GET PERSONAL Benjamin Donat , who took over as spa director of Remède Spa at St . Regis Deer Valley in 2020 , has spent a lot of time reshaping the spa ’ s retail experience with one eye on the present and another on the future .
As guests resume something resembling their typical spa routines , Donat is mindful about how their relationship to spa products may have changed during long periods away from the spa .“ One thing is that the guests we have now — because they were at home for so much time — have used up all the stuff they had and then now , they are getting back into their routine that they missed so much . [ They ] were missing the element of having a facial and then a consultation afterward .” According to Donat , the spa is also seeing an increase in guests who are more focused than ever on their overall wellness , and that focus is translating to a greater interest in maintaining their spa routines at home .
“ We see those guests as well , who are now focused on themselves and use the spa as an outlet , and then use retail to take a little bit of the spa home , prolong the spa visit but also to escape a little bit from the stress at home ,” Donat explains . He credits the spa ’ s focus on personalized education about product for its strong sales , which he says are up about 300 percent .“ For us , it ’ s the one-on-one with the esthetician — I think it will always be a very big factor in our retail , especially in the luxury retail components .” These one-on-one conversations occur frequently in spas as a part of the post-treatment guest experience , but what may now be different is the guests ’ interest in and willingness to purchase retail products is often heightened in the wake of the increased focus on overall well-being that seems to have permeated the culture during the pandemic .
Still , spas hoping to see a boost in retail sales in light of evolving guest attitudes should remember that detail-oriented education is essential , whether guests have just experienced a treatment or they are perusing the
“ For us , it ’ s the one-on-one with the esthetician — I think it will always be a very big factor in our retail , especially in the luxury retail components .”
SEPTEMBER 2021 ■ PULSE 23