“ We ’ re seeing members come in not just once a month . They ’ re coming in and maybe doing a facial that month because they get a little discount on it , then in turn , they ’ re buying product .”
— KELLEYE MARTIN , Spa Director , Edgewater Spa
It makes sense , then , that spas that battled through a period of uncertainty marked by closures , reopenings and restrictions would seek ways to guarantee regular revenue whenever possible . One method of doing that is through the creation ( or more robust promotion ) of spa memberships . By providing regular guests the opportunity to more or less automate the rhythm of their visits — and the spending that accompanies those visits — spa leaders can both provide special benefits to their most loyal guests and provide their spas with a reliable flow of revenue each month .
RIGHT HERE , RIGHT NOW During this period of high demand for services that many spas are enjoying , guaranteeing at least some regular business may not feel like a pressing concern . But as Kelleye Martin , spa director at the Edgewater Spa in Madison , Wisconsin , points out , there is no bad time to lock in consistent business . “ Wellness is at the forefront of everyone ’ s minds , and with that , you have more people coming into the spa ,” Martin explains . “ Right now , it ’ s crowded , and we have huge demand , but is that demand going to be there in a year ? Is that going to slow down ?
In late 2021 , Palo Verde Spa at the Andaz Scottsdale Resort ( seen on the opposite page and below ) launched a robust membership program .
I don ’ t know , but if it does , we ’ re giving ourselves some insurance [ with memberships ].”
Massage Heights , which oversees more than 140 locations across the U . S . and Canada , was an early adopter of the membership model in the 2000s , and Senior VP of Culture and Industry Relations CG Funk believes that spas that have resisted making the jump into offering memberships may want to reconsider .“ I definitely think there ’ s a lot of potential out there [ for spa memberships ]. For many years , local day spas have been trying to figure out how to compete with the big chains in their neighborhoods .” says Funk . Those businesses , she adds , haven ’ t consistently found ways to make membership attractive and lucrative , so it ’ s crucial that spas considering making the jump plan carefully .“ It ’ s really not just throwing something on the menu board and expecting it to be successful . It takes a lot of critical thought to get it live ,” she says .
Putting a great deal of critical thought into her spa ’ s development of a new membership option is exactly what Ellie Stefano , spa and wellbeing manager at Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary ( part of Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows ), did throughout much of 2021 . As she and colleague Erika Kjos , who serves as the resort ’ s spa and wellbeing supervisor , set about constructing the membership offering that Andaz launched near the end of the year , they planned carefully and avoided rushing something out the door just to meet the spa ’ s high level of demand for services .“ We ’ ve had a
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