Machines give results and reduce therapist RSI
Angela Barbagelata-Fabes, chairman, The Carlton Group
T e Inspiritas cancer care spa has set high standards for the rest of the industry to follow
Opportunities and challenges in treating cancer patients in spas
Lisa Starr, senior consultant, Wynne Business
I read with great interest and pride the story on Inspiritas (SB11/2 p46), as I consulted on this cancer care spa for 18 months. I’ve opened and re-engineered many spas in the US and beyond, but this was a one-of-a-kind project from the inception. Typically owners are very focused on their ROI, as they should be, but in this project the client/patient experience took centre stage. Located in an existing medical building, the spa was purpose-built to serve all the needs of the patients in a comfortable and conscientious manner. Certainly, there are complications to a
project of this scope. A cancer diagnosis is just the fi rst step in a journey that involves learning a new language, understanding all of the options available, negotiating with insurance carriers, and meeting an array of medical people. A large practice
Retail-orientated businesses are open in the evenings and weekends, not typical medical offi ce hours. Also, medical establishments are not used to a sales-driven model
SPA BUSINESS 3 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
becomes adept at guiding patients through this process, but because of sheer volume, patients can feel a bit lost. Also, there’s not often a chance to think about customer-facing issues like retailing, marketing, and the service-delivery cycle common in the spa world. According to
cancer.org, cancer cases are expected to grow to 21.4 million by 2030. Clearly, there is an opportunity for spas to create services and programmes that are specifi c to cancer patients and their caregivers, or for other diseases or conditions, especially as spas move more fi rmly into the wellness business. But there are many challenges to these hybrid businesses that must be considered. At Inspiritas, employees include a registered dietician, mind-body medicine practitioners, spiritual counsellors, acupuncturists, oncology massage therapists and t’ai chi instructors. Almost all of these modalities are overseen by different state boards, most of which have licensing requirements. Retail-orientated businesses are open in the evenings and weekends, not typical medical offi ce hours. Also, medical establishments are not used to a sales-driven “pay for service” model for staff which is common in spas. All of these concepts need to be addressed by operators from the onset. But I’ve no doubt that we can overcome those hurdles, as the worlds of spas, wellness and healing morph into a new type of business model. Inspiritas has certainly set a high standard to follow.
I recently noticed Spa Business’ editor’s letter and feature on the use of more traditional beauty therapies in spas (SB11/1 p5 and p20). Yet it didn’t touch on the value of combining manual and mechanical treatments. For many spas, machines are simply not part of their remit. But in a results-driven industry, isn’t it possible to be ‘holistic’ with both man and machine? In recent years, we’ve seen more spas placing orders for machines, suggesting an increase in their use. Spas may wish to differentiate themselves from salons by their holistic approach, but this doesn’t mean that they need to disregard machines – especially as they can take the pressure off therapists at risk from repetitive strain injury. Nothing can replace a hands-on treatment, but by combining manual and mechanical treatments spas can offer clients enhanced results. A manual facial plus microcurrent technology, for example, can aid facial lifting. Furthermore, a course of anything from six to 10 electrotherapy treatments may be required, which can encourage client retention and increase revenue. With one-off treatments, such as microdermabrasion more can be charged per session than for a manual treatment. Profi t margins will vary as prices can range from £30 (US$50, 34) per treatment to £160 (US$261, 184) in top-end establishments in major cities. Also, as microdermabrasion merely hastens the natural process of skin renewal, a spa wouldn’t compromise its holistic ethos. Diamond microdermabraision – using precise diamond-tipped rotational heads – could also be offered.
Other examples include colour therapy, where coloured light – a natural source – can be used to stimulate the skin’s cells to facilitate change. In the treatment, LED lights are set at varying wavelengths to offer a wide range of benefi ts. Green light, for example, has an anti-infl ammatory effect, while red stimulates the lymphatic system and yellow promotes collagen production. For our focus on non-invasive, anti- ageing equipment see SB10/3 p78.
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92