Spa Executive March-April

How to handle sexual harassment
in your spa
A 2020 study found that 75% of massage
therapists had experienced sexual harassment
or assault from a client at least once.
Inappropriate behavior from clients towards
service providers is an unfortunate reality
in the spa and wellness industry. Spa
employees are particularly vulnerable to
sexual harassment because they work in
close quarters, alone, touching people who
are in various states of undress.
In 2020, The Association of New Brunswick
Massage Therapists (ANBMT) conducted an
online survey of New Brunswick massage
therapists and found that 75% had
experienced sexual harassment or assault
from a client at least once, while 27% had
experienced it more than three times. Only
one reported it to police.
Another survey from Massage Tables Now,
conducted in 2018 found that 64% of
female and 56% of male massage therapists
had experienced “unwanted advances or
inappropriate sexual behavior” from a client.
Businesses must do what they can to avoid
these problems and handle them when they
happen. Prevention is everyone’s responsibility,
and managers must take the lead.
Dealing with inappropriate behavior from
a spa customer can be challenging, but it’s
important to maintain a professional, safe,
and comfortable environment for all clients
and staff. Here are some tips on how to
handle such situations:
Have protocols in place and train your
team. Outline your policy and make the
protocol part of your onboarding. Provide
employees with proper training on how to
identify and address inappropriate behavior.
What do they say? Who are they to go to, and
what will that person do? Have a plan and
lay it out so that you’re all on the same page
and they feel empowered. Teach them how
to handle difficult situations professionally
and calmly, and empower them to take
appropriate action when necessary.
Let them know they can come to you.
Staff should feel 100% comfortable coming
to you with any issues and should know
that you have their backs. Not only will you
inspire confidence, but you’ll be keeping
yourself in the loop. You should know what’s
going on at your business, so you don’t
wind up getting blindsided by complaints,
attrition, or even lawsuits. Keeping
communication lines open helps promote
security for both you and your team.
Have the courage to stand up. A main
reason sexual harassment is so rampant
is because people are afraid to speak up,
call out offenders, and defend themselves
and others. In a business setting, managers
11 | Spa Executive