2008 Spa Trends … spas meeting and exceeding your needs:

2008 will be a year when spas finally listen to what you the spa guests have asked for and spas will begin to simplify the spa experience for you. When you look to purchase a diamond, you look for the 3 C’s Color, Cut and Clarity. When you look to experience a diamond standard spa, you may also look to the 4 C’s: Credibility, Credentials, Cost Effective and Customization. 2008 will be the year when consumers and spa guests want to go to a spa they can trust on so many different levels:

Credibility: Guests want to be able to trust that the spa will continue to be in business if they purchase a package, series of treatments or gift certificates. This has become a concern after the closing of the FIG LipoDissolve Centers nationwide. Guests also want to trust that the services will provide the benefits and results that are claimed. Whether it is from a laser procedure, a microdermabrasion or relaxation from a massage, spa guests want to see and feel a difference. Guests want to trust what is inside of their beauty product. Ingredients begin to matter just as much as other attributes like brand, packaging, and formulation. Packaging shall remain a critical way to capture a spa guest’s attention, and label reading will continue to rise as ingredients are scrutinized. Trust in ingredients is on the way to becoming a new quality measure for beauty consumers. As states like Minnesota have already banned mercury containing beauty products from the shelves of stores. The label may read “Pure and Natural” but, some of the products contain known toxic chemicals that are linked to some diseases. Stacy Malkan, the author of the book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry details her work with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which was founded in 2002 and for the last five years, has been working to get toxic chemicals taken out of personal care products. One of the campaign’s strongest arguments is that the European Union has banned cosmetics companies from using more than 1,100 chemicals in their products, while the U.S. government has banned only 10.

A major part of credibility is authenticity or “Brand Soul”. The brand ’soul’ is not necessarily a mission or a charitable cause, although it can be that. Brand ’soul’ is usually related to values and ethics, such as quality, self-esteem and integrity. Spa guests will see a brand as being without a soul if they rely on the ‘hard sell’ of products and services built only on ‘pushy’ benefit-based positioning statements and enforcement of policies and procedures rather than what is in the best interest of the business and the spa guest.

Credentials:

When it comes to spa services, not all therapists or aestheticians perform the services the same way. Experience and education counts. The best spas will be providing spa guests with a portfolio of service providers. Spa guests will want to know the qualifications of the person they are scheduled to see. Spas are seeking accreditation for academic and certification programs for massage therapists, fitness professionals, and aestheticians. When you go to the spa this year make sure you ask to see your service providers portfolio. When you select a service, also make sure you select the most qualified individual for the service you are scheduled for. By doing this you will insure that you have an authentic spa treatment. Therapists should have a minimum of 500 hours in an advanced therapy like reflexology, cranial sacral or other massage modalities. When it comes to energy work or Reiki always look for a master. A weekend class in hot stone does not compare to a La Stone certified specialist. If you are not sure what to ask, let Spavelous assist you.

The mind/body connection will be an even greater component of spas as the spiritual aspect of healing and reducing stress becomes commonplace. Spas may have an aromatherapist on staff that will be someone to really talk to; who listens and understands the person’s entire body … physically, mentally and emotionally.

Spa service providers will be an important part of a person’s health care team. Spas used to be about giving treatments or bundling treatments into packages. Next came, the creation of experiences that touch people. Now we are into personal transformation journeys. People want more from the time and money they spend; therefore, the staff will be trained to be “experience makers.” Their focus will not be just on giving a service but rather how to provide a personalized, memorable and results-oriented service.

When it comes to Medical Spas, spa guests are going to ask more questions about the credentials of the doctors, staff and the regulations in their state. This has come about in part due to the media coverage of the death of Kanye West’s mother.