DAYSPA is the magazine of spa management. Spa owners and spa managers turn to DAYSPA for spa management trends, spa management tips and more.
Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/109233
HOW TO KEEP A MAN When men come into your spa, find out what brought them there and what they liked about the experience. HOW WAS HIS FIRST TIME? All ������rsts��� tend to trigger anxiety, but that anxiety decreases dramatically with each positive experience; therefore, that ���rst visit to your spa is crucial. The special men���s section in your menu can ease some ���rst-time stress in advance, by pre-answering questions of what to expect throughout his spa visit. The more information you can provide, the better. ���Include a section of spa etiquette tips, and fully describe your gentlemen���s facial, sports manicure, deep-tissue massage, exfoliating body treatment, etc.,��� advises Lisa Starr, spa business consultant and educator at Wynne Business (wynnebusiness.com). ���This way, men don���t have to read through everything else, but others can still see all the services, since they���ll be listed again in the regular menu.��� A proper setting can make or break that ���rst visit. Take an objective look around your spa; invite in a few of your male friends if needed. How do they respond to the colors, d��cor, furnishings, scents, amenities, retail offerings and music? Do they make them want to run out the door toward the embassy of the closest sporting goods store? Have you created an environment in which a man can truly relax? ���Many day spa owners don���t think about male clients during the layout and design of their spas,��� says Starr. ���Men require bigger seats, larger robes, wider tables. Ideally, you���d segregate the waiting areas for men and women, but maybe you could just make it a little more private with screens, or arrange the seating so that it���s back to back.��� Starr also points out that men���s locker rooms tend to be an afterthought at spas. Do men have a dedicated space at your spa for changing, fully stocked with the appropriate amenities? ���You can���t have the spa be super ���uffy,��� says Cox. 48 DAYSPA | MARCH 2013 ���Simplify. Don���t burn all the candles. Don���t have all of the ���owery scents going all at once.��� Laurie Knowlton, owner of Zen 3 Spa and Bodyworks in Spring���eld, Missouri, enjoys a 30% to 40% male base, and agrees that men are easily put off by an overly feminine space. ���Men who come into our spa are not intimidated, because it���s not feminine,��� she says. ���The waiting area doesn���t have a lot of females sitting around, and we have three male therapists on staff. Some guys prefer a male therapist who may understand their needs a little better than a female.��� Tracy Whynot, owner and therapist at Place 360 in Del Mar, California, with a client base of 40% men (70% for her acupuncture clients), reminds owners to include a range of products in their retail departments. ���I���ve found that our male clients are interested in purchasing ���experience products���,��� she reports. ���They like stress-reducers, such as music, oils and aromatic diffusers.��� ARE HIS NEEDS BEING MET? Successful relationships occur when both parties��� needs are met. You need to retain your male clients, and they need to make your spa their own. It has to become a familiar and nurturing place for them. ���Men need direction in spas; they are in an unfamiliar environment,��� says Starr. ���Train your staff to interact with male clients in a clear and comfortable way. Men do not ever want to feel silly.��� Not 100% sure exactly what your male clients want, or why? Ask. ���It all goes back to processing a ���rst-time visitor,��� says Soukup. ���If a man comes in for a massage, ask him why he wants that massage. Encourage him to sign on for a program and home care. The spa, client and therapist all bene���t from proper client consultation.��� She also recommends that spas conduct more surveys in their local areas to ���nd out what men are interested in. Whynot has noticed that her spa���s male clients enjoy getting to the spa early and using the time to relax and unwind. That���s one need right there, but there are others. LEFT: ��GETTY/IMAGE SOURCE; RIGHT: ��GETTY/ HENRIK SORENSEN to the spa because it���s all about pampering and luxury,��� she says. ���If you take the responsibility and thinking out of the equation for them, they will keep coming back.���