“ Especially with the shortage of staff that we have right now , just being able to touch our guests and continue to support them when they ’ re at home is such a tremendous opportunity .”
— AMY MCDONALD a calming nighttime ritual that adds to the guest experience and addresses sleep issues without requiring the use of the spa ’ s three treatment rooms or a dedicated service provider . If guests want to go further , they can opt for a treatment using a sleep-specific , CBD-infused skin or body care product .
Other spas McDonald has worked with have created similar packages curated to play to the spas ’ respective strengths and goals while still addressing guests ’ sleep needs . One luxury hotel spa created a package that incorporated existing treatments with sleep benefits with curated products in guests ’ rooms .“ They didn ’ t have to create treatments ,” McDonald says .“ We just looked at their menu and said ,‘ These would be great ,’ and they came up with a really nice package with a sleep tincture and a couple of other products .”
This approach should be encouraging to any spa leaders concerned that serving guests ’ sleep needs requires a massive investment of time or money ( or both ) in new trainings , products or technologies . Spas that can create packages from existing treatments and product offerings meant to improve sleep and educate guests about their effects stand to benefit without overhauling anything . For spas that may want to do a bit more on the retail side , McDonald advises following the lead of a Texas day spa with whom she recently worked . As part of a retail initiative , the spa curated a collection of products from lines on offer at the spa and is hosting community events featuring local experts who speak about the importance of sleep to help educate locals who may be curious about how to improve their sleep but who want to learn more about how spas might help do that . “ It ’ s building community . It ’ s building awareness . It ’ s giving people home tools ,” says McDonald , who notes that the value of retail sales has never been greater due to industry staffing challenges .“ Especially with the shortage of staff that we have right now , just being able to touch our guests and continue to support them when they ’ re at home is such a tremendous opportunity . Retail is what spas need right now — revenue without the labor costs .”
Sleep ’ s Tech Leap In addition to reams of research detailing our often lessthan-optimal sleep habits and the pandemic ’ s impact on our overall health-consciousness , one reason for our increased attention to sleep is the increase in technologies designed to improve it . Fitness trackers and smartphone apps that track sleep activity are likely the most well-known of these , but the list of devices designed to aid sleep grows longer by the day .
Smart mattresses are among the products attempting to promote better sleep by tackling an array of sleep issues through adaptive technology , and the companies that produce them are increasingly focusing on the getting better beds into the kinds of resorts and hotels that emphasize an experience rooted in wellness .“ People have started to pay more attention to how they feel when sleep better and what it does to their health ,” says Alexandra Zatarain , cofounder and vice president of brand and marketing at Eight Sleep , which manufactures AI-powered , cooling smart mattresses and a range of other sleep-centric products including a cooling pillow , comforter and lavender sleep spray .
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18 PULSE n JANUARY 2022