Spa Executive December

that and about the habits of effective leaders
in spa and wellness.
Tell us about your spa at Four Seasons Toronto
It’s very special because we opened this place
– we literally ripped open the boxes. I was
very happy to come back because a good
portion of the team is still the same from
10 years ago. There are a lot of people that
I hired myself. It’s the biggest city spa in the
company at 30,000 square feet. We have 16
treatment rooms, 5 spa suites, a relaxation
pool, outdoor terrace, nail and hair bar and
20 massage tables. Three more rooms will
be developed into a wellness and biohacking
center. It’s a busy place – we’re booked out
up to two months in advance. The business
is locally driven – ninety-five per cent of our
customers are locals with the remaining Hotel
guests and Residents. Our target has always
been the local community. This has a bigger
impact. When we opened, we had a business
development manager who was out literally
knocking on the doors of the community
around us, inviting them to try the spa.
It was a new product for the city. Four
Seasons had never had a spa in Toronto
before. Expectations were high and we hired
the best in the city. I remember I conducted
383 therapist interviews and hired 30
massage therapists. We wanted to be the
best and have the best. I think that paid off
because within the first year of opening,
we went up to $2 million in revenue and
we manage a budget of six or seven million
a year. On weekdays we have 85 to 90
appointments per day, and on the weekends
from 100 to 120.
What did you learn about running a spa while
working as an AVP of Training? What did you
take away from that?
Training is so important because the more
time you spend on training, the better quality
your service will be. I find sometimes we
overlook that part. Communication is key and
so is investing in enough training for everyone
so that they feel like they are a part of things.
On the operations side, we need to improve
communication with the rest of the team.
We need to be specific and give reasons as
to why we’re doing things, rather than saying
“We’re going to do it this way, and that’s it.”
Everyone wants to be part of things and
everyone should understand why we do
things the way we do.
What are some training gaps you see in the
spa industry?
On the therapy side, I think the biggest gap
is the balance between health and scientific
knowledge and knowledge of hospitality.
These things don’t always go together.
Someone who comes from a very health and
science-focused background will sometimes
have to learn how to deliver the best
customer service. We need to make sure our
team merges these things. On the front-ofhouse
side, I think it’s dealing with special
requests. There’s always a little bit of fear
and we should provide the tools to handle
unexpected situations.
What are some habits of effective leaders in
spa and wellness?
Mental health is very important because
we are dealing with a lot of people and
situations all at the same time. I think one
of my life savers is daily meditation. Every
morning I do 20 minutes of meditation, 20
minutes of journaling, and 20 minutes of
exercise.
Another habit I really like getting into is
getting on the floor and being with my team
for a minimum of one hour a day doing what
they’re doing; checking in guests, helping
people get set up for the showers, cleaning
up – not just being the manager.
And, of course, just communicate,
communicate and communicate.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
The people that I work with. That was easy.
What are you excited about?
I’m very excited about the expanding
concept of wellness and about introducing
the concept of biohacking into the
hospitality industry. It’s important because
people want to live longer and healthier. I’m
excited about that and about how in spas
we can bring not only the relaxation side of
wellness but also expand into longevity and
the biology of our bodies.
What are you excited about at Four Seasons?
We’re going to have a yacht collection! It
was recently announced that the first Four
Seasons Yacht will launch in the next couple
of years. We already have a private jet that
takes you around the world to our different
locations and now we’re going to conquer
the seas – and there will be a big wellness
component. That is exciting.
20 | Spa Executive