ISPA CONTINUES TO INVEST in meaningful, industry-specific education, bringing keynote-level expertise directly to members through iLearn. This summer, in addition to Carol Phillips' Retail Revolution course, two dynamic speakers known for their impact on the Conference stage will debut new on-demand courses designed exclusively for the ISPA community.
EXPERIENCE AND IMPACT IN ACTION
DAN GINGISS: Creating Remarkable Experiences — Known as "The Experience Maker," Dan Gingiss brings his signature WISER methodology to iLearn, helping spa professionals deliver standout guest experiences every time. Centered on being Witty, Immersive, Sharable, Extraordinary and Responsive, this course equips teams with practical ways to turn everyday interactions into memorable moments.
ZACH MERCURIO: The Power of Mattering — Zach Mercurio's work focuses on a simple but powerful idea: When people feel like they matter, they perform at their best. In his course, Mercurio guides spa leaders on how to create cultures where team members feel noticed, affirmed and needed. The result is a stronger workplace culture and a higher level of service that guests can feel.
ONLY ON iLEARN — These courses will be available on demand in iLearn on experienceispa.com, giving ISPA members the opportunity to learn from two of the industry's most compelling voices and bring these insights back to their teams.
Insights from Carol Phillips' Retail Revolution Program
SALES SKILLS + TEAM TALK
Conversations That Convert
BY CAROL PHILLIPS
Let's be honest. Most spa professionals were never taught how to sell.
THEY WERE TAUGHT HOW TO PERFORM A FACIAL, execute a pedicure and deliver a massage. But few were taught how to connect what happens in the treatment room to what the guest should do at home.
THAT'S WHERE THE BREAKDOWN OCCURS.
One facial won't erase years of sun damage. One massage won't permanently relieve chronic tension. One body treatment won't transform the skin overnight. Real results happen between appointments. The products guests use at home often determine whether they maintain their results or start over at their next visit.
The highest-performing spas understand that retail is not a separate department. It is a continuation of care. In the 30-Day Retail Revolution program, teams learn a simple formula: What did I see? What did I do? What should the guest do next?
FOR EXAMPLE: "I noticed significant dehydration in your skin today. That's why I selected the intensive hydration treatment. To continue improving hydration at home, I professionally recommend the BRAND serum because it contains FEATURE, which provides ADVANTAGE, resulting in BENEFIT. I would also pair it with the BRAND moisturizer. Even starting with just those two products can significantly improve your dryness."
Notice what happened. The recommendation wasn't random. It was directly connected to what the professional observed, treated and wants the guest to address at home.
The same approach works for massage, haircare, body treatments and nail services. Guests are far more likely to purchase when they understand the connection between today's service and tomorrow's results.
Think like a professional, not a retailer. If a guest wants to improve dryness, one serum may be a great start. If they're committed to transforming their skin, they may need a cleanser, a serum, a moisturizer, SPF and a weekly treatment. Don't sell products. Prescribe a plan. Guests expect expertise from their spa professionals. When you confidently outline a homecare system designed to achieve their goals, your recommendations carry greater credibility and deliver better results.
The goal isn't to "push" more products. The goal is to help guests achieve better results. When the treatment room, retail area and front desk all speak the same language, guests feel cared for, not sold to. Trust grows. Compliance improves. And retail naturally follows.
RETAIL REVOLUTION is an education course available through ISPA's iLearn platform. Led by industry expert Carol Phillips, this course equips spa leaders and their teams with practical strategies to increase retail sell-through and elevate the overall guest experience.
CAROL PHILLIPS is a global spa and beauty industry consultant and the founder of BeauteeSmarts Global™. For four decades, she has helped spas, resorts and beauty brands strengthen retail performance and elevate guest experience by transforming sales culture with simple, high-impact training programs that build confident, service-driven teams.
Carol Phillips’ new iLearn series
Helps spa teams build stronger retail habits through strategy, structure and confidence.
RETAIL ISN'T THE PROBLEM. THE SYSTEM IS.
ASK MOST SPA DIRECTORS what is holding retail back, and the answers sound familiar: Team members lack confidence recommending products. The front desk does not always follow through. The boutique looks beautiful but does not consistently sell. Service providers may see retail as someone else's responsibility.
Carol Phillips sees those challenges differently.
“These aren’t people problems,” Phillips’ new ISPA iLearn series suggests. “They’re system problems. And systems can be fixed.”
That idea is at the heart of The Spa Retail Blueprint: Strategy, Systems & Sales, a comprehensive education series now available to ISPA members through iLearn. Created and hosted by spa retail strategist Carol Phillips, the course gives spa professionals a practical framework for building consistent, measurable retail results.
WHY THIS COURSE MATTERS
Retail performance rarely improves through hope alone. Phillips’s course helps spa teams focus on the systems behind the sale: clear expectations, confident language, thoughtful merchandising, useful data, stronger vendor partnerships and consistent follow-through.
“Retail doesn’t grow with hope,” Phillips says. “It grows with clarity. When your team understands the numbers, the language and the systems—everything changes.”
COURSE AT A GLANCE
The Spa Retail Blueprint: Strategy, Systems & Sales; Available to all members on iLearn; Hosted by Carol Phillips; 14 on-demand lessons with industry guest experts; 14 downloadable worksheets and action planners; Designed for spa owners, directors, managers, front desk teams, estheticians, massage therapists and retail staff.
REAL-WORLD EXPERTS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS
That clarity is supported by expert industry voices across skin care, nail care, lifestyle retail, data analytics, events, merchandising and more. Each lesson also includes a professionally designed worksheet or action planner, giving teams a way to assess performance, apply key frameworks and identify one change they can implement immediately.
For ISPA members looking to strengthen revenue, increase guest loyalty and build staff confidence, The Spa Retail Blueprint offers more than a course. It is a team training resource designed to help spa professionals create a retail culture that is organized, intentional and rooted in care. The full series is available now to ISPA members through iLearn at experienceispa.com.
Learn on Demand with iLearn
iLEARN, ISPA’S LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, makes on-demand education easier than ever for spa professionals. Available to ISPA members, the platform provides access to learning opportunities across a variety of spa industry topics, helping members gain insights they can apply directly to their businesses and teams.
With intuitive tracking features, iLearn allows members to monitor progress, resume sessions where they left off and view their full course history. Whether a member is revisiting completed content, continuing a course already in progress or exploring new learning opportunities, iLearn keeps the educational journey organized and seamless.
For spa leaders, iLearn also offers a convenient way to support staff development. Courses can be accessed on demand and at each learner’s own pace, making the platform a flexible resource for individual growth, team training and ongoing professional development.
MEET CAROL PHILLIPS
CAROL PHILLIPS brings an operator’s eye to one of the spa industry’s most persistent challenges: turning great service into measurable business results. The retail insights and course overview presented in this feature are informed by Phillips’ expertise and by the strategies, systems and practical guidance she shares in The Spa Retail Blueprint: Strategy, Systems & Sales, now available to ISPA members through iLearn.
Her approach is rooted in the belief that retail success begins long before checkout, with team confidence, guest trust and a culture that treats recommendation as care. Phillips built that philosophy inside her own spa, where retail once represented 55 percent of total revenue, and has since helped other properties translate similar principles into practical training, stronger merchandising and more intentional guest conversations.
Spa leaders value her ability to connect day-to-day behaviors with larger outcomes, from increased loyalty and sales to more engaged employees. Her work encourages teams to use existing resources more strategically, creating service experiences that feel personal while also supporting profitability.