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some of the losses incurred while their locations were closed due to the pandemic . The on-demand segment of Exhale ’ s business , in fact , grew by 400 percent during that period .“ Thank goodness we were ahead of the trend ,” says Sutton .“ That really helped us serve our community while our brick-and-mortar locations stayed closed .”
From there , Exhale ventured into the previously unexplored realm of live virtual classes , a step that has been full of learning experiences .“ We took some of our teachers and filmed them in their homes , doing virtual classes while we remained closed . The technology was very , very new , so we were continuing to learn everyday —‘ Oh , this is the lighting you should use ,’ or ,‘ The microphone should go underneath the mask if it ’ s a live class you ’ re filming .’”
Despite the success of these virtual classes , Sutton didn ’ t anticipate interest to remain at such a high level once her spas were able to resume operations ( although their New York locations have remained closed for nearly a year ), expecting instead for spa services like massage and facials to take longer to recover than the fitness side of the business . The opposite proved true , however .“ I actually thought that spa was going to get harder hit than fitness , and we ’ re actually finding that the spa part of our business is flourishing , and people are slower to come back to the in-person fitness experience ," she says . Over time , Sutton has found that many guests have seamlessly integrated the on-demand and virtual experiences , along with in-person spa and fitness offerings , into their wellness routines , a trend that she expects to continue . “ There ’ s that beautiful balance that we ’ re hearing from our customers , that they actually like to do both ,” she says . “ On a Saturday , if they have time , they ’ ll go into Atlanta and take a class , but while they ’ re working at home , it ’ s so much easier to just take advantage of your on-demand and virtual . I do think that ’ s where it ’ s headed . I think people will like that omni-channel experience .”
A Glimpse into the Future
The virtual landscape into which so many in the spa industry have stepped may have seemed initially as a temporary stopover on the way to eventually resuming regular in-person operations once the immediate threat of the pandemic subsided . But now that spas have had some success offering a blend of virtual and in-person classes , the end of occupancy limits and mask mandates may not mean the end of engaging guests through their screens .
Says Julia Sutton , “ I think [ virtual experiences are ] going to be a ‘ must-have ’ as opposed to a ‘ nice-to-have .’ You ’ re absolutely going to need both in order to survive as the fitness busines evolves .” However , Sutton cautions that spas will have to deliver virtual courses with the same commitment to quality they strive for in other areas . “ What companies
“[ Some members ] might have health problems and are nervous about going back to a spa . But the online classes allow that entryway into a new class without the pressure of having other people around , having to be concerned about what they look like or whether they ’ re doing something right or wrong . They feel more comfortable .”
— BAMBI WALTERS
24 PULSE ■ APRIL 2021