RESORT SPA Retail accounts for 15 per cent of spa revenue joining fee for access to the gym, pool and classes. Integration between gym and spa is high, however, with members automatically receiving three free massages as well as a wellbeing consultation, personal training session, discounts on food, beverage and retail, and 15 per cent off all treatments. A detox programme, launched in January <strong>2012</strong>, also brings spa and gym together, combining workout, nutritional shakes and massages, all tailored to the individual. “We would like to end <strong>2012</strong> with 200 members – with the attention and care we give our members, we prefer to grow slowly and let them introduce friends and family,” says Taffin d’Heursel. Indeed, word-of-mouth is the strongest marketing channel for the spa as a whole, while there are also monthly promotions for non-members: December’s was a two-hour massage plus facial for kwd50 (us$180, €136, £111). “Ultimately though, provided you offer high quality, price isn’t a concern for the locals,” he adds. Taffin d’Heursel continues: “We’ve been open since 24 June 2011, and we currently have 300 or 400 people a month coming exclusively for spa treatments – it’s open to non-members as well as members. Fifteen per cent of customers are hotel guests, 15 per cent are members and the remainder comprise day spa visitors/non-members. Overall, around 10 per cent of clients are expats, with the remainder elite Kuwaitis – typically in their 30s, with the gender split around 40 per cent male and 60 per cent female.” But as he explains, the legal requirement to segregate by gender can be a challenge from a staffing perspective: “Getting the male/female ratio right takes a lot of adjusting, not only ensuring we have the right number of therapists of each sex to meet 88 Read <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Business</strong> online spabusiness.com / digital demand, but also that their schedules match those of our customers. Around 80 per cent of our customers are walk-in, so you have to know which therapists you need by day of the week and by specific time slot. That can be a hard balance to strike.” All eight therapists have been recruited from other Six Senses <strong>Spa</strong>s, many from Asia. In addition, each month sees a guest practitioner – such as chiropractors and acupuncturists – visiting the spa and there is an array of educational workshops on topics such as nutrition. SETTING GOALS Key performance indicators at Six Senses Missoni, tracked by GramercyOne’s <strong>Spa</strong>- Booker software, range from therapist productivity and training hours to retail to treatment ratio, carbon footprint reduction and room occupancy. “Our target for <strong>2012</strong> is an average of 31 treatments a day, meaning an occupancy rate of 50 per cent,” says Taffin part one A mix of Oriental and holistic treatments are offered alongside two hammams – a favourite of locals SIX SENSES SPA: FIRST PERSON EXPERIENCE Kate Cracknell Journalist, <strong>Spa</strong> <strong>Business</strong> All elements in the Six Senses <strong>Spa</strong> reception – the lighting, temperature, décor and staff – made for a welcoming feel. And after showing me to the locker room, the receptionist waited for me in the relaxation area to make certain I was comfortably settled. I had signed up for the holistic massage – the 50-minute kwd30 (us$108, €81, £67) signature treatment – but my therapist immediately sensed the tension in my back and suggested adding elements of Thai massage. She also applied the perfect pressure, stopping just short of the pain barrier, so I managed to relax while still feeling the muscular needs of my body had been addressed. A nice extra touch was checking I was happy with the volume of the music. Showing me out, my therapist recommended an Oriental massage for my next visit before settling me in the relaxation area and bringing me a hot cushion for my shoulders, a towel to keep me warm, and a pot of ginger tea. Altogether, an excellent massage and all-round experience. d’Heursel. “We’re almost there, and will soon need to recruit a ninth therapist.” Eight hundred to 1,000 monthly spa visitors is his goal – but there are challenges. “In Kuwait, the term ‘spa’ means everything from a hair salon or a manicure to a massage. People don’t immediately understand the holistic aspect of our offering. “Having said that, there are huge opportunities in Kuwait. It’s a market that’s hungry for good, international-quality service and, although we do have competition locally – Al Corniche, for example – the spa market is still relatively under-developed here. “My ambition is to establish Six Senses as a wellness location in Kuwait. Longer-term I’d also like to work more closely with the hotel – not just in the area of catering, but also looking at the possibility of driving leisure business by, for example, marketing yoga retreats locally and in the Gulf region.” ● In part two of our Kuwaiti series we focus on the Al Corniche Club Resort and <strong>Spa</strong>. SPA BUSINESS 2 <strong>2012</strong> © Cybertrek <strong>2012</strong>
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