Tag Archives: Katrine

Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and More

Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures and More
Susie Ellis
“Sorry. We are fully booked.” It’s surprising to me how often I hear this when I call a spa or stop in at a spa to see about booking a treatment.
It happened to me twice today when I was trying to book a massage here in Freeport, Grand Bahama where I spent Easter weekend. It happened also a few weeks ago when I tried booking a spa treatment at the fancy new Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach, Florida.
Being in the spa industry, I used to think….wow, that’s amazing that the spa is fully booked – their business must be great. Good for them!
Well, over time I have learned that “We are fully booked” is really sort of a code for “I don’t have the staff to handle your request.” I know this because of the many spas I have toured and experienced.
Here is what happened at the Eau Spa which is often quite typical. After trying to book a massage and finding out that they were fully booked until very late that evening, (and then asking for a facial and finding out there were none available all day), I settlejacuzziEAU spa 748154 Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and Mored for a tour of the spa which was graciously offered. As I was shown around this lovely new $30 million spa, I was dazzled by the lovely treatment rooms with silver beaded pillows and the over water hanging baskets which bath robed guests could enjoy while relaxing in the outdoor garden. I was also impressed with the “serve yourself” scrub bar where you could make your own scrub from a variety of concoctions tastefully displayed. The wet area had a nice feel also.
As I was shown into one treatment room after another, and then led into one of their fabulous couple’s suite, it dawned on me – most of these rooms aren’t being used! And yet I wasn’t able to book an appointment. It turns out I saw only a handful of people in robes and just a few of the treatment rooms being utilized. It was obvious that the spa was not fully booked in terms of treatment rooms, it was probably fully booked in terms of staff they had available.
eau spa2 728412 Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and More

I’m not sure if this happens because of a lack of trained therapists or a management scheduling issue, however I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a way to resolve this problem – especially now in recessionary times when people are scrambling for work and businesses should make the most of every sales opportunity.
This issue – of turning away spa appointments – is something that I don’t think gets enough attention in our industry. Very few spas track it. Often management isn’t aware it is even happening or at least not aware of the extent to which it is happening. Most spa staff just look at what is “on the books.” Yet, there is a goldmine of information in knowing the number of spa services that were turned away each day due to unavailability. Also valuable would be tracking specific information in terms of what time of the day it was, what day of the week, what treatment was trying to be booked and whether a booking took place for their second, third or fourth choice of time or service.
While this is all part of yield management that is coming to spas in the future – it is more than just a technical accounting issue that may be helped by software solutions. Managers have to train their staff about how vitally important this information is and engage their enthusiasm in tracking it thoroughly.
Consumers would be wise to understand this issue also as it helps them understand why booking further in advance is a good idea – or, in the future, which spas are likely not operated with much expertise.
It is my hope that in time, “We are fully booked” means a spa’s treatment rooms are 100 percent full. Not only would that be great for the industry, but also for all the clients enjoying the treatments.
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“Biggest Loser” Ranch Is Like a Hardcore Destination Spa

biggestloserlogo 769510 Biggest Loser Ranch Is Like a Hardcore Destination SpaI have gotten hooked on a few reality shows over the past years, but the only one on my TiVo list this season was The Biggest Loser. Even if you haven’t been following it, you will probably come across something about last night’s finale today. It was quite extraordinary.

The winner was Erik from New York. He lost 214 pounds in about eight months. What amazed me was how fit and healthy he looked – trim, muscular, energized. The footage of him when he started at more than 400 pounds, with high blood pressure (which you could see in his face) and diabetes (with which he was diagnosed during the filming of the show), was such a contrast to the man he had become at the end. It brought tears to my eyes.

Something else that struck me about the program is that all of the people who were “on the ranch” for the four months lost a great deal of weight. The show’s formula really works: exercise, nutrition, education and motivation from leadership, and forming a community among the participants. Their format is so much like some of the destination spas (pure spa settings) I know.

Last year, we started getting calls at our Spa Finder office from people wanting to know where “the ranch” was so that they could sign up and go. Well, we have learned that “the ranch” is in California, and it is only “made for TV.” But thankfully there are destination spas.

The Caribbean, the Largest Spa in the World

caribbean 799352 The Caribbean, the Largest Spa in the World“The Caribbean, the Largest Spa in the World.”

I’m in the Dominican Republic, attending the second-ever Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association conference. Above is the new slogan the Association selected, which I think is terrific! Given the bright blue water that surrounds every island and the natural relaxation that results from just being in the Caribbean, the slogan seems fitting. I spoke yesterday on the state of the spa industry in the Caribbean and have been in sessions all day today. A few days ago, I did a tour of spas here. I have learned some surprising things, which I will share later. Right now, I’m just taking a break during sessions.

More later…

A peek into the future of spa medicine

dan 717880 A peek into the future of spa medicineI spent today going through medical tests at the WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine in La Quinta, California (near where I am vacationing and, yes, trying to resist the temptation to call my office). We met Dr. Dan Cosgrove (pictured at right), its founder, five years ago at an event here in the desert that Spa Finder hosted at Le Vallauris, a restaurant in Palm Springs. It was shortly after my husband, Peter, and I got involved with Spa Finder and at about the same time Dr. Cosgrove opened WellMax, his new-concept medical-spa, at the La Quinta Hotel and Spa.

Truth be told, we thought Dr. Cosgrove was a bit “full of himself” that first evening we met. He kept going on and on about this new kind of medical practice he was introducing, and let’s just say the conversation seemed uni-directional. Well, a great deal has happened in the five years since that encounter. Having followed WellMax’s growth and progress, we began to suspect that Dr. Cosgrove’s eccentricity stemmed from genius more than self-obsession. Recently we heard it had become almost impossible to get an appointment with him personally anymore. So we decided to invest (and I do mean invest…more about that later) in the WellMax “intensive physical” to see what all the fuss was about.

Suffice it to say that a few months after our initial physical in February, we are now more than impressed with Dr. Cosgrove and his “new medical spa” concept. Dr. Cosgrove discovered a growing mass on Peter’s kidney, which was successfully removed through surgery just weeks later – preventing a potentially serious condition in which he might have lost the kidney. And for me, while nothing of immediate critical concern was found, some interesting discoveries were made – including results from Predictive Genomics that are causing me to make some new choices.

I think we have glimpsed the future of spa medicine. And wow, is it ever exciting!

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Beginnings

carolinagateAll 753098 BeginningsDeborah Szekely has been a mentor of mine for many years. She hired me at the Golden Door in 1975 when I was just out of college. Then, the Golden Door was still “the old Golden Door,” meaning that the beautiful “Japanese inn” facility for which the Door is now famous had not yet opened. At that time, the Golden Door was still located in its original home right off of Highway 395. It was configured like a motel, with rooms around the pool (which were fabulous). All the women guests wore “pinkies” and had oil put in their hair for the entire week! I remember the first day I walked into the setting and saw the lush vegetation and fragrance of the gardens, the birds singing, and the happy atmosphere shared by staff and guests alike. Little did I know that my entire career in the spa industry had started that very day.

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If you wish to be put on a list that automatically sends my blog posts to your email, just let dulcy.gregory@spafinder.com know and she will add you to that list. Thanks so much!