avoid overwhelming staff initially. Several weeks after reopening,
Gadabout began requiring employee temperature
checks. Next, it began requiring guests to sign an agreement
upon entering the spa for a service—a change which was
made in response to customer pushback on mask-wearing.
Both Jasper and Westerbeke shared their top advice for
other spa professionals spearheading a spa’s reopening process.
Jasper’s advice is to prepare—and practice—a plan for
the worst-case scenario: an employee testing positive for
COVID-19. “Have the conversation ahead of time about what
you’re going to do when a staff member tests positive. We
had our protocol written out, but we didn’t roleplay it. The
emotional nature of that first phone call…you have to practice
that. Are you going to tell every guest that was in the
building? In their chair? Do you not tell the guests at all?
Are you going to tell the team? What will you tell the media
if they call? Thinking of all of this the first time you get a
phone call, when you’re emotional and scared and sad….
That’s my advice. Treat that process as important as anything
else.”
Westerbeke echoed Jasper’s sentiments. “If you wait
until it’s already in the building, you’ve got another problem
to deal with. Check with HR and legal to see if you’re doing
it right. It’s better to have all your details laid out so that
your foundation is strong if and when there is a disaster.”
She also notes that maintaining a unified training and “reentry”
experience for employees returning in different
waves is critical. “Whether [a team member] came back for
phase one or phase three, the most important part of the
experience was how their leader walked them through the
building.”
Ready for the Future
Gadabout’s initial reopening period is beginning to transition
into something resembling a “new normal.” Many other
spas are currently experiencing this same transition, while
others are still in the earliest stages of reopening. Given the
ever-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible
that reopened spas might be forced to scale back down
once more before all is said and done, forcing them to redo
the re-opening once more.
At present, Westerbeke’s and Jasper’s team at Gadabout
is beginning to settle in. “The first five weeks of being reopen
was just navigating this distraction,” says Jasper. “It
was like a forest fire—we’re all just figuring it out [as we go]
because no one knows. Now, the path is clear. We’re in a
new normal. How can we lead and be better leaders than
we’ve ever been? After the destruction has to come the
beauty of innovation.” n
FEATURED SOURCES
MEGAN JASPER
Director of Operations
and Marketing
GADABOUT SALONSPAS
TUCSON, ARIZONA
JANA WESTERBEKE
Co-Owner
GADABOUT SALONSPAS
TUCSON, ARIZONA
AUGUST 2020 ■ PULSE 37