Pulse March 2020 | Page 48

“It’s about giving them that experience that’s unique…. So how do you enhance that? You highlight other local businesses. And we’re not some big corporation; we need those local partnerships just as much as they need us.” — Kelleye Martin, Spa Director, The Edgewater Spa American family that used locally sourced deer skin. Instead of a generic medicine bag, Mii amo now offers a male and female version that takes its presentation and intention to a deeper, more authentic and genuine level. That bag doesn’t work for a spa in the Midwest, for example, but it’s an example of how to integrate where you are and what you are into that local community. “The key for wherever I’ve been, and especially here, is to understand sense of place and spirit of place,” Root says. “It’s easy to go look at all these nice things, but do they actually fit? Here, we sit in strong place of Native Ameri- can history and culture, so it’s been rel- atively easy to reach out to our various Native American communities and au- thentically incorporate products that move our business forward. “It can’t be a gimmick or a cosmetic that looks good. It has to fit.” Root believes there is a duality—an effort and a story. He says if the effort is not supported by the story and an ex- planation, it doesn’t resonate as richly as it could. That’s why he and his entire staff talked to the family producing the medicine bags—so the whole team could explain the significance to the spa’s guests. This way of thinking speaks to a trend among spa directors, who have found that featuring local products at their spa does more than just help out their neighbor: it improves their bot- tom line and makes them a better business. Thinking in Terms of ‘Place’ to Expand Clientele Whichever region your spa is in, there are specific things native to your area. Spas that work with local vendors in their area can get premium products in their spa. The Edgewater Spa in Madison, Wisconsin, for example, uses local cranberries and cherries as snacks. Kelleye Martin, the spa director, was most proud of figuring out how to take advantage of the popularity of local beers. Martin knew she had to take advantage of the thousands of people that come to Madison for the Brewgrass summer concert series, and three years ago, she figured out the best way to do it: beer-inspired treatments. For example, she took a (CONTINUED ON PAGE 38) 36 PULSE ■ MARCH 2020