Seven Practical Start Up Tips For Potential Dayspa Owners

The Spa business is tough. It’s competitive. It’s expensive to start up and it can be difficult to make a sizable profit from your Spa business once you’ve opened doors. Here are seven practical tips to help you get ahead in the Spa industry before you’ve even opened doors!

1. Figure out a Business Plan before you purchase your Spa.

If you have never owned a business before, make sure you have a sound Business Plan before going ahead. Business Plans can be easily downloaded from the internet for free so Google “Business Plans” and choose one that best speaks to your needs and assists you in seeing the bigger picture.

For example…
– Research your Target Market and get an understanding of your potential clients needs and desires when visiting a Dayspa.

– Decide if you’re going to specialize and understand the advantages and disadvantages of specializing. For example, perhaps you would like to open up a male only Spa or a womens only Spa.

– Understand the Competition. Who they, where they are situated and what they are offering. Sign up to their monthly newsletters to see what specials they are running and have treatments at their establishments. You never know, it could give you a few ideas on how to make your spa unique.

– Research how the Spa market is doing in the current economic climate and which geographic area is most likely to bring you the most traffic to your business. If possible, have meetings with a few existing Spa owners to understand expenditure (start- up and monthly overheads) vs. potential revenue as well as any other potential hidden costs you may not be aware of.

2. Figure out a Marketing Plan before you purchase your Spa.

Once you have your Business Plan in hand and decide to go ahead, make sure that you have a Marketing Plan. I’ve seen so many businesses who are owned or managed by people who still work via fax! It is unacceptable in today’s world to work in the dark ages, so get yourself a computer and get informed. If you do not have a marketing background, employ a part- time or full time marketing manager or consultant to assist you.

You should decide on a start- up and a monthly marketing budget and this person – or yourself – should work within this allocated budget. You can waste a lot of money on the wrong marketing tools, so be sure to do it right. If you would like a few marketing tips, please do a search in this ezine directory for another of my articles titled “Inexpensive Marketing Tips for Dayspa Owners”.

3. Find the right Location

After you have done the above the next step is finding the right location for your business. This is crucial. I have visited many Spas over the years, some in great locations and some in terrible locations and it really does make a huge difference as to whether your Spa business will fail outright, just tick over or make a huge profit. If people feel unsafe they are never going to come back! And no, you do not have to be situated in the best hotel in town to get business, but a location that has a high traffic volume in a nice, safe, beautiful area definitely helps.

For example, an ideal location would be on a main road where signage can be visible from the road, or in an established hotel, resort or housing estate.

Alternatively you could choose a Wellness Centre or shopping centre where regular customers already frequent. Rental can be high in shopping centres, however, so another option would be to purchase a house with business rights in a central location or on a main road and in this way you would be investing in property as well as building a business, both of which could be sold at a profit over time.

4. Ambiance – get some!

Once you have your ideal location, invest in atmosphere! Decor is important and will make a lasting impression on your clients, most of who will return if they feel comfortable and impressed with your venue. Don’t make decor the key focus of your business but definitely include the following:-

– Soft Lighting. Soft lighting is important as are candles and sound and scent.

– Music. Play relaxing music in the treatment rooms and through out the Spa. I once had a massage in a room where there was no music and the clock was ticking very loudly. Needless to say I couldn’t wait to get out of there and definitely didn’t find the experience relaxing!

– Smell. Make sure your Spa smells nice… smelly towels are definitely a no- no so be sure to wash your towels after every treatment and take care of general cleanliness. A nice smelling candle or incense or spray in the foyer and rooms also goes a long way to enticing your customers to re- visit your Dayspa.

5. Employ expert Therapists

Even more important than good decor is good staff. Do not skimp on finding the best therapists. People will not return to your Spa if they have not had a good treatment believe me. And they more than likely won’t complain to you, but they’ll tell all their friends about the awful experience they had.

Pay your staff well, incentivise them on sales of beauty products and send them on training courses to keep them skilled and motivated. Also check up on them regularly to see that their quality is not slipping.

Encourage your clients to fill out performance sheets after their treatments and act on any negative feedback. I know of a Spa who only hires therapists who have been therapists for more than five years and they really do offer amazing treatments and as a result, I’m a regular customer.

6. Sell Product

Selling beauty products such as a Facial range or a Cosmetic range will yield good revenue from commission. Do the research (from your potential clients as to what they want to use on their faces and bodies, as well as product houses for prices, distribution etc) and invest in good quality products that your clients can purchase from your Spa.

Incentivise your staff to sell products by offering them commission on sales and see the products fly out the door.

7. Do something different – there are hundreds of Spas out there!

Have something in your Dayspa that people talk about. Either offer a unique therapy that no- one else has heard of, or have some kind of structural “WOW” that people talk about.

For example, I once saw a Spa with a relaxation area that was dimly lit with what seemed like millions of “stars” on the roof. The relaxation area had wonderful reclining chairs with blankets you could wrap yourself in under the stars. It was simply stunning and certainly something I told all my friends about.

I hope you have found these tips useful. It takes courage to open your own business so take heed of the above tips and then go for it!