’t some<br />
form of addiction happening. Have you ever<br />
told yourself to put your phone down and<br />
promised yourself you’re not going to pick it<br />
up again for a few hours only to find yourself<br />
looking at it 10 minutes later? Us too. Over<br />
and over again.<br />
According to data from DataReportal, the<br />
average American spends seven hours<br />
and four minutes looking at a screen every<br />
day, while a 2018 survey by the Nielsen<br />
Company found that the average U.S. adult<br />
was spending around 11 hours each day<br />
listening to, watching, reading, or interacting<br />
with media.<br />
And this has been associated with a variety of<br />
negative mental health outcomes, including<br />
sleep problems, stress, and more. Research<br />
has found heavy technology use to be<br />
associated with the following five outcomes:<br />
1. Depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD and<br />
alcoholuse disorder<br />
Heavy mobile phone use is associated with<br />
psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, medical<br />
andbrain changes.<br />
“[Excessive smartphone use is associated<br />
with] depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD and<br />
alcohol use disorder…difficulties in cognitiveemotion<br />
regulation, impulsivity, impaired<br />
cognitive function, addiction to social<br />
networking, shyness and low self-esteem.<br />
Medical problems include sleep problems,<br />
reduced physical fitness, unhealthy eating<br />
habits, pain and migraines, reduced cognitive<br />
control and changes in the brain’s gray<br />
matter volume.”<br />
2. Reduced sleep quantity and quality and<br />
increased body mass index.<br />
High use of devices in children, particularly close<br />
to bedtime, was linked to reduced sleep quantity<br />
and quality and with increased body mass index.<br />
“Using any device at bedtime was associated<br />
with a statically significant increased use of<br />
multiple forms of technology at bedtime and<br />
use in the middle of the night, reducing sleep<br />
quantity and quality… A statistically significant<br />
association was found between bedtime<br />
technology use and elevatedbody mass index.”<br />
3. Sleep and mood dysfunction<br />
Using social media in bed is associated with<br />
sleep and mood dysfunction and increased<br />
likelihood of anxiety and insomnia in adults.<br />
“Compared with participants with no inbed<br />
ESM (electronic social media) use and<br />
controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity,<br />
participants with high in-bed ESM use were<br />
more likely to have insomnia, anxiety, and<br />
short sleep duration on weeknights.”<br />
4. Smiling less<br />
Strangers smiled less at one another when<br />
they had their phones in a waiting room.<br />
“Compared to participants without<br />
smartphones, participants with smartphones<br />
exhibited significantly fewer smiles of any<br />
kind and fewer genuine (Duchenne) smiles.<br />
These findings are based on objective<br />
behavioral coding rather than self-report and<br />
11 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
provide clear evidence that being constantly<br />
connected to thedigital world may undermine<br />
important approach behavior.”<br />
5. More severe anxiety, depression<br />
and negative affectivity<br />
Social media use has also been connected<br />
to FOMO, also known as fear of missing out,<br />
which has in turn been associated with more<br />
severe anxiety, depression and negative<br />
affectivity, and lower levels of perceived<br />
quality of life.<br />
The mere presence of a smartphone makes<br />
you dumber<br />
Reason #6 is that we don’t even have to be<br />
using our phones for some of these effects to<br />
be seen. They just have to be availableto us.<br />
Strong and consistent evidence has been<br />
found of an association between the use of<br />
devices, or merely the access to them, and<br />
reduced sleep quantity and quality, as well as<br />
increased daytime sleepiness<br />
“[Twenty studies involving] 125 198 children<br />
found a strong and consistent association<br />
between bedtime media device use and<br />
inadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep quality,<br />
and excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition,<br />
children who had access to (but did not use)<br />
media devices at night were more likely to<br />
have inadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep<br />
quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness.”<br />
Another study found similar but different<br />
results in adults. Study participants took<br />
a series of tests geared to measure<br />
participants’ available cognitive capacity.<br />
Before beginning, participants were randomly<br />
instructed to place their smartphones<br />
either on the desk face down, in their<br />
pocket or personal bag, or in another room.<br />
All participants were instructed to turn<br />
their phones to silent. Participants with<br />
their phones in another room significantly<br />
outperformed those with their phones on<br />
the desk, and they also slightly outperformed<br />
those participants who had kept their phones<br />
in a pocket or bag.<br />
The authors conclude “The findings suggest<br />
that the mere presence of one’s smartphone<br />
reduces available cognitive capacity and<br />
impairs cognitive functioning, even though<br />
people feel they’re giving their full attention<br />
and focus to the task at hand.”<br />
Let’s not get carried away. Technology<br />
is still amazing.<br />
Not all smartphone and screen use is bad, of<br />
course. There are wonderful applications for<br />
technology and there are study findings that<br />
refute the findings above. There will always<br />
be fear mongering around new technologies,<br />
back through the invention of television and<br />
radio, all the way back to the printing press,<br />
when 16th Century Swiss scientist, Conrad<br />
Gessner, apparently expressed serious<br />
concerns around the dangers of information<br />
overload and the overabundance of<br />
available books.<br />
Technology is still amazing and allows<br />
us to do incredible things, access mind<br />
blowing amounts of information, and better<br />
understand ourselves and the world. But<br />
that doesn’t mean forcing yourself to step<br />
away from screens for periods of time isn’t a<br />
good idea.<br />
7. Limiting use of social media has benefits<br />
And, finally, Reason #7 is that putting down<br />
the phone and stepping away from social<br />
media has been shown to have positive<br />
effects (which you probably already figured).<br />
One study, for example, found that limiting use<br />
of social media among university students to<br />
a maximum of 30 minutes a day over three<br />
weeks was associated with reductions in<br />
feelings of loneliness and depression.<br />
“After a week of baseline monitoring, 143<br />
[university students] were randomly assigned<br />
to either limit Facebook, Instagram and<br />
Snapchat use to 10 minutes, per platform,<br />
per day, or to use social media as usual for<br />
three weeks…The limited use group showed<br />
significant reductions in loneliness and<br />
depression over three weeks compared<br />
to the control group. Both groups showed<br />
significant decreases in anxiety and fear<br />
of missing out over baseline, suggesting a<br />
benefit of increased self-monitoring.”<br />
It’s also been suggested by people in the<br />
wellness industry that human beings benefit<br />
greatly from the sort of community and<br />
interactions that aren’t as easily accessible<br />
when we’re staring at screens. This is why<br />
spa and wellness businesses might consider<br />
creating digital detox experiences, if you<br />
don’t already. It doesn’t have to be all digital<br />
detox all the time. A day out of the week<br />
or month, or an hour out of the weekend,<br />
well promoted with special packages or<br />
treatments and services might be just what<br />
your customer base wants and needs.<br />
<strong>Spa</strong>s and wellness retreats offering the option of<br />
a digital detox include:<br />
Miraval Berkshires, where mindfulness<br />
is the core of the Miraval philosophy and<br />
guests are asked to use technology only<br />
in designated locations “to practice being<br />
mindful of the moment and respectful of<br />
fellow guests.”<br />
Zulal Wellness Resort By Chiva-Som,<br />
which, according to its website is the first<br />
12 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
esort in Qatar to incorporate the pioneering<br />
digital detoxing concept. At Zulal, “the use<br />
of mobile phones and digital equipment is<br />
restricted in an effort to inspire families and<br />
individuals to reconnect with themselves and<br />
with surrounding nature.”<br />
Rancho La Puerta, where cell phone use is<br />
prohibited in public areas, “primarily because<br />
the Ranch is a retreat that values real<br />
conversation and connections.”<br />
13 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
BOOK ONLINE,<br />
PAY ONLINE,<br />
SKIP THE LINE<br />
Enjoy the contact-less experience.
<br />
How to<br />
manage toxic<br />
customers in<br />
your spa<br />
What is a toxic customer? One that poisons your<br />
spa environment and negatively impacts the<br />
people around them. Here are some tips on how<br />
to handle toxic customers in your spa.<br />
Detox the workplace<br />
When you run or work in a spa, eventually<br />
you’re going to encounter a toxic customer.<br />
What is a toxic customer? One that poisons<br />
your spa environment and negatively impacts<br />
the people around them. You’ll know them<br />
when you meet them. <br />
What is a toxic customer?<br />
They make unreasonable demands and<br />
are difficult – toxic customers may always<br />
be trying to get a discount or deal, or more<br />
than what they pay for. While it’s always good<br />
to go above and beyond for a guest, this<br />
should be because you want to enhance their<br />
experience, not because you feel bullied into it.<br />
They are never happy – Toxic customers<br />
always find something to complain about and<br />
you may always feel like you’re treading water<br />
around them or walking on eggshells.<br />
They are rude to or abusive of your staff –<br />
Toxic customers may abuse your staff or try to<br />
take advantage of them.<br />
They don’t care about other people –<br />
Toxic customers may only seem to care about<br />
themselves, make last minute cancellations,<br />
no-show for appointments, or show up<br />
disproportionately late, and not grasp the<br />
fact that this behavior impacts your business<br />
and your team and costs you money. Once is<br />
understandable but doing this over and over<br />
again shows a disregard for other people.<br />
They suck up your time – Toxic customers<br />
take up a lot of time, whether it be<br />
complaining, arguing, or demanding more<br />
from you and your team.<br />
They cost more than they are worth – at<br />
the end of the day, your toxic customers will<br />
cost you more than they are worth, in time, in<br />
staff morale, and in other ways.<br />
Toxic customers are more than just difficult<br />
Toxic customers are not just difficult<br />
customers. Sometimes people are difficult<br />
or demanding but they can be dealt with<br />
fairly easily through better communication<br />
and patience. Other times, a guest will have<br />
a legitimate complaint based on a negative<br />
experience. It’s important to know<br />
the difference.<br />
<strong>Spa</strong>s build their entire business models on<br />
promises of pampering, luxury, and even<br />
“transformational” experiences. This sets<br />
high expectations, sometimes unreasonably<br />
high, and that can lead to cranky customers<br />
if the person is prone to being demanding in<br />
the first place. Here are some strategies for<br />
handling toxic customers.<br />
11 strategies for handling toxic customers<br />
Ask yourself if you are part of the<br />
problem. We’re often quick to blame others<br />
but is it possible that the customer is not, in<br />
fact, toxic and has a legitimate complaint? As<br />
we just mentioned, sometimes a customer<br />
will have a valid grievance and we have to be<br />
careful not to make the mistake of ignoring<br />
our own role when there is a problem. So, take<br />
a look at the situation and assess it objectively.<br />
Be the calm presence in a heated<br />
moment. If a guest is upset, remain calm.<br />
This may be enough to diffuse a situation in<br />
itself, as angry people often lose steam when<br />
countered with calm – though sometimes after<br />
getting even more angry and then running out<br />
of steam. Keeping calm no matter how badly<br />
15 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
someone else is behaving will help you handle<br />
any situation with grace and clarity.<br />
Speak to the customer privately.<br />
Sometimes, as we mention in our article about<br />
toxic employees, people have no idea how<br />
their behavior affects others. Have a<br />
conversation and tell them you have noticed<br />
that they are consistently dissatisfied, that<br />
there is often friction with team members,<br />
or whatever the case may be. If it is a onetime<br />
issue, take them aside to discuss that<br />
issue. Again, simply talking to them may<br />
be enough to change the behavior. Ask if<br />
there is a particular issue on your end that<br />
can be reasonably addressed and offer the<br />
opportunity for the other person to speak to it.<br />
Listen. Listen to the customer actively and<br />
with empathy. Sometimes people lose it<br />
because they feel like they are not being heard<br />
and, really, that’s all they want. We all want<br />
to be heard and to be seen, and some will<br />
lash out because they don’t have the coping<br />
mechanisms to handle themselves thoughtfully<br />
when they feel things are going off the rails. We<br />
all have a friend who is a bit like this, don’t we?<br />
They’re not bad people. They just have some<br />
gaps in their communication skills.<br />
Get the other side of the story. If there is a<br />
specific issue to be dealt with, like a problem<br />
with a service provider, get that person's side<br />
of the story. Do this privately and not in front<br />
of the guest so the encounter doesn’t devolve<br />
into contrasting versions of events. If need be,<br />
send the customer home and try to figure<br />
things out in their absence.<br />
Protect your team and yourself. You need<br />
to draw a line with customers as to what you<br />
will and will not tolerate. Make it clear that<br />
abusive language or behavior towards either<br />
you or your team is unacceptable and that they<br />
will be asked to leave if things get out of hand.<br />
Have your employees’ backs. Never throw<br />
your employees under the bus or side with<br />
the customer because you are afraid of<br />
losing business. If there is an issue with the<br />
employee, address that separately, but as a<br />
leader it is your job to support your team and<br />
remain diplomatic during conflict. If you don’t<br />
support your team they will leave you and,<br />
with staffing in the spa industry being what it is<br />
today, you don’tneed that.<br />
Apologize. Dale Carnegie, author of How<br />
to Win Friends and Influence People, tells a story<br />
in the best-selling book about disarming a<br />
police officer who was about to give him<br />
a fine for an off-leash dog, with an effusive<br />
apology. When Carnegie did this, the officer<br />
started backing down and reassuring Carnegie<br />
that his offense wasn’t actually that serious.<br />
Carnegie writes: “That policeman, being<br />
human, wanted a feeling of importance; so<br />
when I began to condemn myself, the only way<br />
he could nourish his self-esteem was to take<br />
the magnanimous attitude of showing mercy.”<br />
Carnegie admits that he was inarguably in<br />
the wrong, but it still illustrates the power<br />
of an apology. You don’t have to apologize<br />
for something you didn’t do or for any<br />
wrongdoing that did not occur, but you can<br />
apologize because you’re sorry the customer<br />
is unhappy. If there is a particular situation that<br />
is resolvable, try to resolve it. Ask the customer<br />
how they would like to see this happen and<br />
decide if it’s reasonable.<br />
Explain how things work. This might be<br />
better in an email, but sometimes it can be<br />
helpful for people to have things spelled out for<br />
them. Again, not everyone understands how<br />
their actions impact others, that last minute<br />
cancellations cost a company and the employee<br />
time and money and throw off the schedule,<br />
or that demanding modifications to a service<br />
can be an inconvenience for the provider who<br />
is expected to stick to a schedule, or that when<br />
they get angry it affects everyone around them.<br />
Explaining how things work and how one thing<br />
affects another might help.<br />
Let them go. Repeat offenders who are<br />
routinely toxic will need to be let go and told<br />
they are no longer welcome in your spa. A<br />
difficult customer may be turned around with<br />
an apology, a gift, or a complimentary service.<br />
But a toxic customer will not and you should<br />
not be in a position where you feel that you<br />
are constantly catering to the needs of an<br />
impossible person. Your team should not be<br />
subject to this either. Send a kindly, clearly,<br />
and firmly worded note stating that you think<br />
it’s best if they don’t return and wish them the<br />
best finding a more suitable business for their<br />
needs. Any outstanding balance on packages<br />
or memberships should be returned.<br />
Keep notes. Keep a record of the guest’s<br />
behavior so that, if you have not banned them<br />
from the spa, when they return, your staff can<br />
be prepared and know what to expect. Or, if<br />
you do choose to ban them, make a note as to<br />
why. Some customers should absolutely never<br />
be given a second chance, including those<br />
that are violent and inappropriate. Future<br />
management and new team members will<br />
need this information. Your spa management<br />
software should have a note taking function to<br />
allow you to do this and to share information<br />
with all your staff, even across multiple<br />
properties. Future management and new<br />
team members will need this information.<br />
16 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Sleep detoxes the brain.<br />
How spas can help guests get more of it<br />
Research findings suggest that sleep detoxes<br />
the brain. Here’s how that works and how spa<br />
treatments can help people get more sleep.<br />
toxins that build up during waking hours.<br />
According to a brief, the results suggested a<br />
new role for sleep in health and disease.<br />
potential importance of the network in normal<br />
brain function,” said Roderick Corriveau, Ph.D.,<br />
a program director at NINDS.<br />
The question of why we sleep is as old as<br />
humankind. Scientists have been exploring<br />
it for decades, but it’s still a difficult one to<br />
answer. We know we need sleep to survive,<br />
that we feel better after we do it, and we can<br />
barely function when we don’t get enough<br />
of it. We know we dream during sleep<br />
and appear to solve problems and solidify<br />
learning, and more than a century of research<br />
has established the fact that sleep benefits<br />
the retention of memory.<br />
Sleep detoxes the brain<br />
We also may be detoxing our brains when<br />
we sleep.<br />
“Sleep changes the cellular structure of the<br />
brain. It appears to be a completely different<br />
state,” said Maiken Nedergaard, a leader of<br />
the study.<br />
The study showed that during sleep a<br />
plumbing system called the glymphatic<br />
system may open, letting fluid flow rapidly<br />
through the brain. The glymphatic system<br />
helps control the flow of cerebrospinal<br />
fluid (CSF), a clear liquid surrounding the<br />
brain and spinal cord. Previous research<br />
findings suggest that toxic molecules<br />
involved in neurodegenerative disorders<br />
accumulate in the space between<br />
brain cells.<br />
The results were said to potentially have broad<br />
implications for multiple neurological disorders<br />
and highlight the importance of sleep.<br />
“We need sleep. It cleans up the brain,” said<br />
Dr. Nedergaard.<br />
We also know we need sleep because a lack<br />
of it can lead to a host of negative health<br />
outcomes. According to the Cleveland Clinic,<br />
“some of the most serious potential problems<br />
associated with chronic sleep deprivation are<br />
high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack,<br />
heart failure or stroke.” Other potential<br />
problems include obesity, depression, and<br />
reduced immune system function.<br />
A 2013 study using mice showed that the<br />
space between brain cells may increase<br />
during sleep, allowing the brain to flush out<br />
“It’s as if Dr. Nedergaard and her colleagues<br />
have uncovered a network of hidden caves<br />
and these exciting results highlight the<br />
Fortunately, spa treatments, including<br />
massage, sauna, and taking warm waters can<br />
17 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
help improve sleep function – something to<br />
communicate to your guests.<br />
More recent research also found that 7 in 10<br />
Americans do not achieve restorative sleep.<br />
offerings from Langham Hospitality Group’s<br />
global spa and wellness brand, Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>.<br />
Some findings regarding common spa<br />
treatments and sleep:<br />
Massage<br />
Postmenopausal women with insomnia<br />
undergoing massage therapy experienced<br />
improvement in sleep patterns. Patients<br />
self reported falling asleep faster, improved<br />
quality of sleep, and feeling better upon<br />
waking.<br />
Women undergoing massage therapy<br />
also experienced a significant decrease in<br />
depression, insomnia, and increased quality<br />
of life.<br />
In addition to a decrease in long-term pain,<br />
subjects receiving massage experienced<br />
improved sleep and an increase in serotonin<br />
levels. Results were based on twice-weekly,<br />
30-minute massages for 5 weeks.<br />
Sauna<br />
Volunteers who took a sauna before bed<br />
experienced a significantly increased state of<br />
relaxation and improved levels of deep sleep<br />
than on nights they did not take a sauna<br />
before bed.<br />
83.5% of 482 respondents to a survey in<br />
another study reported sleep benefits after<br />
sauna use.<br />
Soaking in warm water<br />
Bathing one to two hours — ideally, 90<br />
minutes — before bed in water at 104 to<br />
109°F (40 to 43°C) helps people get the best<br />
quality sleep and to fall asleep an average of<br />
10 minutes faster than normal.<br />
Many hotels and spas are seeing the potential<br />
market here and are creating programs<br />
designed to help guests sleep better. These<br />
include the Four Seasons Hotel St Louis<br />
where the Deep Sleep Restorative Massage<br />
with calming aromas of lavender and<br />
chamomile concludes with a 20-minute nap<br />
under a weighted blanket while delta wavestimulating<br />
melodies play in the background<br />
(via Well+Good). Guests are given a pillow<br />
mist and eucalyptus salt soak to continue<br />
the experience in their rooms, which feature<br />
blackout curtains, soundproof windows, and<br />
signature Four Seasons mattresses featuring<br />
AirCool technology, and crisp linens.<br />
And the Fairmont Century Plaza offers<br />
treatments targeting sleep at a cellular<br />
level through a combination of infrared<br />
technology, compression therapy, and<br />
healing sound waves on an anti-gravity bed.<br />
Guest rooms feature black-out curtains and<br />
plush pillow top mattresses.<br />
Langham Hospitality Group, meanwhile,<br />
recently launched Sleep Matters by Chuan,<br />
a comprehensive global sleep wellness<br />
programme developed in conjunction with<br />
the World Sleep Society.<br />
Amy Chan, Assistant Group Director of <strong>Spa</strong> &<br />
Wellness at Langham Hospitality Group, told<br />
us, “As sleep plays a vital role in a memorable<br />
travel experience, helping travelers enjoy a<br />
good night’s rest allows for greater enjoyment<br />
of a holiday, higher productivity on a business<br />
trip, and is the connective element between a<br />
hotel and its guests.”<br />
Exclusive elements include a magazine<br />
curated by the World Sleep Society as well as<br />
elements based around wellness rituals and<br />
Every Langham hotel around the world has<br />
embraced the program and is offering their<br />
own packages and local elements to help<br />
guests achieve better rest.<br />
18 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Langham’s Amy Chan<br />
on TCM, sleep & spa marketing<br />
Langham Hospitality’s Amy Chan talks about<br />
TCM, spa marketing, the staffing challenge and,<br />
of course, what makes a great guest experience.<br />
Amy Chan is a respected spa and wellness<br />
professional with nearly three decades<br />
of industry experience, starting first as a<br />
therapist and moving up through the ranks to<br />
become the Assistant Group Director of <strong>Spa</strong><br />
& Wellness at Langham Hospitality Group.<br />
She has been with Langham Hospitality<br />
Group since 2007, was involved in the<br />
development of Chuan <strong>Spa</strong> from its early<br />
stages at the brand’s flagship at Cordis, Hong<br />
Kong (Langham Place, Mongkok), and has<br />
been part of Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>’s growth to 20 spas<br />
today, with two more in the pipeline this year<br />
at The Langham Jakarta and The Langham<br />
Gold Coast.<br />
Ms. Chan is responsible for the daily global<br />
operations and marketing of Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>,<br />
offering leadership and guidance to ensure<br />
the spas achieve greater guest satisfaction<br />
and increased profitability.<br />
With a strong knowledge in Traditional<br />
Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept and<br />
the core philosophy from which Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>’s<br />
treatments are derived, Ms. Chan works<br />
closely with TCM professionals to develop<br />
treatments to enhance health and wellness. As<br />
an accredited and qualified trainer in spa and<br />
wellness therapy, she not only trains all the<br />
spa therapists in the group, but also manages<br />
and teaches at the Chuan Academy, a spatraining<br />
institute by Chuan <strong>Spa</strong> in Hong Kong.<br />
We spoke with Amy Chan about TCM, spa<br />
marketing, the staffing challenge and, of<br />
course, what makes a great guest experience.<br />
Can you talk about Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>s and the principle<br />
of TCM?<br />
A spa retreat based on philosophy as old as<br />
time itself. In Chinese, “Chuan” means flowing<br />
water. As the source of life, water represents<br />
the re-birth and rebalancing of our whole<br />
being. At Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>, we understand the<br />
most effective cure for stress is not found<br />
19 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
on the shelves of our local pharmacy, but<br />
deep within ourselves. With roots stretching<br />
back thousands of years, Traditional Chinese<br />
Medicine (TCM) believes the human body<br />
comprises two opposing yet mutually<br />
dependent halves: Yin and Yang. A haven of<br />
Oriental Serenity, Chuan <strong>Spa</strong> offers a journey<br />
to wellness combining genuine service and<br />
holistic treatments that are based on the<br />
principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.<br />
At Chuan, all of our signature services are<br />
developed in conjunction with our resident<br />
TCM doctor to maintain a high level of<br />
integrity and authenticity. Chuan signature<br />
treatments and products are guided by two<br />
key principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine<br />
(TCM), with the aim of assisting our clients in<br />
their journey to regaining internal balance.<br />
These are Wu Xing (the 5 elements of Wood,<br />
Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) and Jing Luo (the<br />
meridian system).<br />
Can you talk about Sleep Matters by Chuan and<br />
the importance of sleep?<br />
Sleep has a huge role in a longevity plan<br />
because insomnia, or prolonged lack of<br />
sleep, affects our energy and mental clarity.<br />
From the Chinese perspective, nighttime is<br />
a quiet time when the spirit wanders and<br />
our body repairs and takes care of itself. To<br />
sleep well, Chinese medicine practitioners<br />
believe that our spirit and heart must be<br />
calm to experience restorative sleep, while<br />
anxiety, worry, and depression make it nearly<br />
impossible to achieve.<br />
Sleep Matters by Chuan is a comprehensive<br />
global sleep wellness programme developed<br />
in conjunction with the World Sleep Society<br />
whose mission is dedicated to advancing<br />
sleep health worldwide with sleep medicine<br />
and scientific expertise. As sleep plays a<br />
vital role in a memorable travel experience,<br />
helping travelers enjoy a good night’s rest<br />
allows for greater enjoyment of a holiday,<br />
higher productivity on a business trip, and<br />
is the connective element between a hotel<br />
and its guests. Each of our hotels across the<br />
world has embraced Sleep Matters by Chuan<br />
and introduced their own packages and local<br />
elements to delight our guests.<br />
Three TCM tips to achieve a restful sleep:<br />
allow three hours between last meal and<br />
bedtime to have sufficient time to digest the<br />
food, conduct a relaxing breathing exercise<br />
prior to sleeping to calm your breathing and<br />
cleanse the body, and sleep by 11pm for the<br />
body to replenish.<br />
As we’re talking about detox in this issue, how<br />
does the idea of detoxification fit with TCM?<br />
According to TCM, well-being and vitality<br />
are believed to be influenced through the<br />
nurturing of the three treasures, which<br />
everyone possesses: Jing, known as our life<br />
force, Qi, known as our vital energy, and Shen,<br />
known as our mind and spirit. Supporting<br />
our treasures is the key focus to maintaining<br />
wellness in TCM. This is achieved through:<br />
rest and relaxation, a good mental state,<br />
regular exercise, food therapy, appropriate<br />
environmental responses, utilization of<br />
Chinese herbal medicines; acupuncture and<br />
tui na (Chinese massage).<br />
Our body detoxes naturally but due to<br />
the modern busy environment, it can be<br />
imbalanced. TCM practitioners draw upon<br />
centuries-old principles to solve a modern<br />
problem. Our TCM practitioners first conduct<br />
a consultation to understand your lifestyle,<br />
body statues and concerns, follow by<br />
recommendations of selected TCM techniques<br />
that work together synergistically such as<br />
acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine,<br />
nutritional therapy, ear auricular therapy,<br />
Lymphatic drainage and tui na massage.<br />
Marketing is one of your areas of expertise.<br />
How can spas better market themselves?<br />
We need to follow the world trends where<br />
the use of technology and social media are<br />
the new norm. This is one instance where<br />
the world of spas and modern technology<br />
can enjoy a happy marriage to enhance<br />
the customer journey and offer a holistic<br />
experience from the first click to the final<br />
touches in the treatment room.<br />
Websites are more than just a shop<br />
window for browsing what treatments and<br />
promotions are available but are increasingly<br />
used to book appointments online,<br />
seamlessly in real time, and buy retail online.<br />
We all talk about creating experiences and<br />
storytelling. Maintaining a brand awareness<br />
via social media platforms, sharing tips, short<br />
videos and posting event photos are at least<br />
the basics people should get right. People<br />
have very short attention spans so don’t<br />
post anything too long. Word of mouth is<br />
incredibly powerful. Encourage your guests<br />
to post (positive) online reviews as customers<br />
love to read other guest experiences.<br />
You might also want to create aselfie area for<br />
customers to post instagrammable moments.<br />
20 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
What makes a great guest experience?<br />
What are you excited about?<br />
Utmost attention to the entire journey, from<br />
the moment you enter the spa, to the five<br />
senses; vision of the design, lighting tone and<br />
cleanliness; hearing of the Zen music played<br />
throughout the spa; smell of the pleasant<br />
aroma diffused; taste of the beverages and<br />
snacks offered; and the touch of the linen<br />
from bathrobes to bedding and ideal setting<br />
of the room temperature. All these elements<br />
perfectly done together with “soft skills” to<br />
create a synergistic space. With colleagues<br />
using their training to their appearance<br />
in uniform with grooming and overall<br />
professionalism, guests will feel they are in a<br />
luxurious environment.<br />
I am excited to see how the world is<br />
embracing wellness across all industries. I<br />
see companies putting the wellbeing of their<br />
staff first, recognizing that productivity and<br />
wellness go hand in hand. They’re organizing<br />
regular healthy tips from professionals, virtual<br />
fitness videos or classes, and simple but<br />
impactful activations like a lunchtime chair<br />
massage. People are also more open-minded<br />
and curious to try alternative medicines such<br />
as TCM, homeopathy, and complimentary<br />
therapies such as signing bowl therapy and<br />
mindfulness meditation. The ultimate goal is<br />
to achieve longevity of life.<br />
Sleep detoxes the brain<br />
Chuan <strong>Spa</strong> prides itself as an oasis offering<br />
a personalized journey towards optimum<br />
relaxation and wellbeing. Chuan <strong>Spa</strong>’s tranquil<br />
setting enhanced with signature design<br />
elements (moon gate, contemplation corner,<br />
dream room) and signature treatments made<br />
us a luxurious wellness institution in each city<br />
we have a presence.<br />
What challenges would you say the industry is<br />
facing and will face in the near future? Do you<br />
have solutions for these challenges?<br />
Recruitment is the biggest issue currently.<br />
There is a major shortage of talented spa<br />
therapists in the industry. We need to create<br />
a retention programme to attract and retain<br />
staff. These include incentive program for<br />
individual/ team performance, enhanced job<br />
skills and sponsored training, flexible working<br />
hours to adapt to a balance of life, more rest<br />
days and offering a staff wellness programme<br />
as well as celebrate their birthdays.<br />
21 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Increase spa revenue with<br />
yield management<br />
People in the spa industry love what they do and<br />
also know it’s sometimes a passion project, as<br />
spas can often yield low profit margins. Increase<br />
spa revenue with yield management.<br />
People in the spa industry love what they<br />
do, but we know that it’s sometimes a<br />
passion project, as spas can often yield low<br />
profit margins.<br />
Occupancy and revenue are dependent on<br />
factors that may be beyond your control, like<br />
season, time of day, socioeconomic factors,<br />
and more. Fortunately, yield management is<br />
a surefire way to maximize occupancy and<br />
significantly increase profits at your spa.<br />
A subcategory of revenue management,<br />
yield management is the process of making<br />
frequent adjustments in the price of a<br />
product or service in response to market<br />
factors, like demand or competition, to<br />
maximize revenue. It’s most commonly<br />
applied when there is limited or finite<br />
capacity, like with seats on an airline, or<br />
in a spa, a service provider’s time and<br />
energy. There is ample evidence of yield<br />
management’s benefits and it has been used<br />
in the hotel and airline sectors for decades.<br />
In the late 1970s, the first yield<br />
management strategies involved analyzing<br />
market factors, like time of year, day of<br />
the week, and destination and origin<br />
locations – to predict demand for airline<br />
seats and offer discounts, giving airlines the<br />
opportunity to sell seats that would have<br />
otherwise remained empty. From there,<br />
yield management applications have grown<br />
and it has since been said to have brought<br />
the air industry, almost on the brink of<br />
bankruptcy, back from the brink of ruin.<br />
Throughout the 1980s the practice spread<br />
throughout the hospitality industry. A 1992<br />
paper quotes Robert Crandall, former<br />
Chairman and CEO of American Airlines<br />
as crediting the survival of the company<br />
to yield management and estimating<br />
that the strategy generated $1.4 billion<br />
in incremental revenue over a three-year<br />
period. He also said, “We expect yield<br />
management to generate at least $500<br />
million annually for the foreseeable future.”<br />
Consumers have since come to expect<br />
fluctuating prices for airline seats and<br />
hotel rooms as a matter of course, and<br />
we know that the price of an airplane seat<br />
can change in a moment. Hotels use this<br />
22 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Yield management has been said to have brought the air industry, almost on the brink of bankruptcy, back from the brink of ruin.<br />
strategy when they are located next to<br />
a stadium and a big game or concert is<br />
happening that weekend, or when there is<br />
high demand because of a holiday. This is<br />
also called “dynamic pricing.”<br />
More recently, Uber has been using yield<br />
management to increase prices in high<br />
demand times, also known as “surge<br />
pricing.” And, again, people have come to<br />
accept it as a matter of course.<br />
The spa industry has been slower to catch on.<br />
Suzanne Holbrook, Senior Corporate<br />
Director of <strong>Spa</strong> Operations for Marriott<br />
International and Ritz Carlton, is an<br />
expert in yield management and revenue<br />
management. She oversees 160 spasat<br />
hotels and resorts and is recognized<br />
for an almost magical ability to produce<br />
outstanding financial results.<br />
Holbrook told <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> Magazine<br />
in a 2021 interview, “There’s always<br />
fear of change! But airlines took on this<br />
strategy many years ago and became very<br />
profitable! We are used to this with airlines<br />
and hotels, but not for spa. WHY? Let’s be<br />
the disruptors. We shouldn’t wait for every<br />
other industry to move forward.”<br />
“There’s always fear of change!<br />
But airlines took on this<br />
strategy many years ago and<br />
became very profitable! We<br />
are used to this with airlines<br />
and hotels, but not for spa.<br />
WHY? Let’s be the disruptors.<br />
We shouldn’t wait for every<br />
other industry to move<br />
forward.” – Suzanne Holbrook,<br />
Senior Corporate Director of<br />
<strong>Spa</strong> Operations for Marriott<br />
International and Ritz Carlton<br />
However, she added that “successful<br />
implementation involves detailed analysis<br />
and careful decision making and planning<br />
within a framework of clear and effective<br />
policies and procedures.<br />
“Put strong processes in place, and we can<br />
be the disruptors, and make the change,”<br />
said Holbrook.<br />
Here are a few examples of best yield<br />
management practices for the spa industry.<br />
Think twice before discounting<br />
<strong>Spa</strong>s commonly offer discounts to fill<br />
empty treatment rooms and this is an<br />
accepted approach to dynamic pricing.<br />
But savvy leaders often counsel against<br />
this strategy, particularly in luxury<br />
markets. Holbrook noted in a <strong>Spa</strong><br />
<strong>Executive</strong> editorial that this can devalue<br />
a brand, and spas might not attract the<br />
clientele they want by positioning their<br />
businesses as discount houses with<br />
marketing and communication strategies<br />
23 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
like “Mud Wrap, 40% off,” and ‘’Massage,<br />
30% Discount.”<br />
She explained, “While discounting is an<br />
easy way to attract extra demand, it is<br />
unfortunately only a short term solution. A<br />
discount strategy can have a negative impact<br />
on the consumer’s value of treatments,<br />
services, and brand. Consumers will want<br />
access to the discounted prices most of<br />
the time. Discounting will only downtrade<br />
revenue potential.”<br />
Consider other dynamic pricing options<br />
before moving to discounting.<br />
Do a deep dive data analysis of<br />
your operations<br />
Like discounting, implementing dynamic<br />
pricing in the wrong way can negatively<br />
impact your brand. Reducing and<br />
increasing prices during off-peak and onpeak<br />
hours, for example, can work in some<br />
markets and alienate people in others.<br />
Some consumers might wonder why they<br />
should pay more for a massage because<br />
they work weekdays and have children,<br />
and are therefore only available on<br />
a Saturday, than someone who is<br />
available Tuesday.<br />
Fortunately, there are other dynamic<br />
pricing strategies that can yield the<br />
results you want. They start with taking a<br />
deep dive into your expenses and profits<br />
and structuring operations accordingly.<br />
Your spa software’s reporting dashboard<br />
can tell you everything you need to know<br />
about your best-selling services and peak<br />
occupancy times.<br />
Get creative and don’t just do what everyone<br />
else is doing<br />
Among the best strategies is offering<br />
your most profitable services during peak<br />
times – and only during peak times. This<br />
might mean the $700 couples massage<br />
is only available Thursday-Sunday while<br />
less expensive services are only available<br />
Monday-Wednesday. Customers are less<br />
likely to take offense because a product<br />
or service is only available on certain days<br />
than they are to learn it’s cheaper on some<br />
days than others.<br />
Another option is to increase pricing in high<br />
demand times, rather than discounting in<br />
lower demand times. While this might seem<br />
like the same thing, it sends a different<br />
message, Holbrook explained, “If you’re fully<br />
booked on Saturdays, between the hours<br />
of 2pm and 6pm, add an additional $20 to<br />
each treatment. If there is push back (which<br />
there rarely is) offer an alternative of a low<br />
demand time, or day at regular rack rate.”<br />
You can also offer packages and series to<br />
those who want to lock into lower pricing.<br />
These changes can result in higher<br />
commissions for your staff and a happier<br />
team. If they are paid by a commission rate<br />
or percent of a service, when you run your<br />
payroll reports, they may take home more<br />
from working a weekend than a Tuesday<br />
morning, which can also result in people<br />
wanting to pick up more of those prime<br />
time shifts.<br />
Incentivize your team to earn upsell and addon<br />
revenue<br />
Upselling means encouraging customers<br />
to purchase higher-value products or<br />
service instead of the intended one –<br />
upgrading to a 90-minute body treatment<br />
from a 60-minute massage, for example.<br />
And cross selling is selling services or<br />
products on top of something a guest<br />
has already purchased. This is commonly<br />
applied with adding retail products onto a<br />
spa treatment, but can also be applied by<br />
adding VIP add-ons, mini treatments, and<br />
more, at time of booking the appointment,<br />
during confirmation communications,<br />
during check in, or during the treatment<br />
itself. Both increase revenue.<br />
More than a decade ago, Holbrook<br />
launched a company-wide program at<br />
Marriott called <strong>Spa</strong> Plus in which the front<br />
desk or therapist would be financially<br />
incentivized to offer an upgrade with<br />
the treatment time, like stones, face<br />
masks, CBD, or scalp treatments, for an<br />
additional cost. The company developed a<br />
comprehensive training platform including<br />
manuals and videos to ensure the teams<br />
were fully educated and prepared and the<br />
program increased revenue by $8 million in<br />
2019 with an 80% profit.<br />
Continue to track and analyze<br />
your data<br />
Your guest preferences and market<br />
conditions will change, so you have to<br />
stay on top of it. Relying on data that is<br />
getting old can leave you vulnerable to<br />
losing revenue to market changes. Your<br />
bestselling services and busiest times one<br />
month may not be your busiest times and<br />
bestselling services three months later.<br />
This means consistently revisiting your data<br />
to see what adjustments you can make to<br />
your yield management strategies to keep<br />
up with changes.<br />
24 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
Book4Time’s comprehensive reporting<br />
dashboards are said to be the best in the<br />
industry, and with these dashboards you<br />
can view every imaginable element of your<br />
operations. From there, you can come up<br />
with the most effective and efficient yield<br />
management strategy for your business.<br />
Book4Time will also help you:<br />
Manage packages and series.<br />
Increase add-on and upsell revenue.<br />
Optimize your scheduling.<br />
Simplify and save time on payroll.<br />
Increase revenue with online and<br />
mobile booking.<br />
Easily integrate your hotel PMS and<br />
process room charges in real-time<br />
or transfer all spa revenue to your<br />
hotel system.<br />
25 | <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> The Detox Issue
FOR LEADERS IN THE BUSINESS OF WELLNESS<br />
ADVERTISE WITH US<br />
CONTACT SAL CAPIZZI FOR MORE INFORMATION<br />
SCAPIZZI@SPAEXECUTIVE.COM<br />
scapizzi@book4time.com www.spaexecutive.com