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62 DAYSPA | OCTOBER 2015 MARKETING SAVVY Home Advantage Want to cash in on high-priced at-home spa services? Read on before you hit the road! By Carrie Borzillo Spa owners are constantly looking for new ways to get guests into their facilities, but now, a number of them are benefi tting from a new clientele-increasing revenue stream: house calls. There's a growing demand for in-home spa services these days, for reasons that vary from the desire for privacy to convenience to sheer logistics. One thing these clients all have in common, however: they're prepared to pay a premium. But before you start packing up massage tables and supply trunks—and sending your spa's therapists out on calls—make sure you're well versed on the particulars of the door-to-door service. Know your home client. Just as there's no such thing as a typical spa client, there's no typical at-home spa client. People who request these services run the gamut from post-surgery patients and seniors with mobility issues, to brides-to-be or gal pals seeking in-home pam- pering in groups, to high-profi le fi gures preparing for public appearances. However, when asked why they book them, many at-home appointment clients cite the same reasons: time, convenience and privacy. "At-home appointments are for clients who don't want, or aren't able, to travel to the spa and back home," says Lisa Weeks, owner of Love Thyself Day Spa in Richardson, Texas. "They may be people with medical conditions or disabilities; or they may be elderly." Melinda Macchiaroli, owner of Bodhi Spa, Yoga & Salon in Hudson, New York, offers another scenario. "Our typical at-home clients are wealthy people who are either short on time or work in entertainment and crave the anonymity of a home visit," she explains. The bridal and spa party crowd accounts for a large percentage of this clientele too. "People request house calls because they're meeting up at someone's home for a girls' weekend or family gathering," Macchiaroli points out. "We've provided massages at homes for wedding weekends and bridal parties." Regardless of who your home clients are, make sure you fully understand their needs and motivations before you get started. Make it worth your while. In theory, just about any spa or salon offering can be performed in a client's © GETTY IMAGES