Spa-Business

Question From Sandy - 

I have been a massage therapist for six years and now am creating a day spa and want to learn how to do body treatmets and then train other therapists to do them. Our location does not have a shower facility so what companies sell bulk products for body wraps, scrubs etc. and also have training videos on how to perform these treatments.

 Also do any of these companies offer organic, chemical free products?

Dear Sandy

First, you should check your state regulations to see if a massage therapist license will allow you to apply products to the body.  Not all states allow this. 

You can find products in the spa trade Products and Services Buyers Guide.  If you are an ISPA member, you may also search their data base for a supplier.

There are many companies that produce organic or all natural products.  One of my favorite companies is Hylunia.  They do not have minimum orders, mandatory start up orders or some of the requirements that larger companies have.  They also have an excellent retail line for home care.  Their products are all natural and only the finest ingredients.  When I started to use them, they came out for 2 days to train the staff and the local representative was fabulous. 

I should caution you that doing body treatments without a shower is difficult.  You did not mention if you have water in the rooms.  Removal of a scrub, with hot towels or a spray bottle is not the most effective or comfortable way.   That said, there are some treatments that can be done with these methods.

If you have never done body treatments before, you should see if your local massage school offers a spa treatment program which takes you through some of the basic body treatment procedures.  Here in Arizona the Southwest institute of the Healing Arts has  good Spa Treatment courses.  Here is the online site, and spa treatments class. I would recommend either having training through a school or through the product manufacturer or distributor as opposed to a video, because practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect and you need someone to give you follow up  and feedback on how you are doing and how it feels.  Especially when you go to remove the product, the water on the client can cool them off quickly.

If you have an other questions, please contact us at Spavelous.

Tags: Body Treatments, Spa Business, Spa Professionals by Spavelous
2 Comments »

I have been using Microsoft Entourage, basically Outlook for Mac to send out our promotional emails and news, but it only lets me send out 40 at a time, and most of the emails get sorted into our clients junk bins. I am looking for a great email marketing program that organizes my email database, produces great looking email templates and is preferably for Mac, but doesn’t have to be, we have PCs too.

Any advice on programs out there?

Did you know that if you sign up for Spavelous, that we will put out your monthly newsletter for you, and send out emails for you when you want them to go out. Professional, Easy and only $500 a year!

You can sign up and review the programs at our marketing area. In addition, we will link to your website in our spa directory, the largest spa directory in the USA and list you in our National Spa Gift Certificate Directory with a link to where you sell your gift certificates at no additional cost.

You can take a look at the newsletters that we put out for Spavelous “Now You Are in the Know” Sign up to receive a copy weekly, here.

For a sample of your newsletter, e-blast.

Presented By Spavelous.

Tags: Spa Professionals by Spavelous
No Comments »

Question From TIA:

Do body wrapping? If so what kind of license is required?I am considering opening my own body wrap business? I am in Indiana. Anyone know?

Dear TIA,

The requirements for body wraps vary by state. In most states you are either required to be a licensed Cosmetologist or a license massage therapist. You need to check with these two state boards to see which applies in your states.

The state laws are changing in Indiana as of July 1st,2007. As Indiana has a new license for massage therapists.

As far as I can see, a Licensed Cosmetologist may apply a body wrap as long as it is the application of product on the body and not used to treat disease. Here is the Code.

Indiana is currently becoming a licensed massage state. According to the American Massage Therapy Association of Indiana, effective July 1st of this year.

I would conclude that you need to be either a licensed massage therapist (as defined by the new law) or a licensed cosmetologist to perform these procedures. To be 100% accurate, you should contact the state board of Cosmetology the phone number is (317) 234-3031. I could only find an address for the State board of massage Professional Licensing Agency.

Attn: State Board of Massage Therapy
402 W Washington St, Room W072
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

I hope that this at least points you in the right direction.

Good Luck with your venture.

Spavelous

Tags: Body Wrap, Spa Business, Spa Professionals by Spavelous
No Comments »

Question From mlehmanusa … 

I am looking at two different schools to get my master esthetician license — each is 1200 hours. One of the schools spends about 1/2 time in the classroom and 1/2 time performing services on clients. The other school spends about 1/4 time in the classroom and the rest performing services on clients.  

Which is more important — emphasis on education or experience?

Dear mlehmanusa,

This question is not that easy to answer.   When hiring an aesthetician, there is a combination of qualities that one looks for.  Yes, there are some schools that produce a better caliber of aesthetician, but that is not the only criteria.  When selecting a schools:

Spavelous

Tags: Esthetics by Spavelous
No Comments »

Question from Jessy … 

OMG I really hope someone can help me. I live in NYC and am relocating to Indiana. So far the schools I have called said I cannot transfer over my hours that I so far have to finish the esthetics course and I basically would have to start from scratch? Anyone know any different? TIA!

Dear Jessy,

The state of Indiana requires 700 hours for an esthetics license. Unfortunately, the Schools establish their own policy in regard to the transfer of hours. As time consuming as it may seem, you would have to check with each school in the area individually to see if they will allow the transfer or allow you to pay them an additional fee to transfer the hours you have already completed. If at all possible, you can always finish school in NY so you do not lose the money you have already paid. If you cannot find a school that will transfer the hours, then you will have to weigh your financial choices. Would it cost you more to stay in NY and complete the program you are in? Or would it cost you more to start school over? You also may want to check with your current school to see if they have a sister school in Indiana. A sister or affiliated school may be more inclined to transfer the credits. Good Luck!

Spavelous

Tags: Esthetics by Spavelous
No Comments »

I am opening a spa in a up and coming city in Florida. Although I have training in Massage Therapy and I am working on my licensing as an Aesthetician, I need LOTS of help. I can tell from previous postings that the people on this site no what they are talking about. ALL advise is welcome especially concerning pay for staff, services that are worth their costs(ie laser machines, cellulite treatments, wraps, etc), amenities that every spa should have, etc. I have my own ideas about this stuff but I haven’t worked in the industry, I have only been trained in it. Thank you very much.

Congratulations! on your decision to open a spa. As you know, this is a competitive business. It is great that you will have experience as a massage therapist and an aesthetician. This is very valuable. When I was a Spa Director, I was able to better operate the spa, manage the costs and develop new services due to my background as a licensed therapist. Have you done a business plan? Have you studied the demographics of the spas in your area and the demographic of the population around you? Have you selected your site yet? Have you conducted competitor surveys of services and prices? What product lines will you be using? Who are your suppliers? Have you done a revenue projection and budget? How many treatment rooms do you have? What services will you offer? What is your break even? Who is your clientele going to be?

These are all questions that you need to answer. As for equipment and treatments. Lasers in most states require that you are an ARNP or a Physicians assistant to operate a laser. In addition, I believe that there may be a requirement there must be an MD on staff. This is not my expertise, so check with the Cosmetology Board.

As for other treatments, you will need to look at the basic, Do you have the room to accommodate the equipment? How effective is the equipment? Can you lease it for a short period to determine if it gives results and will be used by your clients? What is the ROI (return on investment) How many treatments must you do before the equipment pays for itself.

When it comes to salaries, you need to work with your budget while being competitive in your market. Are you an ISPA member? If not I recommend that you join at ISPA. They have a company which offers discounts to ispa members Wagewatch.com. They can provide you with information for the various positions in your area. You can also do your own informal survey by calling the spas in your area. At least here in Arizona, all of the spa directors are friends and are very helpful and supportive of each other. ISPA also has a Compensation Workbook that may be helpful for you.

When you are ready to market, of course my site Spavelous is the best value and very effective. If you have any further questions or need support, please feel free to contact me. Spavelous is here to support the spa industry. We are only successful if you are successful.

Presented By Spavelous

Tags: Spa Business by Spavelous
No Comments »