The #1 Mistake Made by Spa Owners

Spa Owners, you are single-handedly sabotaging your own financial success and the financial success of your Estheticians if you do this to your Estheticians. (I can practically hear thousands of Estheticians who are reading this nodding their head in agreement right now!)

One of the biggest financial mistakes I see spa owners make is not allowing extra time before and after a new client’s first appointment. Instead, they have their Estheticians running from client to client with barely enough time to change the sheets on the facial bed. This is an enormous error.

In a typical spa, the massage department must rely on services for income. However, the opposite is true in the esthetics department because of the endless opportunities for retail sales. And as everyone knows, retail is the most direct path to financial success in the spa business.

These days, clients can purchase products everywhere, so an emphasis must be placed on the client relationship. Once a solid connection between an Esthetician and his or her client has been established, the client will then replenish her home care products on an ongoing basis -- with or without a facial service. This means that while there is a cap on the amount of profit a facial service can provide, the profit from retail sales is unlimited.

Another reason to factor in extra time between clients is that new clients may have never been face-to-face with an Esthetician. These clients may have questions about the facial and their skin condition, as well as curiosity about the products and equipment that were used during the facial. And they almost always want advice about home care. It is an important part of the Esthetician’s job to answer the client’s questions and make the client feel comfortable. That is how clients bond with their Estheticians, and that is how loyal clients are created. (More on this topic can be found in yesterday's blog "The #1 Mistake Made by Estheticians.")

I have created a facial service specifically for first-time clients. You will find the details inside The Heart of Esthetics book.