like ours are going to have to work toward is making this the least frictional , highest-quality experience . People ’ s expectations are going to get higher and higher in that regard , and it ’ s got to be a very simple , seamless experience .”
But spas that can deliver a polished , convenient virtual experience for guests may discover benefits that go beyond the additional revenue made possible by enrolling more people in their classes . Lyndi Rivers saw some of these benefits while conducting independent virtual classes when Miraval was closed briefly in 2020 .“ I feel like teaching virtually has opened it up to make certain things more accessible . Some people can ’ t go because they have kids . Now , it ’ s like ,‘ I can have my kids come do yoga with me . Now , it ’ s ‘ family yoga ,’ and it ’ s not disruptive . Or maybe it ’ s ‘ I hurt my hip and I don ’ t want to go to an in-person class because I wouldn ’ t look the same as anybody else , but I can turn off my video and participate in whatever way I can .’ My perception is that it has forced my students to tune in and listen to themselves a little bit more . I like that aspect of it .”
Bambi Walters agrees that virtual offerings may allow spas to reach a wider audience that , for various reasons , may respond more favorably to the convenience of a class at home .“ We do have members who historically haven ’ t been in the classes , but they want or need an online experience ,” she says .“ They 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 .” Of course , even the best virtual offerings will necessarily differ from traditional in-person classes in ways that can ’ t be dismissed . Both Bambi Walters and Julia Sutton note that maintaining intensity and discipline is a challenge in a virtual environment , simply because the energy of an in-person class is difficult to recreate online . “ Everybody could get onto a YouTube video and do a recorded class ,” says Walters ,“ but the benefit of having a
live instructor or live class is that you have all that group support from other people who are participating .”
There are other challenges too , not least of all the ways in which virtual class offerings may have changed the expectations of talent in the spa industry . Julia Sutton advises spa leaders to be conscious of those changes .“ This is just my hunch , but I think some teachers are going to prefer teaching virtually . I think it ’ s going to be harder for us to get teachers to come in and teach in a brick-and-mortar [ location ],” says Sutton .“ If you think about these teachers — in our case , let ’ s take New York City — they ’ re going from one location to another and they ’ ve got to get around the city . There are a lot of advantages for them to be teaching virtually .”
Leaders at specific spas will , of course , have to decide for themselves what mixture of online and in-person classes they offer to guests going forward . But one thing seems certain : virtual experiences cannot be dismissed as a mere stopgap solution . They ’ re here to stay , and spas that can offer quality online experiences stand ready to reap the benefits . n
APRIL 2021 ■ PULSE 25