Know your competition. Whether you are playing a baseball game, building a business or trying to please your clients, knowing your competition is an essential key to success. In the spa industry, many owners, managers and professionals are spending too much time competing against each other. Instead, it’s time to join hands and marketing brains while banding together to take on the true competition—big-box stores selling over-the-counter skin care. Too many people in the industry are letting the mainstream media and marketing executives tell the story of professional skin care, and they are sending a misleading message that consumers can achieve the same or better results from an over-the-counter skin care product compared to a spa product.

Case in point, one over-the-counter line has recently introduced an expensive, high-end product to be sold in big-box stores, positioning it as an alternative to dermatologist-prescribed product offerings. However, it forgot to include one important value in the pricing: the guidance of a licensed, trained professional. This is where the spa industry can soar.

The opportunity is immense for spas to develop brand loyalty by fulfilling clients’ desires for long-lasting results through professional guidance. Spas already have a viable and loyal audience at their doorsteps. Statistics from the International SPA Association (ISPA) show one in four Americans have been to a spa, and there are more than 32 million active spa-goers. They are coming through your doors regularly. You are touching them, and yet allowing them to walk out the door empty-handed, leaving your clients to buy products elsewhere.

How do you educate and instill in clients’ minds that every time you touch them you are there as a professional to guide them through their important lifestyle and skin care choices? It’s all in the training. Give your staff a new vernacular, one unified message to send. And teach them to listen.
Share the knowledge

Spa owners, managers and estheticians have to tell the story and share the knowledge—it’s absolutely your responsibility as a spa professional. You are the people with the essential licenses, training and expertise. When consumers are provided with good information, they will make wise choices. This means, as a spa industry leader, you have the awesome responsibility of keeping your staff up to speed on the latest developments, products and their benefits, and in turn, the best ways to communicate this knowledge consistently and accurately to clients.

Nearly every spa professional educates on what products they use. For example, an esthetician may explain to a client why vitamin C is great for the skin, then simply let them leave without purchasing a vitamin Cproduct. The client then goes to her neighbor-hood drug or big-box store, reads a few labels and buys something with vitamin C in it. Most likely, the product—as well as the money and time spent—will disappoint her. This was the spa’s mistake. The esthetician educated the client, but she didn’t take that education to the next step by leading the client toward an effective product purchase.

Think of it this way: Treatments, products and guidance should be viewed as one seamless education experience for your clients. In one visit, this one-stop shopping mentality enables clients to receive the proper service, products, education and guidance to keep their skin maintenance and care going at home.
Putting the big-box theory to the test

With every dollar counting right now, you need to help your clients make educated decisions. Understand it is more cost-effective for clients to buy a product they can use for six months with great results than spending a little less, using the product for two weeks and then throwing it away because they don’t know how to use it.

Spa professionals owe it to their clients to share this knowledge and empower them to make the right decisions. When they end up at a big-box store, who’s there to prescribe the best products for their skin type? Who’s telling them what they do and don’t need? Honestly, besides the kid who’s standing behind the checkout counter, do customers even have the opportunity to talk with another human being during this process, which can directly affect their health and self-esteem?

Think of how cost-effective it is to have a professional recommendation with each product. When you help a client, consider that the coaching and professional recommendation is essentially free, and your client has the opportunity to better understand professional products are not more expensive than those found at drugstores and big-box stores.

Again, those outlets are your real competition—not other spa professionals. Focus your energy on figuring out how to educate clients on the benefit of a professional recommendation.
Learning to listen

Almost all spa professionals have likely witnessed firsthand the value of listening to clients. The power of the professional recommendation in the eyes of the client is enormous. These women and men look to personal trainers, life coaches, supervised weight loss programs and various support groups to master lifestyle changes that would lead to long-lasting, visible results. They value the training, tips, techniques, product suggestions and, most importantly, the consistent moral support they received from these professionals, and they credit these experts with encouraging them to stick with a program long enough to see results. With all of the knowledge and wonderful advice you share, it’s also important to take time to listen. Your clients are your best source of knowledge.

Spa professionals have many gifts for clients. These gifts are built by using education to help people achieve amazing skin, improved self-esteem and a healthier lifestyle. Only the spa community has the knowledge and personal connections to create these life-changing gifts and priceless. Embrace that responsibility and share your wealth of knowledge with clients today.

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Reyna Almonte, owner of Aromazul Day Spa on Greenwood Avenue in Bethel, advises her clients to stay away from skin care products containing alcohol. “It will dry up the surface of the skin,” she said.

Instead, she recommends they exfoliate at least twice a week, a process that removes dead skin cells.

Almonte learned about skin care in 2006 when she trained as an aesthetician at the Institute of Aesthetic Arts & Sciences on Main Street South in Southbury.

The institute was founded in 1987 by Kathy Shingara and offers classes in skin care, makeup artistry, nail care, hair removal, microdermabrasion and oxygen therapy.

“A large part of this job involves talking to clients and getting to know what their skin care needs are,” said Shingara, 63, a licensed cosmetologist with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. “At most of the salons or spas people go to, they are asked to pick their treatment. I don’t agree with this, since many of them don’t know what kind of treatment is best for their type of skin.

“In our school, we specially train our students to address clients’ concerns and then offer our opinions. We walk them through the entire process so they can understand what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” said Shingara, an Oxford resident.

Almonte, who worked in the clerical field for 11 years, became interested in a career in skin care after receiving a facial one day. “I fell in love with it. It was so relaxing,” said Almonte, 42, a Bethel resident. “I knew that I wanted to make other people feel as good as I did.”

Almonte’s sister, Diamela Urena, also has graduated from the Institute of Aesthetic Arts & Sciences and is a part-time aesthetician at the Aromazul Day Spa.

“One thing I learned from IAAS is that your skin problems can greatly improve by making just a few changes to your environment,” said Urena, 41, of Southbury. “One of these is to avoid being outdoors during peak traffic times. Car fumes and other outside debris go into the air and get into your skin cells and age them.”

Almonte’s friend, Eva DeLara, also recently graduated from the institute. Although she has been a nail technician for the past nine years at Dawn’s Pizzazz-Artistic Group & Day Spa on West Street in Danbury, she now works there as an aesthetician, as well.

“I learned some great makeup tips,” said DeLara, 41, a Danbury resident. One of them is contouring. “If you want to make your nose look smaller, use dark foundation on your nose bridge and lighter foundation on top of your nose.”

Shingara said she is confident there will always be jobs in the skin care industry despite the economy.

“In tough times, when you’re hearing nothing but bad news all around you, we all like to escape for an hour to get pampered,” she said. “That’s why companies like Avon have stayed in business for so many years — even a little lipstick makes you feel better.”

– The Institute of Aesthetic Arts & Sciences, 800 Main St. S., Suite 110, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Call 262-6070 or visit www.IAASCT.com.

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The Medical Spa World is dialing 9 1 1 Acara for MedSpa Resuscitation

As the economy worsens there is a growing number of Medical Spas losing money. Acara, is offering a complimentary webinar on January 27th focused on MedSpa business turnaround.

One of the main reasons I want to promote this program is that I see 70-80% of MedSpas that are in financial trouble wait until it is potentially too late for anyone to save their business

 

In order to execute a proper turnaround plan you need to invest money. There is the cost of professional fees, marketing expenses and from time-to-time operational costs (i.e. restaffing, etc). Acara’s MedSpa turnaround plans often include market re-positioning, website upgrades, staff re-engineering, sales training, management training, new service & product implementation.

 

It is too bad that oftentimes we receive 9 1 1 calls from businesses for help and it is too late. They have no working capital, collateral or credit remaining to invest the money into a turnaround plan.

 

 There has been an increase in the growing number of Medical Spas that continue to lose money, whether it is due to the economy or not, and many are reaching out to industry consultants with a 9 1 1 call looking to resuscitate their business.

Acara, with its extensive turnaround experience, has responded to this growing demand by developing a turnaround package available to Medical Spa’s nationwide.

The Acara team is well suited to identify the root of the problem and develop a turnaround plan. One of many examples include, Acara taking a medical spa from $25K per month up to $75K +.

“One of the main reasons I want to promote this program is that I see 70-80% of MedSpas that are in financial trouble wait until it is potentially too late for anyone to save their business,” states Francis X. Acunzo, Acara CEO and Turnaround Strategist. “In order to execute a proper turnaround plan you need to invest money. There is the cost of professional fees, marketing expenses and from time-to-time operational costs (i.e. restaffing, etc). Acara’s MedSpa turnaround plans often include market re-positioning, website upgrades, staff re-engineering, sales training, management training, new service & product implementation.”

Mr. Acunzo explains, “It is too bad that oftentimes we receive 9 1 1 calls from businesses for help and it is too late. They have no working capital, collateral or credit remaining to invest the money into a turnaround plan.”

Acara believes, that if you think you are in need of help don’t wait until it’s too late to resuscitate, do it now. A good start may be attending Acara’s upcoming Webinar, Dial Acara 9 1 1 for MedSpa Resuscitation being held on Tuesday, January 27th at 1:00 p.m. EDT and presented by Francis X. Acunzo.

About Acara Partners: 

Acara is the business team for the spa industry offering turnkey solutions to owners, operators, physicians and investors seeking to develop, manage and market their Spa, Medical Spa, Wellness Center, Cosmetic or Aesthetic Practice. Acara is led by industry leader Francis X. Acunzo and his team of expert consultants with over 25 years of spa, med spa and retail healthcare experience.

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State proposal requires a license to massage

 

 

 

In 1983, Wilhelmina Blank was one of the first massage therapists in the area.

 

Now, Blank, the founder of the Pennsylvania Myotherapy Institute, says she sees massage therapists and day spas popping up all over the place.

That growth over the years has prompted State Rep. Keith McCall, of Carbon County, to sponsor a bill that will regulate the profession in Pennsylvania, one of 11 states that does not regulate massage.

State Massage Licensing Requirements

 

As an unregulated industry, people with little to no training are able to call themselves massage therapists. That also allows some people to practice the stereotypical parlor massage that trained therapists have worked to overcome.

 

The bill, however, would require massage therapists to obtain a

license under a newly established State Board of Massage Therapy. The license would require applicants to have 600 hours of training.

 

The bill was approved by the state House of Representatives and is currently under consideration by the Senate.

 

Bob Caton, McCall’s press secretary, said that this bill will go a long way in improving the massage therapy industry.

He said that untrained people are able to act as health-care professionals when they have no training, therefore giving reputable therapists a bad name.

 

Before there was “nowhere for the therapist or clients to turn,” but now they will be protected.

“The therapists will be given peace of mind and the client will have protection because they know they’re  getting well-trained professionals,” Caton said.

 

Blank said complaints sometimes come from clients that go to a massage therapist expecting relief from pain and just end up getting more pain because the therapist is not properly trained.

 

She hopes that the bill will make schools raise the standards of their training.

 

At PMI, students take a total of 725 hours in classes, 100 of which are clinical hours where students practice with clients.

 

PMI, runs his own massage therapy practice from Meadowview Family Practice in Hanover.

Rhodes said some therapists have a little knowledge of the practice, but pretend that they have a lot.

 

“A little knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge,” Rhodes said.

He said the problem with a lot of therapists is that they get into a routine and perform the same massage on every client.

Jody Phillips has been in the health-care industry for 17 years and is an instructor at PMI.

 

Phillips believes that if someone is practicing “true wellness and true therapy and pain relief,” they cater to each client’s needs. Every person’s body is different and everything in their lifestyle, from their profession to recreation, has an effect on their bodies. Phillips said that even a person’s right and left arms need different therapy from one another, and to practice the same massage would not be effective.

 

“We want to produce excellent therapists with a higher level of training that are out there making a difference,” Phillips said. “If they’re not making a difference in a client’s pain, then its pointless.”

But as for the idea that licensing would do away with unethical massage therapists, Blank is curious to see if it will work.

 

“I think it will depend on whether local authorities choose to enforce it,” Blank said. She has had her fair share of experience, from reporting a spa in the area, she knows that they are out there.

 

She encountered one spa where the therapists were dressed in lingerie. She could only guess what was going on inside the massage rooms.

She has also had clients that expect more because they received a “happy ending” massage from another therapist.

 

“As a therapist you have to know where to draw the line,” Blank said “It’s just unethical.”

 

Blank said that the massage industry isn’t just for relaxation anymore. Spas have been and always will be popular, but massage is moving toward “corporate wellness” and medical use.

 

According to the National Massage Therapy Institute, consumers spend between $4 billion and $6 billion a year on massage therapy. It is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.

 

Many employers are beginning to take their employees’ health and wellness into consideration. It is common now for companies to have incentive programs including campaigns to quit smoking, exercise programs and now corporations are recognizing massage as a way to improve health, Blank said.

 

Blank also said that massage is becoming more prominent in the medical industry. There is a growing need for relief from pain for medical conditions ranging from cancer to geriatrics.

 

She believes that the licensing program will give therapists validity in the medical field and with insurance companies.

“The credibility is now there,” Blank said. “It will also boost recognition and credibility among people that had their doubts about massage therapy.”

Phillips also believes that the license program will make massage more accepted in the medical field. She stresses that massage isn’t an alternative form of medicine but complimentary to doctors.

 

“We want to work together,” Phillips said. She has many doctors and chiropractors who recommend their clients for massage therapy.

Although Blank said the bill will help massage therapists, she did say it has a few drawbacks.

 

If the testing method is consistent with the federal method, it will be a 600-question computerized test, which she believes measures a therapist’s knowledge but “doesn’t truly measure their skill.”

 

She also said that some states with licensing programs have high fees for those licenses and hopes that won’t be the case in Pennsylvania. Caton said whether there is a cost and what that might be would be determined by the

State Board of Massage.

 

Sherry Chenault, practices massage therapy in Westminster, Md. A 2006 graduate of PMI, she has gone through both a state and federal license program and feels that a license makes a therapist worth more.

 

In Maryland, massage therapists are required to complete 700 hours of training. Chenault said that the application process took her six months, but it was well worth it.

 

Massage therapists in Pennsylvania have been waiting a long time as well for this legislation.

The bill has been in the works for more than a decade.

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s worth it.” Caton said.

 

AT A GLANCE

A bill that would regulate massage therapists has passed the state House of Representatives and is under consideration by the Senate. If the bill passes, newer massage therapists would need to do the following steps before getting a license:

 

Complete 600 hours training approved by state Department of Education

Pass a state exam

Complete 24 hours of further education every two years.

Therapists are grandfathered in if:

They have practiced for more than five years

They have passed a national certification test

They have passed a licensing exam or have completed 500 hours of instruction approved by the Department of Education.

 

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New Marinello Spa Academy Location Opens in Los Angeles

Marinello Schools of Beauty is pleased to announce the opening of the new Spa Academy on North Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The Academy is an extended campus of Marinello’s campus location on Wilshire Boulevard. Join us at our grand opening ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 25th at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be provided. Our grand opening special entails 30 minute mini facials for only $8.00 (June 25th – 27th from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and June 28th from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Services performed by supervised Marinello students only.

The first of its kind, the Spa Academy offers unique programs including Advanced Face and Body Treatments and Master Spa Therapist. Each program is designed to provide in-depth training for a career in the luxurious spa industry, including opportunities to work in day spas, club spas, mineral spas, destination spas, on cruise ships and more!

For over a century, Marinello has been educating students to enter into professional careers in the beauty industry. Marinello campuses are strategically located to provide future graduates with access to a highly concentrated job market. As a leader in cutting-edge styles, fashions and therapeutic beauty treatments, Southern California has a continuing demand for trained professionals to work in spas, exclusive resorts  spas as well as in the entertainment sector.

Marinello Schools have open enrollment and programs are offered on a continual basis. In addition to specialized programs at the Spa Academy, Marinello’s West Wilshire location provides training in Cosmetology, Esthetics (Skin Care), and Manicuring. Some programs can be completed in less than a year! Marinello is accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS).

Financial Aid is available to those who qualify and career placement assistance is available for graduates. The Spa Academy is located at 567 North Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

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Skincare and massage open house went well

Everyone was invited to visit True Colors Day Spa for a skincare and massage open house.

REVIEW THIS SPA NOW

Complimentary mini-facials, skin analysis, microdermabrasion and light therapy consultations, custom-blended home skincare programs and hand treatments were provided by Beverly Gatrell and Pat Callahan, licensed estheticians.

They have recently attended advanced training on microdermabrasion and light therapy and have participated in The America Skin and Spa Expo in Chicago and The International Esltetics and Spa Conference in Philadelphia.

In addition, the spa will be introduced Kelly Rego, certified massage therapist, as the newest member of their staff. Ms. Rego will be giving complimentary head, neck, shoulder massages at the open house. Her massage services include aromatherapy, hot stone, and Kriya massage treatments.

True Colors is located on Bedford Street, in the plaza next to the Town Office Building.

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Aveda Institute’s first cosmetology class begins hands-on learning.

Aveda Corp., the international beauty-products company with Aveda Spas and Salons Locations of thousands of hair salons, stores and spas, is bringing yet another of its marketing concepts to the Orlando area: a vocational-style school that teaches hair, skin and nail care.

The Aveda Institute, on the east side of Winter Park, is still undergoing renovations and isn’t accepting customers yet, but the first students already are four weeks into their studies. The school, Aveda’s third in Florida and 40th in the U.S., teaches cosmetology, which involves primarily hair styling and nail services, and “esthiology,” the study of skin care and hair removal. Eventually it will offer upscale haircuts for $12 — if you don’t mind a student chopping your locks.

Aveda Institute’s Florida headquarters is in St. Petersburg, where the business also offers massage-therapy courses. Tallahassee is home to the second Aveda Institute, and a fourth one is set to open soon in Fort Lauderdale.

” Orlando, to us, is going to be our largest market, we believe,” said Jim Petrillo, president of the Florida operation. “We look for a place where they [students] can travel and get inspiration — it’s a national travel city. . . . Orlando is a natural match for bringing in our advanced education as well as our [teacher-]instruction classes.”

The school, at Semoran Boulevard and Aloma Avenue, will include a retail store for Aveda products, 80 hair-cutting stations, 10 treatment rooms for facials and waxing, and classrooms that will be available for use by community groups on the school’s off days. It hopes to begin offering facials and haircuts by the end of June.

Central Florida already has a number of beauty schools, from Woody’s Hair Styling School near downtown Orlando to the Redken-affiliated Salon Professional Academy in The Villages ofLake County.

“I know that it will give people another choice. And competition, which some people will call it, is always good,” said Giulio Veglio, director and part-owner of the Paul Mitchell school in Casselberry. “It keeps everybody on their toes, and it keeps us being able to offer more and a better education and better quality. . . . I think it’s great that people are able to really shop around and see where they really belong.”

According to Petrillo, the Aveda school expects to attract about 85,000 salon customers annually. Aveda, a unit of New York-based Estee Lauder Cos., sees the school’s location as an advantage because it’s close to Full Sail University and not far from the University of Central Florida — and, like them, it attracts young, creative students.

“I decided to go into cosmetology — it’s something I’ve been passionate about my whole life,” said Sarah DeBelles, who earned a psychology degree from Stetson University in 2005. “After researching all the schools and things like that, Aveda isn’t just about beauty on the exterior, it’s about feeling good within as well. And having gone to college for psychology, it’s really struck a chord with me, and it’s what I love.”

Aveda is Este Lauder’s “natural” line of beauty products. The 30-year-old company, based in Blaine, Minn., makes plant-based products as part of an environmentally friendly mission to offer natural, but professional, beauty care.

Learning to become such a skin specialist or hair stylist doesn’t come cheaply, however: The four-month esthiology course costs $6,800, while the cosmetology course lasts 10 1/2 months and costs $14,000. “Audition” videos are required from prospective students, who once accepted learn about the company and its products as well as the skills needed to land a job. Cosmetology trainees start with mannequins and then practice on friends and family before working on actual clients.

“If anything, it’s going to set the bar higher,” said Lisa Maile, image consultant for Lisa Maile Executive Seminars & Coaching in Orlando. “We have lots of valid [beauty] schools in Central Florida, and the more good training we have, the more good people we attract to the area. . . . We’re growing in the entertainment business slowly . . . [and] Aveda is only going to be another step in that direction for fashion or beauty.” According to Aveda’s Web site, the average salary at a spa or salon is $48,000 a year, but the institute also encourages students to think beyond simply cutting hair. Aveda alumni elsewhere have gone on to open their own salons, to teach or to work in the fashion business on photo shoots and runway shows.

“The thing that I love about getting this education is that I can take this pretty much anywhere in the world with me,” said Derek Donovan, one of the students in the Winter Park school’s inaugural class. “I’d love to be a part of Fashion Week in New York or Paris. It’s the thing that attracts me most about getting this education — taking it anywhere with me and being able to provide for myself.”

For the most part, though, Aveda and other local beauty schools hope to keep the talent in Central Florida.

“Our desired outcome for Orlando is to raise the quality of the work through the training that we’re offering in the school, to populate the Central Florida salons and spas as well as hitting North [Florida],” Petrillo said. “In Florida, we have about 235 salons, and we definitely have a need to populate out of Orlando to those salons.”

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The Secret of Knowledge Transfer is no secret, it has been known for thousands of years.

Next time you catch yourself grumbling that “I could do it faster myself”.. Remember that you can pay for training up front or in the long run.

We talked about it in our Spa Audio Video Web Presentation, Studies show that we remember:

10% of what we read…

20% of what we hear…

30% of what we see…

50% of what we hear AND see simultaneously…

70% of what we hear, see AND say

90% of what we hear, see, say AND do.

Confucius, that wise Chinese philosopher, first offered this insight around 2,000 years ago, when he said:

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I know.”

Here’s what this means in business terms:

Reading a written document on how to schedule a new guest for an appointment – the employee will only recall about 10% of it. Explain to them how to schedule a new guest for an appointment – the employee will retain about 20%. Demonstrate them how to schedule a new guest for an appointment – 50%. Using a “Explain & Demonstrate” approach – and then having them repeat the process while you observe and provide feedback – gets you to 90%.

Use the five steps of training otherwise known as the “Confucius Checklist” to successfully transfer your knowledge to an employee:

1) Explain

Using both written and verbal guidance, tell the person what you want them to know. It may be a business process that you want employees to follow. Or it may be healthy living information for clients.

2) Demonstrate

Let’s say you’re training a new staffer on how to close up every night. Perform the steps yourself, as you normally would – and have the new employee shadow you with a copy of the written instructions. Have her read each step to you out loud as you both complete the process together. (You may find you’ve been skipping some steps yourself!) Prompt them to turn their copy of the instructions into a living document by adding their own notes, clarifications and reminders.

3) Observe

The next step in the process of transferring knowledge to someone else is to observe them apply the new information by performing the task or using the new skill themselves.

This time, your staffer takes the lead on closing up for the night. You shadow her, making notes for later feedback on what she’s doing right and where she’s missing something.

4) Follow Up

Feedback works best when it’s fresh. On the other hand, “death by a thousand nicks” – pinging your staffer with lots of little tweaks and critiques at every step along the way – is incredibly demoralizing to employees. Catch your staff doing things right this will build their confidence and motivate them.

So accumulate feedback while you’re observing the employee perform the process. Then provide it at well-timed intervals. For example, if your close process has four steps – reconcile cash register, clean restroom, straighten stock, and set alarm – perhaps you can mainly provide comments at the end of each major step.

Base the timing and frequency of your feedback on the employee’s learning style, the urgency of the correction, and its impact on the rest of the process.

For example, a critical mistake made early in the cash reconciliation process probably should be corrected instantly, since it will affect all of the subsequent steps. On the other hand, if your staffer is learning to lead a client session, it may be more appropriate and useful to provide comments after the session is complete.

Remember to ask for her observations as well – what went smoothly and where she feels it could have gone better.

5) Repeat

We call this the “lather, rinse, repeat” step! You’ve explained the process verbally and in writing. You’ve demonstrated the process. You’ve observed them perform the process. You’ve given feedback on their performance of the process. Now, watch them perform the process again.

Continue this cycle until the employee or client demonstrates mastery of the material.

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