Here are a few quick and easy ideas to get your spa “in the mood” for the special day:

1. Give ‘em something to talk about!  Start promoting your “sweetheart specials” now!  Use Facebook and Twitter to get the word out!

2. Are you all dressed up. . .and having a bad hair day?  Don’t let this happen to your guests!  Blow-outs are popular right now, so leverage that popularity and set up a special area in your salon for pre-evening styling!

3. Take the time. . .to merchandise!  Create a Valentine’s Day vignette in your retail area with all of your red, white and pink retail items.  Even if they aren’t a Valentine’s Day item, the color will be enough to create a eye-catching display. Remember, eye appeal is buy appeal! Don’t forget to ask your product distributors about Gifts with Purchase or specials.

4.  Kiss and Make Up!  This is a great time to offer a complimentary make up application with the purchase of lip products or teeth whitening treatments.

5.   Share the love. . . Step up your couples massage and teach the happy couple some techniques to take home with them.

6.  Don’t forget your guests who don’t have a valentine. Have a “Be Your Own Valentine” package or an “All the Single Ladies” spa party on Valentine’s Day!

7.  Who’s your Valentine?  Show your exisiting customers that you care – have a special “Valentine” for each guest to draw from to enjoy a special offer on their next visit.

Source:  Victoria Wurdinger, Modern Salon

SpaFinder’s Top 10 2012 Global Spa Trends

1. Healthy Feet Treatments

2. Cold and Ice Are Hot

3. Wellness and Beauty Coaching

4. Online Wellness Gaming

5. Pairing Fine Dining and Spa-ing

6. Vibration, Sound, Music, Light and Color Therapies

7. The Glam Factor

8. Spa Evidence: Showing the Science Behind Spa

9. Spas Become a Family Affair

10. Spas Go for the “Wow”

1) HEALTHY FEET TREATMENTS

The human foot is a delicate, complex structure of 33 joints and 26 bones, wrapped in a web of 126 muscles, ligaments and nerves. The most utilized part of our bodies, the average person spends four hours (pounding out 8,000 to 10,000 steps) on their feet every day. We exert a force equivalent to several hundred tons every day on our poor southern extremities.

So what do we encase our body’s precious shock absorbers in thesedays? The fashion gods have women wearing the sky-highest heels in history. Other foot-bruising fashions: fashionable and unsupportive ballet flats and flip-flops, and the running world’s mania for the new, nearly barefoot “foot gloves.” Also significantly adding to the world’s collective foot trauma is the global obesity and diabetes pandemic, and a global population aging at unprecedented rates.

The upshot of all this sexy footwear and anti-foot behavior? An epidemic of not-so-sexy conditions like plantar fasciitis, bunions, hammertoes, corns, metatarsalgia, flat feet, Achilles tendonitis, neuromas, Hagland’s deformity, or “pump bump,” and arthritis, etc. Medical experts argue that high heels share the blame for the fact that four in five American women now suffer foot problems[2] — and also for the arthritis pandemic underway in the UK, with 60 percent of cases now occurring in feet.[3] The pain can be so agonizing that some women are actually having Botox, silicone and Restylane injected into the bottoms of their feet, to counteract the damage their high heels have done!

2) COLD AND ICE ARE HOT

Saunas, another spa staple, are taking a definite turn toward the cooler: the rise of the infrared variety, which emits infrared radiant heat that is directly absorbed into the body, without needing to indirectly heat the air or steam, provides cooler, but deeper penetration. Proponents note that they’re an efficient way to alleviate pain and stiffness and to quickly sweat off 600-800 calories with no adverse effects. A recent SpaFinder survey found that roughly one in five spas now offers infrared saunas.

First, the serious. While “coaching” seems to be a term that can get wantonly slapped onto any professional or personal goal, the concept is especially applicable and packed with potential for the spa sector. Integrative medicine leader Dr. Ken Pelletier recently noted that the spa industry is actually in a better position (than the medical establishment) to deliver preventative “healthcare,” i.e., to provide an environment and offerings that can actually help people make long-lasting lifestyle changes — the number-one medically proven path to disease prevention and optimal health. But to fill those large (and potentially profitable) shoes, more spas must “switch” their model from delivering isolated treatments and establish more personal, post-visit connections with clients that could actually help sustain the changes — i.e., “coaching.”

“Wellness coaching” and “health coaching” are, therefore, very serious trends (rather than faddish new marketing terms), and some very high-level institutions are validating that position. Harvard Medical School (www.harvardcoaching.org) now underwrites an annual conference on coaching’s role in healthcare, while supporting the Institute of Coaching. And one of the many research initiatives being analyzed by the International Coaching Research Forum is developing coaching as a global, academic profession. There are already efforts underway to clearly define the parameters of coaching and help distinguish coaching (which is future-focused) from other professional services like counseling (which delve into a person’s past). Corporations are digesting the power and ROI of coaching: Those ramping up investments in corporate wellness programs, to reduce their crushing healthcare costs, are reporting that wellness coaching is the most effective model to get people to adhere, long-term, to healthy regimes.

The sheer number of people, of every age, all over the globe, that spend vast amounts of time playing online games is staggering. Half a billion people worldwide play online games at least an hour a day. The average young person spends 10,000 hours gaming by age 21, as much time as they spend in school from age 12 on.[4]

Gaming is not just about zapping virtual enemies or for Farmville residents anymore. With everything-themed games now, millions of people worldwide have played dozens of spa-focused games, including Sallie Spa, Sara’s Super Spa or Spa Mania. And French beauty powerhouse Clarins just took the spa-themed game to a new level with its “Spa Life” on Facebook, where players compete to manage an ever-rising flow of clients in search of treatments, and where they can redeem points for Clarins products.

While hundreds of fitness/health games (like the Wii “Fit” or Nintendo’s “Let’s Yoga!” etc.) have been around for years, wellness gaming concepts are suddenly getting far more serious and complex. Improving health behavior is a massive $2.5-trillion opportunity (and stakeholders include hospitals and doctors, insurance and pharmaceutical companies worldwide)[5] — so the medical establishment is now getting involved.

Spas, fitness and wellness centers are ground zero for kick starting healthy lifestyle changes — so the opportunities for integrating gaming/game mechanisms are uniquely logical and powerful. Mind-body guru Deepak Chopra has a brand-new meditation game, “Leela,” that uses 43 interactive exercises, focusing on the body’s seven energy centers, to help people relieve stress. Chopra spent three years designing “Leela,” and has explained that it was the addictive nature of video games that attracted him, allowing his philosophies to reach and engage far more people. Destination spa Canyon Ranch (U.S.) now offers an entire suite of iPad apps called “360 Well-Being” (with fitness, meditation and healthy cooking videos, etc.). Were they to add layers like challenges, phases of achievement, rewards and a social network, that “app” would easily be transformed into a “game.” Gaming delivers unimagined client engagement and connection — and that’s why the spa world will ultimately jump further into the wellness game.

In 2012, more travelers worldwide will choose their destinations based on their unique, sensory-sating dine/wine/spa propositions.

Spas have traditionally spoken to our sense of touch (via massage, etc.), and to a lesser degree, our sense of smell (aromatherapy). Now more spas will impact our eyes, ears and bodies with an explosion of “good vibrations.” We already know how deeply these forces impact us: how sounds of nature can help relax us; how drumming sounds can energize us; how walking into rooms of different colors can alter our mood; how stepping into bright sunshine enlivens us; how rocking calms us down…

The headlines in the spa industry these last few years have been all about wellness. But now beauty and grooming is seriously booming…being driven by a new trend we call “glambition.” The intensity, frequency (and often sheer whimsicality) with which people are getting “glammed up,” groomed, bedizened and beautified is exploding worldwide. And, given economic realities, i.e., the sharpening wealth polarities making headlines worldwide, this “ambition-to-be-glamorous” trend is taking two paths. One path: Not only are whole new breeds of “glamour” and grooming services emerging, they are now super accessible and affordable. The industry is working overtime to invent ways for the “not-super-rich” beauty-seeker to quickly change up his or her looks and hair (in ways that are often downright fierce), and get more high-impact little beauty “fixes” and frills, more cheaply and more often. And for the lucky “fewer” that have never been so flush, we’re seeing new, ultra-high-end spa/beauty experiences emerge that distinctly channel classic, retro glamour — ushering in a triumphant return for some unabashedly “old school” pampering.

Fueling the trend: Given the long economic downturn, the “lipstick effect” is certainly in effect, but the smaller beauty splurges have now expanded way beyond “that touch of red lipstick.”

In 2011, SpaFinder named “The Science of Spa” a top trend, forecasting a new era where more questions about the proven, medical effectiveness of spa therapies would get asked, leading to new visibility for the growing archive of clinical evidence that exists for approaches like massage, meditation or acupuncture.

With the launch of the new website SpaEvidence.com this year — the world’s first portal to the aggregated medical studies that exists for 21 common spa/wellness approaches — that trend was literally embodied. Launched by the Global Spa Summit in mid-2011 (an advocacy group for the worldwide spa/wellness industries), and shaped by doctors with an expertise in integrative medicine, SpaEvidence gives the world easy access to the “evidence-based medicine” databases that doctors use, so they can search thousands of studies evaluating which spa modalities are proven to work, and for which exact conditions.

For 2012, we name a trend after this breakthrough website because the “fact” of its appearance so neatly encapsulates a macro shift that is quickening: the continued breakdown of the once separate “silos” of traditional medicine and complementary/spa therapies. And the erosion of these silos, the “Spa Evidence” trend, will take diverse forms in the year ahead…some ongoing, some new.

9) SPAS BECOME A FAMILY AFFAIR

10) SPAS GO FOR THE “WOW”

“Amusement park” spas: A whole new concept is taking shape in spa-land, and we’re calling it the rise of the “amusement park” spa, popping up across Asia, Europe and North America. These dynamic, fun, adult playgrounds are full of sensory rides, typically offering larger-than-life all-day water and spa experiences for the entire family. (See trend 9: “Spa: It’s a Family Affair…”) This new species of spa speaks to the facts that not only do many more people want to have a whole lot more fun when spa-ing, but that the affordable daycation in this economy has massive appeal. These new spa-parks often embrace a Disney-internationalism “it’s a small world” vibe, piling on dozens of experiences like “Icelandic geyser baths,” “Caribbean lagoons” and “Amazon waterfalls.”

Smaller “wows” (that still pack a punch):Many of the “wows” are smaller, less-pricey touches, with spas innovating ways to capture people’s (and the media’s attention) without having to be on the cover of Architectural Digest. Think of the “wow” when Bliss spas opened, with the brand’s brownie buffet in relaxations areas…the smaller wows are about giving spa-goers that “something more” they didn’t expect, even if it’s serving them lunch, a glass of wine or a tea ritual, or warming their bathrobe. It’s about engaging them.

TO READ THE COMPLETE PRESS RELEASE, CLICK HERE.

How?  Work with a Spa and Salon distributor like Spa Development International to purchase all of your supplies from one source.  We can work with a Spa Director or Purchasing Director/Manager to source all of the items that your Spa or Salon needs for your daily treatments.  By providing us with a list of all of the items you are currently purchasing from numerous places we can consolidate the list into a customized supply order form for your company – complete with competitive pricing to save you money.

And Time – it will definitely save you time to work with one company!  By having one list from one company, you won’t have to page through countless catalogs to find the cotton pads you ordered last time! We will do the leg work for you by finding all the items and more that you will need to operate your spa and/or salon successfully and they will be listed on your personalized supply list.

So, let us help you work smarter, not harder!!!!

Multi-Sensory Spa Systems or Multi-Functional Treatment Capsules are a blend of innovative thinking, premium design, and exclusive functions. They represent a holistic system of balance, a revolutionary improvement in spa care; with this type of treatment equipment it allows the facility to offer clients truly ancient hydrospa solutions through modern technologies.

This is a wonderful solution for a facility that wants to offer a maximum array of services, maximize facility usage, desires to meet budgetary requirements, has space concerns, wants to remain competitive in today’s spa market, and wants to drive profitability.

“Ultimate luxury” is the only way to describe the feeling of a completely automatic hydrospa tub and multi-sensory spa service.

Typical features and benefits include:

Vibratory Massage Bed

The gentle and continuous pulsation vibration encourages maximum relaxation, leaves the client feeling recharged, refreshed and rebalanced. This is great for before or after traditional massage to increase long term benefits.

Hydrotherapy tub with multiple features and programs. Hydrotherapy is one of the most beneficial healing modalities and modern technology has designed programs and tub accessories that enhance the effectiveness of a treatment. Pre-programmed jets can promote relaxation, increase metabolic burn, encourage lymphatic drainage and decrease edema. Oils, salts and treatment muds can be added to address detoxification, weight loss initiatives, circulation and overall skin health.

Chromatherapy or Color and Light Therapy

This is a therapy component that has been around for centuries; clients will experience how being exposed to certain colored lights can change their mood (i.e. feeling more relaxed, energized or rebalanced) The treatment continues to work after the client leaves the facility; many guests have described an overall feeling of wellness as if they have had a great night’s sleep. This treatment feature is also used to treat Seasonal Affect Disorder and can be combined with colored muds applied and then the body wrapped to increase the effectiveness of this feature. Traditional light colors include, red, blue, yellow, green and violet.

Aromatherapy and Vitamin Mineral Rich Mist

Mist diffusers provide an even dispersal of aromatherapy therapeutic scents and liquid minerals and vitamins. The aromatherapy oils can be customized for the needs of the guest to achieve relaxation, energizing, and detoxification. The mist is absorb into the body through the skin and enters the blood stream and continue to work long after the treatment is over. This is extremely beneficial for individuals who suffer from chronic stress related issues, have just started a diet or exercise program, recuperating from poor health, or even experience jet lag.

The unique vitamin and mineral combination can achieve the same powerful goals as a mineral spring bath. A great addition to any treatment!

Steam and Radiant Heat or Hydrofusion

Different than the traditional steam rooms, treatment capsules combine steam with a diffusion mechanism and add radiant heat features to create not only a more enjoyable experience, but to provide maximum health benefits in minimum time.

The steam diffusion is usually in the inner capsule and delivered through larger steam jets for total body saturation; moist gentle steam is infused with natural essential oils and herbal aromatics.

Radiant heat emitters are engineered to produce heat that is the same frequency level as our own body’s, creating a comforting, warm environment. Unlike steam, radiant heat is a dry heat fusion. Radiant dry heat travels through the capsule’s body chamber to deliver a vortex of ambient dry heat around the body; the sensory experience of combining moist and dry heat together is simply amazing.

Showerheads

Some capsules contain over body and under body shower heads. This feature takes the place of traditional Vichy showers and provides the client greater privacy when rinsing muds or other treatment applications from the body.

Entertainment and Education Opportunities

Many capsules include CD and DVD capabilities for staff training. This also allows the client to experience the calming or energizing effects of music therapy as well as providing clients a variety of entertainment choices such as movies and informational programs.

Multi – functional treatment capsules are the ultimate spa experience!!!!

The most common mommy-to-be treatment is the pregnancy massage, there are several different options out there to help make the mommy’s-to-be more comfortable during a massage and I have been subject to all of them!

My first prenatal massage – I was 5 months into my first pregnancy and felt as big as a house. This specific spa had a pregnancy table with a removable cushion which allowed me to lie face down and be comfortable while I was on my big as a house belly. This was great! This table allowed me to completely relax and the therapist was able to focus on my lower back (which is a problem area for most pregnant women).

My second prenatal massage was a month later, I was expecting a similar experience. . . this was not the case!  This spa had me positioned on a regular massage table and the therapist used bolsters and pillows to position me on my stomach. OUCH! I have never been so relieved to roll over off my stomach during a massage!  I was so worried about putting any pressure on my growing big house of a belly that I’m not sure I ever actually relaxed.

The last prenatal massage of my first pregnancy was my favorite. This specific spa used a pregnancy cushion, or Prego Pillow. This was actually more comfortable than it looks!  It was great to be on my stomach again and not feel like I was “squashing” the baby!  I imagine the pregnancy cushion is the perfect option for the spa that wants to offer the Pre Natal massage on their menu, but doesn’t want to purchase a new table to do it!

Now that I’m in the 8 month of my second pregnancy and have a two year old, I thought it might be time to research prenatal massages again to see if there have been any changes out there for the mommy’s-to-be that want to relax in a spa. I was very pleasantly surprised! This specific local day spa performed the massage on a DUAL PEDESTAL massage table and the therapist used only pillows and bolsters to make me comfortable on my side. By using a dual pedestal table the therapist was able to tilt the base of the table to alleviate any pressure on my lower back. She was also able to incline the back of the table so I was never flat on my back.  This was extremely comfortable and I was able to lie on my side during the treatment so the Therapist could focus on my lower back. WOW!!

The reason I wanted to write this blog was to simply be able to speak to all the spas to let them hear my voice as a professional in our industry but also a guest in their spas. The truth is, many spas don’t focus enough on the mommy’s- to-be, typically there is one simple massage on a menu. What spas may not realize is mommy’s- to-be will spend any amount of money they can to relax and feel pampered during their pregnancy, all they need is someone to suggest the treatments that are safe and relaxing. How about including a package on your menu for the mommy’s -to-be that visit your spas? Since they’re not able to use the sauna, steam, or Jacuzzi, why not keep them in your spa by packaging a pedicure and a facial in with their massage!! The longer they stay in your spa the more revenue and potential return business you will have from these dedicated mommy’s-to-be.

Andrew Morgan Collections

Peacock Alley

Satin Serenity

View here:  LUXURY Linen Supplement

1. Treatment Room Design and Utilization – The Multi-Purpose Room or “Spa Suite” is still the design of choice for maximizing profitability, versatility and opportunity for utilization. If your spa already utilizes a Multi-Purpose Room or “Spa Suite” – consider changing the offerings or adding new services to inject new life into the space. By having a multipurpose treatment table in the room instead of a massage table allows you to maximize your revenue by offering guests the choice of a massage and/or facial in the same room.

2. Treatment Mix – Time to review what the top treatments sold in 2009 were and to determine what is working and what is not; redesign the space or re-designate products to reflect top selling and most profitable treatment offerings. Consider purchasing treatment sets rather than individual items; a paraffin kit or a massage stone kit is a great example of how to consolidate your order and lower your operational costs.

3. Knowledgeable and Motivated Staff – If you’re excited, your staff will be excited. If your staff is excited, your guests will be excited. A staff that is committed to providing the best treatment and customer service EVERY single time is the goal! Invest in providing your staff with the education needed to be an expert. Motivate your staff with reward programs to promote friendly competition and excitement! Don’t forget to encourage fun!

They say that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. Let’s hope this isn’t the case for what’s happening with Las Vegas spas and salons.

While the rest of the country’s hotel and resort spas and salons were holding their breath to get through the economic crises in 2009, Las Vegas was a booming development area.

Spa Development International worked with eight properties in Las Vegas in 2009 supporting each of them with FF&E and OS&E items for their spa and/or salon new builds or extensive remodels.

• Aria Resort & Casino at the CityCenter
• www.arialasvegas.com
• Vdara Hotel & Spa at the CityCenter
• www.vdara.com
• The Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the CityCenter
• www.mandarinoriental.com
• Treasure Island Hotel & Casino
• www.treasureisland.com
• The Luxor Hotel & Casino
• www.luxor.com
• The M Resort Spa & Casino
• www.themresort.com
• The South Point Casino
• http://www.southpointcasino.com
• The Hard Rock Hotel, The Rock Spa
• www.hardrockhotel.com

From the design elements to the spa and salon equipment that are featured at each of these locations, every one of these properties is distinctively different and elegant while being price sensitive. With Aria and Vdara achieving the award for the first Las Vegas hotels to achieve LEED Gold Certification to Hard Rock’s dark gothic spa; it is the hope that what is happening in Vegas will not just stay in Vegas, but rather motivate other spas and salons to see the value in investing in a “face lift” with new equipment for their spas and salons.

Next time you’re in Las Vegas stop in to one or all of these eight locations to see how Las Vegas spas and salons are really setting the standards for the future of our spa and salon industry.