Pulse May / June 2023 | Page 21

Attracting Guests through Innovative Treatment Offerings
DAY TWO

KNOWLEDGE Builder SESSION

Katlyn HATCHER

Attracting Guests through Innovative Treatment Offerings

PRESENTED BY AALIYA BASHIR , CARLOS CALVO-RODRIGUEZ , KATLYN HATCHER ; MODERATED BY MICHAEL TOMPKINS
FOR SPA LEADERS SEEKING ways to energize the guest experience and refresh service offerings to boost the bottom line , look no further : This panel discussion will explore innovative service offerings successfully adopted within a variety of spa types along with lessons learned and tips to consider .
Pulse : Aside from the customer experience , does offering innovative treatments help spas to attract and motivate treatment providers ? Katlyn Hatcher : Adding wellness equipment has motivated our treatment providers and specialists as it allows them to further tailor the guest experience and be more prescriptive when recommending lifestyle and therapeutic recommendations . In addition to home products regimen recommendations , they are recommending alternative supplemental modalities to enhance the hands-on treatment provided . Our estheticians are educating guests on benefits of light therapy for skin and parlaying into the benefits of our whole-body red light bed ; our fitness instructors can recommend at-home workouts and whole-body cryotherapy for recovery ; our acupuncturist recommends wellness circuits as supplemental treatment . It creates a well-rounded wellness experience and educates guests on alternative therapies to enhance their day-to-day life . We incentivize our staff to recommend these enhancements as well . We also offer the red light therapy at no cost to our associates as a recovery tool and associate perk .
Pulse : How can spas quickly and effectively explain ( and market ) services that may be unknown to most clients ? KH : I personally invited all of our members to experience the Holistic Healing Center equipment at no cost to demon-
strate the benefits and educate them on offerings available . We also packaged the modalities based on issue to address : Pain Management , Stress Relief , Recovery . We also shifted our wellness center marketing to lead with the technology as a new amenity and prompt questions to educate our guests on new modalities available .
Pulse : What would be a first step for spa leaders who want to introduce innovation to their service menu ? KH : Evaluate budget , consider the equipment with the highest ROI and lowest consumables if only bringing in a few , consult educated professionals or do your research when making choices on selection . Seek out smart people ! There are a lot of variations on the market with varying applications and efficacies ; many have clinical research to back them . When we were selecting equipment , we consulted with top researchers at WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute to help educate us on the market and products available based on their clinical studies . One researcher physician explained to me based on their trial there are some red light panels you ’ d need to stand in front of for 12 hours to achieve the same results in 16 minutes from the one we chose — so there was a huge difference in market .
Pulse : Will attendees have any surprise takeaways from your Knowledge Builder session ? KH : I think people may be surprised at the ROI potential and increased guest awareness and demand . We have grown our revenues on the equipment 70 percent since inception in 2019 ; we are no longer strictly introducing guests to these items , many are already aware and seeking them out . It is very exciting to see the continued potential . n

“ IT CREATES A well-rounded WELLNESS EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATES GUESTS ...”

MAY / JUNE 2023 n PULSE 19