educate employees and offer supportive services within its professional scope.

Start with what guests are asking:

“ We are not always aware who is on them and who is not.”

— SNAPSHOT SURVEY RESPONDENT

That uncertainty argues against building a strategy around assumptions. Guests may not want to disclose medication use, and visible body changes should never be treated as proof.

Instead, leaders can listen for needs guests describe: dryness, changes in skin appearance, hair or scalp concerns, body-image sensitivity or a desire to preserve strength and overall well-being. Spa professionals should refer medical concerns rather than attempt to diagnose their cause.

Readiness begins with the team Only 14 percent of respondents reported changes involving staff education or training, and just four percent reported partnerships with medical or wellness providers.

Before introducing a GLP-1-adjacent service or promotion, leaders should establish shared language, intake procedures and referral protocols. Employees must understand the difference between guest education and medical advice.

A program that looks promising on paper may fail if providers feel undertrained, ethically uneasy or unclear about their responsibilities.

Define the spa’ s role A medical partnership may fit naturally within an integrated wellness destination or medically supervised spa. It may feel inconsistent at a traditional day spa or hospitality spa built around restoration and escape. Neither position is inherently more progressive.

The goal is not to attach GLP-1 language to every firming facial, scalp service or body treatment. It is to decide whether the trend fits the brand, whether the guest need is real and whether the spa can respond safely and credibly.

For many spas, the best first step is a structured readiness review— followed by education, guest listening and carefully chosen partnerships. n

Most spas remain in the early stages of responding to increased GLP-1 and peptide use. Fifty-nine percent indicated that no changes are currently being considered

AREAS OF ACTIVE CHANGE

4 % 4 % 4 %

3 % 1 % 1 %

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