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partnering with a local yoga studio
has given the spa a nice boost.
“That brought people that have
never been through our door here,”
Turner says. “We do a special deal to
where they can spend a cheaper
admission fee to spend the rest of the
day here after yoga. That has grown
here to where a yoga studio now rents
space from us.
“It’s making these relationships
that is really helping us.”
Establishing Credibility with
Local Partnerships
Spas have found that it isn’t nec-
essarily about randomly picking local
businesses to partner with. There is
some strategy to it. Establishing
partnerships with other reliable
businesses goes a long way towards
building credibility for a spa.
BodiScience Wellness Center &
Spa, for instance, has a company pol-
icy in its employee handbook address-
ing personal suggestions and
recommendations. It requires employ-
ees to observe standards of conduct to
assure recommendations are aligned
with BodiScience’s level of service to
enhance the relationship of the client
with the center. BodiScience has a list
of like-minded local companies that
they have partnered with and trust
implicitly. “Our relationships are inten-
tional, to build trust with our clients
and assure exceptional experiences,”
says BodiScience president Dawn
Tardif. “It’s important to keep the
guest’s experience at a high level even
when they are not at the spa.
“When someone dines at a lovely
spot to eat, it creates the opportunity
for us to enhance our client relation-
ship,” Tardif says. “It helps build
loyalty and trust with us. It’s not
uncommon that clients ask us, espe-
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BodiScience is intentional about what businesses it recommends to clients.
cially when traveling, about special or
unique places to go to.
“There is an intangible benefit
when you assist somebody with rec-
ommendations. When we are able to
assist, our goal is to make certain
their life is more enjoyable, or make
their life easier, it enhances our
business relationship with them.”
The spa‘s reputation extends outside
of the building, as Michelle Adams
Somerville says. The Spa Advisor for the
Woodstock Inn and Executive Vice
President at Billings Farm & Resort says
that she is trying to have her guests
think bigger than just a massage at a
spa. It’s about a lifestyle full of wellness,
from the food guests consume to the
skin-care products they use.
“Farm-to-table and farm-to-face is
something we’re really trying to pull
together and weave through our spa,”
Somerville says. “The spa experience
is not just about the hour or two
you’re spending with us. It’s establish-
ing habits to contribute to overall
wellness daily.”
Highlighting the
Exceptional Stories
Every now and again, there’s a story
that is so inspirational that the revenue
generated is completely secondary
because of the way it enhances the
experience. Simon Marxer, the Director
of Spa and Wellbeing at Miraval, recog-
nized that a partnership with Ben’s
Bells was a no-brainer. It’s a foundation
that teaches individuals and com-
munities about the positive impacts of
kindness and sets out to inspire people
to practice kindness as a way of life. It
was started after founder Jeannette
Maré dealt with the loss of a child.