Spa Clientéle Marketing Tips

Economy nail services: Are they changing the spa industry?

New York magazine ran a cover story earlier this month: The Economy of Touch.

It is a lengthy read, but an interesting client perspective on the spa industry, particularly in New York city.   The author wanted to get a better view on the uber-price competitive world of nail salons and massage services. 

"Driven by a a wave of cheap labor, the spa industry has expanded dramatically, transforming what were once luxuries into social imperative for a growing number of women.  But what kind of work is this?"

The author raises all sorts of thoughtful questions about our societies intimacy issues, immigrant salon worker rights and the industry hierarchy of workers with nail techs landing at the bottom.

After reading the article, I was struck..yet again...by the fact that the spa industry is still not truely mainstream.  Sure, the industry is growing, but with an identity crisis.

Say what? Who's language are you speaking?

So now I am going to do a light exfoliation with a grommage cream so I can easily do extractions. Then I'm going to let you mask for a few minutes and I'll put some paraffin mitts on your hands.

As a first time aesthetic client, years ago, I had no clue what this meant.  It took several visits to multiple spas, my own questions and even a little online research to really understand what is happening in the treatment room.  The same is true for:

• hair services (what is the difference between tint and color and highlights?);  and
• body treatments (why are they scraping my skin with a dry brush?); and even
• hot stone massage (I had never heard of chakras before or why having a stone placed on me helped balance my energy).

It is easy to adopt the lingo and technical terminology of your profession.  Everyone does this..including lawyers!