Spa Business issue 2 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Spas are well positioned to take over from medical systems burdened by treating chronic diseases
Let’s move beyond lip
service for wellness
Samantha Foster, director
of business development,
Destination Spa Management
For most spas, wellness services are those
that promote relaxation, and/or provide
some means of empowerment to cope
with stress, such as massage, yoga or
meditation. For medi-spas and those with
a higher tech focus, the most excitement
has been around anti-ageing and longevity,
ranging from cosmetic procedures to bioidentical
hormone replacement.
Is this really wellness? A commonly
cited defi nition is that “wellness is a state
of complete physical, mental, and social
wellbeing and not merely the absence of
disease or infi rmity”.
Surely then, we should be doing more
than a temporary reduction in stress or
wrinkles! While we are eager to offer our
clients the latest in anti-ageing, shouldn’t
we fi rst be ensuring that a foundation of
health is in place?
As wellness professionals, we need to
understand the big issues that lie at the
heart of global health concerns. For me,
that means fi nding ways to deal with the
world’s biggest killer – chronic disease.
spa business HANDBOOK
Th e global resource for spa professionals
The annual Spa Business Handbook brings
together research and vital reference content.
Visit the website: www.spahandbook.com or
view it online at www.spahandbook.com/digital
The World Economic Forum recently
reported that the fi ve most common
chronic diseases – cancer, diabetes, heart
disease, lung disease and mental health
disorders – will cost the world US$47
trillion (�36tn, £29tn) in treatment
and lost wages by 2030. These largely
preventable diseases are responsible for
63 per cent of all deaths worldwide.
Historically, we’ve left it to governments
and the medical system to deal with
chronic disease, however they’re collapsing
under the burden. The situation is now so
large it can only effectively be controlled
through a focus on prevention. Of all
industries, the wellness industry is the best
(and only) industry that is positioned to
manage and prevent this pandemic.
To date, we’ve failed to address chronic
disease head-on – perhaps it seems too
big; perhaps because it’s not as sexy as
anti-ageing. Yet I strongly believe it is our
biggest opportunity – both in terms of
business and social contribution.
In this era of improved technology and
increased collaboration, the opportunities
to positively impact on our guest’s health
and lifestyle are ever-expanding. To that
end, I’ve started a new LinkedIn group:
Wellness Alliance against Chronic Disease.
If you’d like to join the discussion and
collaborate on solutions, please sign up.
spa-kit.net
Th e search engine for spa buyers
Some refl ections on
menu engineering
Peter C Anderson, owner,
Anderson & Associates
Find the suppliers you need to equip your spa
quickly and easily. Over 57,000 buyers each
month use the service, which includes sectorspecifi
c linked websites and a weekly ezine.
The concept of free-form treatment
delivery highlighted in a Spa Business
feature (SB12/1 p26) – where there are
four basic treatments, constrained only
by time – recklessly ignores cost controls
and product consistency, the backbone of
menu engineering.
Financial analysis is also key. And we
start to muddy this process if we divert our
emphasis to the more creative, cultural/
locational and brand-based components
of menu engineering.
However, understanding why an item
may not be popular or knowing what can
be done to enhance margins is where
the real work begins. This is the alchemy
that transforms our fi nancial data into
comprehensive and actionable information.
In addition, while its roots lie in
disciplines used in food and beverage,
the menu engineering process for spas
is different – guests lying naked at US$3
per minute, have different sensibilities
and expectations from diners. Well-vetted
chefs should be able to execute every
item on the restaurant menu; the same is
not always true for therapists. Therefore,
training and staff development costs (over
and above the payroll associated with
the specifi c treatment delivery), must be
quantifi ed and factored-in when making
menu inclusion and exclusion decisions,
especially in markets with a shallow
employee base.
While it may appear that customers
are looking for smaller price points, the
truth is their search is actually for valuefor-money.
Customised mini-protocols
tailored to their needs are a step in the
right direction, as they provide fl exibility
in choice and price. A dynamic menu,
in sync with evolving guest expectations
allows you to have treatments that are
both popular and profi table.
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