Spa Executive December

ISSUE #42 DECEMBER 2022
SPA EXECUTIVE
FOR LEADERS IN THE BUSINESS OF WELLNESS
Spotlight:
Carlos Calvo Rodriguez of Four Seasons Toronto on staff
training & habits of effective leaders in spa and wellness.
Business:
26 marketing strategies and tips for your spa
Management:
Dear Sal: how can we improve retail sales at
our spa?
Carlos Calvo Rodriguez,
Senior Spa Director, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

PUBLISHER
Roger Sholanki
EDITOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Bromstein
Note from the Editor
Dear readers,
DESIGNER
Design Pickle
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR,
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Sal Capizzi
Happy holidays!
If you’re looking for a way to elevate your guest experience in the new year, consider focusing
on staff training. According to Carlos Calvo Rodriguez, who is our Spotlight interview for this
month, this is an important element that sometimes gets overlooked.
Calvo Rodriguez, who is the Senior Spa Director at Four Seasons Toronto, the city’s only
Forbes 5-Star rated spa, says, “Training is so important because the more time you spend
on training, the better quality your service will be. I find sometimes we overlook that part.
Communication is key and so is investing in enough training for everyone so that they feel like
they are a part of things.”
For more of his insights, read Carlos Calvo Rodriguez of Four Seasons Toronto on staff
training & habits of effective leaders in spa and wellness.
Of course, training your team will elevate your guest experience, but, no matter how
wonderful and exquisite your service offerings, people will only come try them if they
know about them. That’s why we’re also talking about marketing, and listing 26 marketing
strategies and tips for your spa. Does your spa have a selfie station? Maybe it should.
Spa Executive
We’re also looking at a couple more wellness trends for 2023: wellness tourism and
personalized nutrition, and, in his advice column, Sal Capizzi answers the question of how to
increase your spa’s retail sales.
Spa Executive is Book4Time’s
magazine for leaders in the
business of wellness. News,
views, and interviews for those
who want to attract top talent,
increase customer retention,
and offer the best possible
guest experience.
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s articles in Spa Executive and they provide valuable
information to help you achieve success.
Elizabeth Bromstein,
Editor,
Spa Executive

Contents
December 2022 Volume 42
4
WELLNESS TREND:
Wellness Tourism
6
MANAGEMENT:
Get the most out of your spa
gift cards
8
BUSINESS:
26 marketing strategies and tips
for your spa
12
FEATURED PROPERTY:
La Zambra
15
BUSINESS:
Dear Sal: how can we improve
retail sales at our spa?
17
WELLNESS TREND:
Personalized Nutrition
19
SPOTLIGHT:
Carlos Calvo Rodriguez of Four
Seasons Toronto on staff training
& habits of effective leaders in
spa and wellness.

Wellness trend:
Wellness Tourism
Wellness travel is “a major trend that hoteliers
need to address.” Hospitality should be paying
attention to the wellness tourism trend of 2023.
Defined by the Global Wellness institute
as “travel associated with the pursuit of
maintaining or enhancing one’s personal
wellbeing,” wellness tourism continues to
gain in popularity. In a Hospitality.net article,
consultant Mariana Palmeiro writes that
she gets “more calls from hotels looking to
reposition into health and wellness tourism
than any other trend,” adding, “no wonder –
this market is booming.” This has been true
for some time – according to a GWI report,
the wellness tourism sector accounted for
$436 billion of the $4.4 trillion in revenue
generated by the wellness economy in 2020
– and seems even more so now that people
are free to travel the world again.
An Accenture survey found that 39% of highincome
consumers have already booked
a luxury trip or wellness retreat in early
2023, and 21% of millennials have booked
a wellness retreat. The survey of more than
11,000 consumers in 16 countries found
that health and wellbeing are considered
“essential,” and 33% of respondents said
they’re more focused on self-care than they
were a year ago.
Examples of self care focused destinations
include CIVANA, which sits in the Sonoran
Desert and offers curated personal
growth and discovery content, outdoor
adventures, yoga and meditation and access
to world renowned wellness guides and
healers. Civana also features comfortable
accommodations and a world-class spa and
was named USA Today’s #5 best health &
wellness resort in 2022.
And a recent article in Hotel Business calls
wellness travel “a major trend that hoteliers
need to address,” and quotes Kenneth Ryan,
VP, global wellness, spa & fitness operations,
Marriott International, saying: “We’ve heard
that wellness is now at the forefront of
everybody’s mind and self-care rituals are
really important to everybody – and they’re
taking that with them when they travel. This
has had a profound shift in what’s going on
and driving powerful growth. We’re seeing
high demand in our spas and the best
revenues ever – well over 2019 – and really
strong rates.”
Forbes also recently reported that wellness
tourism is growing at a 50% faster rate
than conventional tourism, with no signs
of slowing down. Savvy hospitality leaders
are making wellness programs a priority,
which looks different from destination
to destination but includes spa, wellness
activities, mental wellness focused design,
and sleep wellness, which is growing a
reputation all its own – CNN recently
reported that an increasing amount of sleepfocused
stays are popping up at hotels and
resorts around the world and that “interest
has skyrocketed since the pandemic,” with
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| Spa Executive

a number of high profile establishments
focusing their attention on those suffering
from sleep-deprivation, including Park Hyatt
and Rosewood.
According to a Conde Nast Traveler article
on the biggest wellness travel trends of
2023, “People are craving physical activity,
and increasingly seeking wellness in the
wild: Mindful movement is a new buzzword,
and travelers are getting their fix on newly
opened hiking trails, pickleball courts, and
even on skis and paddleboards. Plus, after
all that physical exertion, there are recovery
rooms to ensure you’ll never have achy
muscles. Not the outdoorsy kind? Resorts
are offering everything from pottery to
weaving and painting to center the mind—
and keep us away from our screens.”
The trends listed in the article include
recovery lounges; mindful activities
like arts & crafts in lieu of meditation;
soaking and steaming as forms of socializing;
and diagnostic tools that allow spas to
customize stays with therapies that address
issues like emotional health and bone strength.
See more 2023 wellness trends: 8
WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2023: A
HOSPITALITY HANDBOOK
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| Spa Executive

Management
Get the
most out
of your spa
gift cards
Gift cards or gift certificates are an important
part of your spa revenue. Spa gift cards are
a thoughtful and highly desired gift, and an
excellent way to increase revenue, boost
brand awareness, and help attract new
customers and retain existing ones.
As we head into the holiday season, spas
should be focusing on gift cards sales and
maximizing their potential.
With Book4Time spa software, you can create
and sell your own gift cards to increase brand
recognition and market penetration. Our
central system makes it easy to manage your
own gift card program across all locations,
plus sell and redeem them right in our Point
of Sale system.
Some gift card facts and statistics:
By 2024 it’s estimated that the global
gift card market will reach more than
$698 billion.
In 2018 55% of consumers surveyed
reported being interested in giving or
receiving digital gift cards that can be
added to a mobile app or digital wallet.
55% of survey respondents in 2018
were interested in giving and 67% are
interested in receiving a digital gift card.
81% of consumers purchase gift
cards for a birthday 65% of gift card
recipients spend 38% more than the
value of their cards.
Gift cards are one of the most requested
gifts during the holiday season.
63% of people would prefer to receive
an experience gift over a material gift
for the holidays.
We spoke with Winnie Tang, Director
of Business Development at Givex, a
Book4Time technology partner that offers
omnichannel POS, gift card, loyalty and
stored value ticketing solutions, about how
to make the most of your gift card program
and why it’s so important to do so.
Tapping into a “gifting culture”
Tang explained that we have a “gifting
culture” as a society.
“It’s integral to how we interact socially,” she
said. “It’s part of our love language. Spas can
tap into this and businesses can increase
spa revenue through the sale of gift cards.”
People want to receive them and they
are an easy gift for people to buy. Plus, as
mentioned in the facts and statistics above,
a majority of people spend more than the
value of the card. According to Tang, this is
considered an effect of what is called tender
“bucketing” in psychology.
“We look at money in different buckets,” she
said, “like household expenses, business
expenses, etc. Gift cards go in the ‘free
money’ bucket, which means the recipient
does not view gift card dollars as part of
their own expenses, so will spend some of
their own money in addition to the money
already made from the sale of the gift card.
It’s almost guaranteed future revenue
because gift cards are typically redeemed
within 30 to 60 days.”
How gift cards increase customer acquisition
and retention
According to Outbound Engine, acquiring a
new customer can cost five times more than
retaining an existing one, and increasing
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| Spa Executive

customer retention by 5% can increase
profits from 25-95%. Also, the success rate
of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%,
while the success rate of selling to a new
customer is only 5-20%.
Gift cards make acquisition a lot easier. They
are one of the best ways to introduce people
to your brand. Tang says, “When someone
receives a gift card they are often being
introduced to that brand for the first time.
This is an excellent way to encourage people
to discover your spa and gain new customers.
“There is also the element of brand
recognition you get through what is
essentially cash converted to special money
associated with your brand, when your
business name is written on the card with
the brand logo. It’s what we call “brand
wallet.” And if a person who received the gift
card has a good experience at the spa, when
they need to give a gift, they are more likely
to choose that spa over somebody else, like
the competition.”
How to market your gift cards
You have to market your cards. They are not
going to sell themselves.
Use your customer relationship
management (CRM) system and run
promotions. Promotions can play a big role,
says Tang. “Associate the purchase of a gift
card with an event, occasion or reason, like
Mother’s Day, Graduation, or Back to School.
Mother’s Day is one of the highest revenue
days for gift cards. And bundle them in with
other purchase options, like BOGO (Buy One
Service, Get Free gift card), or spend $100,
get a $25 gift card, for example.” It can then
be suggested that the guest use the card
either for themselves or give it to someone
else, which plants the idea for them to bring
in a new customer to your spa. Pairing a gift
card with merchandise, like a spa product, is
another idea.
Another good opportunity is charitable
causes, says Tang. “You can donate gift
cards to charities and nonprofits for
fundraisers and silent auctions. This brings
in new customers and ties your spa brand
to good causes.”
Digital gift cards are a must
“If the spa is not already offering gift card
sales online, through their website they
absolutely must start,” said Tang. “Make it
digital. Ideally, the recipient can even add
it to their Apple wallet. Make it visible on
your website.”
More than half of consumers surveyed
before the pandemic reported being
interested in giving or receiving digital gift
cards that can be added to a mobile app or
digital wallet, especially Millennials. Given the
rise in virtual adoption that has since taken
place, you can be almost certain that this
number has increased since then.
Encourage and train employees to sell your gift cards
Staff training and marketing are big missed
opportunities for gift card sales, says Tang.
“Employees should be encouraged to sell gift
cards through incentives, or even contests –
whoever sells the most cards in the month
gets a reward.
They’re on the front lines with the customers,
so if they are promoting the cards they will
increase your sales.
“We did a survey with one of our resort
spa clients and because they had high staff
turnover, no one was selling gift cards. No
one even knew they had them. You have to
keep training your team and familiarizing
them with what you have to offer. You should
be treating your gift cards like any of your
other spa services or products. Incorporate
it into your marketing strategy. It can’t just
be something that you just stick beside the
cash register and wait for people to notice.
It should be marketed, featured on your
website, and included in your social media.”
Remind people to use their cards and not let
them go unredeemed
It’s also important to remind people to
use their gift cards. Up to 3 Billion USD in
gift cards reportedly goes unredeemed
each year in the US alone. This is called
“breakage” in the gift card industry and can
be considered a profitable “side effect” of
gift card programs. But you’re better off
encouraging people to use their cards.
The revenue you stand to generate from
impressing a new customer, turning them
into a returning customer, and encouraging
them to refer their friends is much greater
than the few hundred dollars or so that you
may get from an unused card.
“Send out emails to remind customers to
use their gift cards,” says Tang. “You can’t put
an expiry date on it but you can offer some
sort of reward if they come in and use it
before the end of the year.”
This is where digital gift cards come in
extra handy. When a person purchases
one through Book4Time, they input the
information of the recipient. Then you can
contact the person to remind them to use
their card, put a freeze on it if it’s lost or
stolen, and use that contact information for
marketing purposes.
Don’t lose out on all the benefits gift card sales
have to offer. Contact us at Book4Time to find
out how we can help.
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| Spa Executive

26 marketing strategies
and tips for your spa
Marketing is key to business success no matter
what your industry. Let’s take a look at 26
marketing strategies, tips, and tricks for your spa.
Marketing is key to business success
no matter what your industry. Spa is no
exception, but sometimes in this world
marketing can fall by the wayside, behind
other, seemingly more pressing duties.
But it is necessary. Because, no matter
how wonderful and exquisite your service
offerings, people will only come try them if
they know about them.
Spas rarely have dedicated marketing teams,
so the job of brand building falls to already
stretched managers and directors, which can
be the case even if they’re part of a larger
organization and located in a hotel or resort.
Marketing budgets are also often small, if they
exist at all. Fortunately, the current world of
available social channels and free-to-occupy
online space means a lot of marketing is free
or fairly inexpensive these days, with no real
need to buy expensive ad space. Social media
provides the opportunity to market your
spa, raise your brand awareness, and stay
connected to your guests after they leave.
Amy Chan, Assistant Group Director of Spa
& Wellness at Langham Hospitality, recently
told Spa Executive, “We need to follow the
world trends where the use of technology and
social media are the new norm. This is one
instance where the world of spas and modern
technology can enjoy a happy marriage to
enhance the customer journey and offer a
holistic experience from the first click to the
final touches in the treatment room.”
Let’s take a look at 26 marketing strategies,
tips, and tricks for your spa.
Be informative and educational
Where possible marketing should provide
value to a target audience. This means
sharing valuable, educational content that
people will appreciate and relate to rather
than hitting them over the head with the
constant message that you want them to
buy your product or service. They already
know that’s what you want them to do.
Sharing educational and useful content
showcases your brand while bringing
value to your audience by teaching them
something new.
Don’t worry that you’re going to give away
all your secrets and that people will think
they don’t need you anymore. That’s old
school thinking that serves no one. You’ve
got plenty of secrets with knowledge and
expertise to spare, and if what you have to
offer is worth it, people will always need you.
Get busy on social media
If your spa doesn’t have a social media
presence, create one, or a few, on the
platform(s) that work best for you. Instagram
and TikTok are good platforms. Facebook
tends to be more used by older audiences
but is still the largest social media network.
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| Spa Executive

Find out where your target customer hangs
out and meet them there.
Post about your products and services
Post about your amazing services and
products. Share how much you love them
and why. When you truly love something
people can feel that and will respond
accordingly. What makes your spa amazing?
Talk about it. Remember these are bitesized
and situational pieces of content, so
they can be a picture and a short message.
You don’t need to write everything in one
post, nor should you. You need something
to post tomorrow.
Post about your team
People in the spa and wellness industry
are fond of saying that our people are
everything. So, share that with the world.
Share what they’re doing, what products
they’re using, the stories that make them
interesting. Share stories and pictures of
what’s happening around you and make
it compelling so that people want to be a
part of it.
Leverage video content
Instagram reels, Facebook reels, TikTok
videos, YouTube videos, all of these can be
used to market your spa. A lot of people
want to see video content, and statistics
suggest this number is growing to a large
majority and that video content is a major
driver of sales and engagement.
Create tutorials
Help your audience learn how to massage
their own shoulders or feet; do a mini body
wrap or facial at home; use singing bowls;
make their own bespoke lotion; treat their
own hair (if your spa has a salon component)
… the possibilities are endless. Video tutorials
can engage your audience, showcase your
expertise and products and services, and
raise awareness for your brand. What can
you and your team teach people?
Encourage team members to get in on the
social action
Your team members who are active on social
media should be eager to post about their
work if they love what they do and where
they work. What can they tell the world
about your brand as a company and as a
workplace (employer branding is important
too!)? It’s never a good idea to make social
sharing mandatory for team members, as
not everyone has the same comfort level with
online media, but it should be encouraged for
those who would like to do it.
Encourage customers to share their
experiences (user-generated content)
Your customers can be your greatest
ambassadors. If they are pleased with a
product or service, encourage them to share
this on social media. Small gifts can often be a
motivator for this and you can say something
like “If you enjoy it, please share that with
your network!”
Set up a selfie station
Create a selfie station in your spa where happy
guests can take blissed-out post treatment
photos to share on their own social channels.
Make it an inviting place to stop for a bit on the
way out. Make sure to ask guests taking selfies
to hashtag and @ tag your spa!
Share posts about your customers
You can also take pictures and videos of your
willing customers and share them yourself
with a little comment or story about your
experience together. Remember to focus on
the guest and not on yourself – how great
your experience with them was, and what
they brought to your day rather than what
you brought to theirs.
Be interactive and engaged
Aside from posting on your own social media
channels, don’t forget to interact with other
people’s. Comment, like, and share other
people’s good content from your online
network. And keep the conversation going on
your own pages by responding to comments.
Don’t try to control the conversation
Getting people talking about your brand on
social media means letting go of control over
the conversation. You can encourage positive
talk but can’t force it. This means not deleting
comments you don’t like from your own
pages, for example, or arguing with people
who are negative or with whom you don’t
agree. Be prepared for negative comments
as things happen naturally. The best way to
avoid this is to provide exquisite customer
experiences and be above reproach, but
there is always going to be someone with
something negative to say. You can’t control
that and you shouldn’t try.
Partner with micro or nano influencers
Influencer marketing is common these days
but might be out of a business’s price range
and often doesn’t deliver as much bang
for a buck as hoped. Micro influencers, or
nano influencers, have smaller followings
(somewhere between 1,000 – 100,000) cheaper
rates, and often higher engagement rates.
Partner with other businesses
Partner with another business like a clothing
boutique, flower shop, or restaurant to sell,
promote, and share each other’s offerings in
packages or bundles, or to sell or give away
each other’s gift cards.
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| Spa Executive

Spa packages and bundles
Packages of several treatments or a selection
of mini treatments are a great way to promote
your services and introduce customers to
experiences they might not otherwise try.
Bundle products and services together to
showcase how these things work together for
the ultimate experience. Packages and bundles
are great ideas for customers looking for the
perfect gift.
Market your memberships with “bring a
friend” perks
Membership packages that allow unlimited
use of your facilities and a certain number of
treatments per month are an excellent way to
fill up your spa during downtimes and bring in
a steady revenue stream all year round. Allow
and encourage guests to bring a friend once a
month to sweeten the deal and introduce new
people to your spa.
Send out subscription boxes
Another way to diversify revenue and attract
new customers is to launch a subscription box
program. Home deliveries of your products
once a month keeps you top of mind and
makes an amazing gift for existing customers to
give their loved ones.
Sell your gift cards
Gift cards are a marketing tool as old as time.
OK, maybe not as old as time exactly, but
they’ve been around for a while. Gift cards get
your brand name out there and are a tried and
true way to attract new customers and retain
existing ones. Digital gift card sales make it all
the easier to get those precious gifts into the
right hands.
Email marketing
Stay in touch with your network by email. Send
out welcome emails to new customers, birthday
emails to existing ones, a newsletter updating
your customers on events and product
and service updates, thank you emails, and
customer satisfaction surveys. Be sure to always
collect customer email addresses — but don’t
bombard people with too much messaging.
Find a nice digestible pace, or people will just
find you annoying.
Host events
Host private events to introduce loyal
customers to new products or services or to
celebrate holidays or milestones (like your
spa’s one year or 10 year anniversary). Pour
tea or wine, offer samples of your new product
and give mini facials or massages. Encourage
customers to bring a plus one. Don’t forget
to take pictures and videos and to post these
online to showcase what a great host you are
and how compelling and lovely your clientele is.
Create referral programs
Incentivize referrals from guests by offering
a gift of a discount, upgrade, or free product
or service when a new person comes in for
a treatment or signs up for a membership at
their recommendation.
Place signage in the hotel or resort
It seems like an obvious idea. If your spa is in
a hotel or resort, post signs throughout the
property. Include a QR code with your menu
and a link to your booking site.
Manage your online reviews
Reviews are a major element to boosting
brand awareness. A vast majority of people
look at online reviews and many won’t even
try a business with fewer than four stars.
Encourage guests to leave good reviews, and
always respond to all reviews, good or bad, with
a “thank you” or an “I’m sorry your experience
didn’t live up to your expectations.” Read more
about handling online reviews here.
Build your SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization
and it refers to where you rank on search
engines (mostly Google) when people search
for particular key words or phrases. So, for
example, if someone is looking for an “Austin
spa,” will they find you or your competition first?
Learn about keywords and how to improve
your rankings then apply this to your website to
improve brand visibility.
Donate to charity auctions
Charities often hold big events with silent
or online auctions where people bid on
items and the money they pay goes to the
cause. These items are also donated by
the businesses themselves. Donating spa
products, gift cards, and service packages
to these events is not only a great way to
increase occupancy and expand your reach
but also an opportunity to support the causes
you believe in. It’s win-win.
Optimize for booking on web and mobile
Enable an online booking page on your
website and make this accessible for mobile
also. Post these links prominently on your
page and all your social channels so no
bookings fall through the cracks. Capture all
possible bookings and leave no money on
the table.
10 | Spa Executive

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SPA & WELLNESS INDUSTRY & DO
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and private clubs in more than 85 countries.
Book4Time is experiencing rapid growth and is hiring experienced professionals in a number of key roles including:
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Development
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Management
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If you thrive on innovation and are you looking for a compelling career
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@ https://book4time.com/careers/
We look forward to working with you!

Featured property:
La Zambra
La Zambra is a 5-star hideaway meant for
discovery in the depths of the Andalusian hills,
located between Málaga and Marbella.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the
opening of La Zambra, a reborn hotel, in
September, 2022. The event marked the
completed transformation of the iconic
Byblos hotel, which was known for celebrity
and luxury in the late 20th Century. Inspired
by this past, La Zambra joins Hyatt’s Unbound
Collection and signals the company’s
continued focus on creating elevated guest
experiences.
La Zambra is designed to celebrate and
elevate every moment and instil the spirit of
the Flamenco dance for which it is named.
That spirit encourages you to be whoever you
want in a resort that awakens all the senses,
nestled in the Mijas mountains, steps away
from the charming “Pueblo Blanco,” one of
the white villages of Andalusia. Guests are
immersed in the surrounding landscapes,
lush natural greenery, and stunning beaches
of the Mediterranean, and will enjoy the
nearby villages, rich culture, gastronomy, and
vibrant nightlife.
The hotel is also situated in one of Europe’s
most popular golfing destinations with
privileged access to two world-class courses
designed by renowned golf course architect
Robert Trent Jones, while there are more than
a dozen significant golf courses in the area.
La Zambra features 197 rooms and suites
displaying carefully crafted handmade
tapestries, bespoke sinks and lampshades,
and ceramic vases. Natural light, warm colors,
soft linens, and locally inspired furnishings
encourage guests to unwind in their own
personal sanctuaries. A 3,700-square-foot
penthouse features its own private entrance,
a private swimming pool, a dining pergola,
a relaxation area and wine cellar, while
the Tower Junior Suite offers 360-degree
panoramic views with two terraces for guests
to enjoy some of the hotel’s finest vistas.
Four dining options offer different takes on
the flavors of southern Spain – Palmito’s
all-day Mediterranean menu caters to
diners of all ages; Picador is a neo-taverna
where dishes are perfectly paired with the
world’s finest wines; Bamboleo bar offers
an innovative and diverse menu of meals
and snacks that combine local dishes with
Asian, American, and Mexican-influenced
cuisine; and La Bartola is an ode to authentic
Chiringuitos, Spanish beach bars serving light
snacks and lunches ideal for poolside dining.
The Mood Spa
La Zambra’s luxurious 26,909-square-foot
Mood Spa offers a Turkish bath, sauna,
whirlpools, and 12 personalized treatment
cabins to recalibrate body and soul. The
tranquil oasis encourages visitors to
disconnect and relax while therapists guide
them through five different wellness journeys
12 | Spa Executive

and personalized, immersive treatments.
Mood Spa will also offer exclusive signature
treatments for body and face with elements
of floating massage which allows guests to
move weightlessly in a three-dimensional
space creating a unique feeling of movement.
Guests can also enjoy on-site yoga and
Pilates classes, a world-class gym fitted with
the latest Technogym equipment, two tennis
courts, a paddle court, and two outdoor
swimming pools.
13 | Spa Executive

BOOK ONLINE,
PAY ONLINE,
SKIP THE LINE
Enjoy the contact-less experience.

Dear Sal: how can we improve retail sales
at our spa?
Sal Capizzi, Marketing Director at Book4Time
and a former Director of Spa and Wellness
at NEXUS Luxury Collection, shares his expert
insight into your reader questions.
Send your queries about managing staff,
operations, and anything else you want to know
(challenge him!) to scapizzi@spaexecutive.com
Q. Dear Sal,
“We are looking to increase our retail sales,
and possibly give our retail section a facelift to
be more visually appealing. Any suggestions?”
A. Hi there,
Excellent question! I would say to start with
the fundamentals; run retail reports and
see which lines and items you sell the most
of and where the areas of opportunity are.
From there you will be able to get a better
understanding of how your retail business is
operating and why.
If you notice one serum from a particular
line is doing really well, audit your selection
and see if you are carrying the entire line
from that vendor. When a guest is in love
with a single item, they are likely interested
in the benefits of the entire line, this could
boost your sales from a 100 dollar serum to
upwards of 500 dollars when you factor in a
cleanser, toner and moisturizer as well.
To be aesthetically pleasing to clients make
sure your display makes sense. If you’re
looking to sell products from a vitamin-C
or antioxidant line, purchase a decorative
orange from Pier-1 and line it up on the
shelf with those items. This happened in one
of my spas. We did a big launch party of a
vitamin-C line from one of our vendors, called
it “Mimosas and Mini-Facials,” place bowls
of real oranges everywhere, and served…
mimosas. Whoops!
But, not only did we sell out of the product,
but we were able to capture guests’
information during the event and created a
running list for future events of people who
were interested in attending. Nothing like
a warm buyer who has already had a great
experience with you.
Did your vendor supply you with a table
brochure? These are likely designed nicely
15 | Spa Executive

and are meant for display. They may even
include a couple of key product benefits on
them that catch people’s eye as well. Put
those out as long as they align with your
mission and brand standards.
I would also suggest strengthening the
relationships with your vendors. Do not
be afraid to reach out and ask for samples
so that your estheticians can try out the
products too. They are going to be a vendor’s
biggest advocate and your biggest sales
people just by making simple post-treatment
recommendations. Be open with your
vendors and see if you can promote a gift
with purchase. Maybe it’s a deluxe item from
their line, maybe the gift is an add-on to a
treatment that has nothing to do with their
line at all!
Get creative. It’s likely your guests are already
going to have an exceptional experience at
your spa, so why not make them feel like
they won the lottery for receiving a gift, just
because they purchased something? I’m not
saying to do this all year round, but create
quarterly promotions that make sense for
your boomin’ business!
At the end of the day, vendors want you to have
strong sales, because when you are doing well,
they are doing well. So, they are always in a
position to offer you support, training and tools
to help grow your business.
16 | Spa Executive

Wellness trend:
Personalized Nutrition
Personalized nutrition focuses on the individual
with customized diets based on individual
factors like microbiome and metabolism.
According to Harvard School of Public Health,
personalized nutrition, also referred to as
precision nutrition, focuses on the individual
rather than groups of people. This means
customizing diets based on individual factors
like microbiome, metabolism, genetics,
physical activity, and more.
It’s been on the radar for several years but has
recently been garnering generalized interest.
According to Wired:
“When the term ‘personalized
nutrition’ first appeared in the
scientific literature, in 1999, the
focus was on using computers to
help educate people about their
dietary needs. It wasn’t until 2004
that scientists began to think
about the way genes affect how
and what we eat, and how our
bodies respond. Take coffee, for
instance: Some people metabolize
caffeine and the other nutrients in
coffee in a productive, healthy way.
Others don’t. Which camp you fall
into depends on a host of factors
including your genetics, age,
environment, gender, and lifestyle.”
Researchers have been studying connections
between gut microbiome health and
conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and
depression. The gut microbiome consists
of more than 1000 species of bacteria and
microbes. It produces hormones, digests food
that the stomach can’t, and sends thousands
of diet-derived chemicals through our bodies
every day. The microbiome is “the basis of the
growth in personalized nutrition.”
The Harvard website explains that studies
focusing on individual responses to food
have found “substantial variations in blood
responses of glucose and triglycerides even
if individuals are eating identical meals. The
person’s microbiome was found to cause
variations in blood triglycerides after a meal.
Non-food factors like sleep, physical activity,
and time of meals also played a role in causing
variations in blood levels of glucose and
triglycerides after meals.”
This suggests that individuals may see benefits
from following personalized nutrition guidance
beyond general health recommendations.
“Precision nutrition evaluates one’s DNA,
microbiome, and metabolic response to
specific foods or dietary patterns to determine
the most effective eating plan to prevent or
treat disease.”
Consumers are reportedly seeking out
personalized eating approaches tailored
to their unique needs driven in part by
awareness of the microbiome’s connection to
mental wellbeing and immune function.
17 | Spa Executive

Common examples of personalized nutrition
include the allergen-free diet or those
designed to remove triggers like the gluten
free or low FODMAP diets. People have more
recently become interested in expanding
applications of these personalized designs.
Challenges reportedly include data and
methodological issues. Collecting and
analyzing data, for example, is a complex
task, though one that people are working on
every day in pretty much every industry; while
growth areas include tech-enabled, hyperspecific
recommendations and solutions
for a range of specific needs and consumer
segments and personalized diagnostic
services.
Hospitality companies may one day soon find
themselves offering highly personalized food
and beverage options to every guest.
See more 2023 wellness trends: 8
WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2023: A
HOSPITALITY HANDBOOK
18 | Spa Executive

Carlos Calvo Rodriguez of Four Seasons
Toronto on staff training & habits of effective
leaders in spa and wellness.
Carlos Calvo Rodriquez, Senior Spa Director at
Four Seasons Toronto, the city’s only Forbes-Five
star rated spa, talks staff training and habits of
successful spa directors.
Carlos Calvo Rodriquez is the Senior Spa
Director for Toronto’s only Forbes-Five star
rated spa, the Spa at Four Seasons Toronto,
located inside the brand’s global flagship, Four
Seasons Hotel Toronto.
An expert in wellness, staff training, and
business operations, originally from
Costa Rica, Mr. Calvo Rodriguez is a
physiotherapist by trade.
Explaining how he ended up in hospitality, he
says, “When I did my master’s degree, I worked
at the university teaching manual therapy and
assessment. Maybe it was because a lot of my
students were going to work there that Four
Seasons asked me to work for them. At first, I
had no intention to do so because I was happy
at the academy, but one day I accompanied
my assistant for an interview and I’m the
one who got hired (my assistant was hired
as well, so it worked out). I started my
hospitality career in 2007 with Four Seasons.
He started as a massage therapist, then
moved up the ranks to become Assistant
Spa Director.
He says, “I then joined an amazing program
Four Seasons had to develop spa managers,
in which we went to train at company spas in
different countries. I went to Washington DC,
Doha, Qatar; Maldives; Langkawi, Malaysia;
Hong Kong; Bali; and Paris. After the
program I found an opening at Four Seasons
Hotel Toronto, the company’s flagship. That
was synchronicity because I had applied for
my permanent residency a few years earlier
and I got it at the same time I applied for
the job. They didn’t have a spa yet so I came
and helped to open the spa as Manager with
Todd Hewitt as Senior Director.”
In 2016, he moved into the corporate
world with Shangri La in Hong Kong as
Assistant Vice President, Training in Spa &
Wellness, “but when COVID happened, we
all got laid off from the wellness division. In
2021, I launched Kool for Men with Todd,
wellness products for men, and I also
became a certified human potential coach.
I then came back to Toronto and the Four
Seasons in 2022.”
Some of the Spa at Four Seasons Toronto’s
success can probably be attributed to Calvo
Rodriguez’s dedication to the cause of proper
training in spa and wellness. “Wellness
and education are interconnected,” he has
said. “Whether it’s staff, students or guests,
everybody needs coaching and direction
to ensure a better well-being. The Spa has
become a lifestyle necessity for the modern
individual, and I am lucky to be at the
forefront of that realization.”
We spoke with Carlos Calvo Rodriguez about
19 | Spa Executive

that and about the habits of effective leaders
in spa and wellness.
Tell us about your spa at Four Seasons Toronto
It’s very special because we opened this place
– we literally ripped open the boxes. I was
very happy to come back because a good
portion of the team is still the same from
10 years ago. There are a lot of people that
I hired myself. It’s the biggest city spa in the
company at 30,000 square feet. We have 16
treatment rooms, 5 spa suites, a relaxation
pool, outdoor terrace, nail and hair bar and
20 massage tables. Three more rooms will
be developed into a wellness and biohacking
center. It’s a busy place – we’re booked out
up to two months in advance. The business
is locally driven – ninety-five per cent of our
customers are locals with the remaining Hotel
guests and Residents. Our target has always
been the local community. This has a bigger
impact. When we opened, we had a business
development manager who was out literally
knocking on the doors of the community
around us, inviting them to try the spa.
It was a new product for the city. Four
Seasons had never had a spa in Toronto
before. Expectations were high and we hired
the best in the city. I remember I conducted
383 therapist interviews and hired 30
massage therapists. We wanted to be the
best and have the best. I think that paid off
because within the first year of opening,
we went up to $2 million in revenue and
we manage a budget of six or seven million
a year. On weekdays we have 85 to 90
appointments per day, and on the weekends
from 100 to 120.
What did you learn about running a spa while
working as an AVP of Training? What did you
take away from that?
Training is so important because the more
time you spend on training, the better quality
your service will be. I find sometimes we
overlook that part. Communication is key and
so is investing in enough training for everyone
so that they feel like they are a part of things.
On the operations side, we need to improve
communication with the rest of the team.
We need to be specific and give reasons as
to why we’re doing things, rather than saying
“We’re going to do it this way, and that’s it.”
Everyone wants to be part of things and
everyone should understand why we do
things the way we do.
What are some training gaps you see in the
spa industry?
On the therapy side, I think the biggest gap
is the balance between health and scientific
knowledge and knowledge of hospitality.
These things don’t always go together.
Someone who comes from a very health and
science-focused background will sometimes
have to learn how to deliver the best
customer service. We need to make sure our
team merges these things. On the front-ofhouse
side, I think it’s dealing with special
requests. There’s always a little bit of fear
and we should provide the tools to handle
unexpected situations.
What are some habits of effective leaders in
spa and wellness?
Mental health is very important because
we are dealing with a lot of people and
situations all at the same time. I think one
of my life savers is daily meditation. Every
morning I do 20 minutes of meditation, 20
minutes of journaling, and 20 minutes of
exercise.
Another habit I really like getting into is
getting on the floor and being with my team
for a minimum of one hour a day doing what
they’re doing; checking in guests, helping
people get set up for the showers, cleaning
up – not just being the manager.
And, of course, just communicate,
communicate and communicate.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
The people that I work with. That was easy.
What are you excited about?
I’m very excited about the expanding
concept of wellness and about introducing
the concept of biohacking into the
hospitality industry. It’s important because
people want to live longer and healthier. I’m
excited about that and about how in spas
we can bring not only the relaxation side of
wellness but also expand into longevity and
the biology of our bodies.
What are you excited about at Four Seasons?
We’re going to have a yacht collection! It
was recently announced that the first Four
Seasons Yacht will launch in the next couple
of years. We already have a private jet that
takes you around the world to our different
locations and now we’re going to conquer
the seas – and there will be a big wellness
component. That is exciting.
20 | Spa Executive

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