What spas need are leaders, not managers!
25 February 2011 – Section: News – Category: BISA news, Food for Thought
As part of its Spa Management Certification programme, the Ecole Hôtelière in Lausanne asked me to share observations and best practices with the participants who came from France, Belgium, the United States and Dubai.
The economic downturn and increasing competition have increased pressure on spa teams to offset slow days with end-of-week schedules packed with back-to-back massages, leaving them weary and sometimes disheartened because they feel they are becoming massaging machines.
To compensate, many spas still believe like Taylor in the 20’s that monetary incentives based on service and retail suffice to have a motivated team. Wrong! I have witnessed a high-end spa in Paris where the team collectively decided to only reach the first tier of a retail objective and fall short of the second so that the spa manager would not reach her budget objective and obtain her incentive. It went on for 6 months in a row. The spa manager eventually left the spa and the team (under new management) has since enjoyed a healthy 35% increase in retail over the last 2 years!
Since motivation is a door that can only be opened from inside, you will find that successful spas are usually run by “spa leaders” rather than “spa managers” – you manage things, but you lead people.
Spa leaders share their vision with the team, making sure that values are aligned, that job descriptions are crystal clear, that the precious details of the guests’ experience are duly noted in a Standard Operational Procedure, so that the spa runs with zero defects. The fact that they want to “re-enchant” the daily work of their spa teams does not mean that they live in a fairy tale! Rather, it is just common sense to believe that a joyful, dedicated team that engages spa-goers will win the trust of their clients to recommend the right treatments and products for their home-care regime. What spa-goer would not be loyal to a spa team where he or she feels understood and helped in achieving a healthy body, a clear mind and a peaceful heart? Especially nowadays where magazines depict the gloomy ambience that executives have to put up with in some companies with stress, mistrust, psychological harassment and growing cases of depression and burn-outs…
Reachable objectives should be set with mutual agreement in order to empower each therapist, receptionist, freelancer and member of support-staff to feel that they are trusted with a mission, and given the right tools and self-confidence to meet and to exceed expectations.
In this experience economy, service and self-confidence go hand in hand. The most dedicated and loyal teams are usually the ones that feel considered, heard, and trusted with regular challenges that have progressive levels of complexity, so that they reach beyond their comfort zone in order to delight clients and enjoy the taste of self-fulfilment.
Aristotle said that “we are what we repeat every day, so that excellence is therefore not an isolated act, but becomes a habit”. It is no surprise that more and more spa brands are creating their own spa academies or that others have developed in-house tailor-made spa education programmes to give more meaning to the job, so that teams deliver more sensations to clients in a consistent way.
Without spa leadership, spa managers will spend their scarce time and precious budget on long-recruitment processes and training programmes only to see their staff leave after an average of 18 months!
If you feel concerned by this topic and would like to share your best and worst practices, please send your comments to and the BISA Marketing Committee. We will gather all useful ideas to compile an “Essential Spa Motivation Handbook” to be published in June for the BISA Conference.
Jean-Guy de Gabriac, BISA Chairman of Marketing