U.S. spas, reeling from the sharp drop in consumer spending, are about to get a lifeline. Wynne Business Spa Consulting is introducing The Spa Director’s Recession Toolkit, a management seminar featuring tactics to rapidly improve their financial health. The seminars are being held February 9, 2009, in New York City, and on February 24, 2009 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

To survive the economic downturn, spas must reduce overhead expenses and costs while protecting the quality of the guest experience, and maximize every sales opportunity without “giving away the spa.” Seminar creator Peggy Wynne Borgman of Wynne Business Spa Consulting, herself a 25-year spa operator, believes with the right guidance, spas can rise to the challenge.

Spas face hidden dangers in cost-cutting, she says. For example, slashing operating hours to lower overhead may result in less convenience for clients, fewer sales and a bigger loss. Reactively laying off employees can have a chilling effect on morale – nd customer service. “If we panic and make the wrong decisions, we’ll lose clients,” notes Borgman. “We have to deliver more value, more convenience, and reposition spa-going as a healing activity- not a luxurious indulgence.”

The seminar helps spa directors create an integrated strategy for survival, while delivering business turnaround “tools” that can be put to use immediately. The curriculum addresses a wide array of issues, including the best way to communicate bad news to employees, revamping a spa’s marketing message to stay relevant to a consumer’s new pared-down lifestyle, creating compelling sales promotions without undermining the perceived value of the spa’s offerings, avoiding the dangers of discounting, and applying “lean” business practices to spa operations.

“Spas can reduce the cost of doing business without degrading their guest experience,” maintains Borgman. “For example, most spas hold far too much inventory, which doesn’t lead to bigger sales but ties up crucial operating cash. We show them how to streamline their retail offerings and even their service menus. We also discuss the most profitable way to reward employees for their performance and contribution.”