OPINION: FACIALS
I
ndustry research confi rms time and again that massage is the number one treatment received by spa-goers, but facials are far more profi table. Indeed, while massages may seem to be better for business because they cost less to perform than product-heavy facials, this is actually a false economy because the retail potential for body treatments is low. “If you’re performing a US$150 massage, the chances are you’re
[only] going to get US$150, but if you use that hour for a facial, you could potentially get US$300, US$400 or even US$500 on top of that with retail,” confi rms global spa consultant Nigel Franklyn, who currently works exclusively with skincare company Sodashi as its ‘spa whisperer’. “Massage will always be the spa’s bread and butter, but facials are an incredibly important component when it comes to generating untapped retail revenue.” Anecdotal evidence from spas around the world suggests that
facials are becoming more popular too. At Trellis Spa at The Hou- stonian Hotel, Club & Spa, USA, spa director Renae Cassam is converting one of her massage rooms to an aesthetic room to meet growing demand for facials, while at Israel’s Carmel For-
est Spa Resort, the proportion of guests opting for facials has zoomed up from 10 per cent 10 years ago to 30 per cent today. However, while it may be easier than it used to be to convince spa-goers to forgo their automatic choice of a massage for a bot- tom line boosting facial, this is still by no means an easy task. So, how can spa operators do it? For Franklyn, it’s all about lots of small changes. “My goal is
not to take away all the massages and put in facials; but to cre- ate a healthier balance,” he explains, adding that the training of everyone in the spa – from the reservation department to the therapists – is the key to both booking more facials and gener- ating the all-important retail sale. We asked three other seasoned spa professionals – all of whom
have benefi ted from encouraging their customers to try facials and facial courses – whether they agree.
Elly Earls is a hospitality and travel journalist Email:
eearls@spabusiness.com Twitter: @ellyjearls
If you’re performing a US$150 massage, the chances are you’re only going to get US$150, but if you use that hour for a facial, you could potentially get US$300, US$400 or even US$500 on top of that with retail
T
here’s no doubt that facials are becoming more popular. Ten years ago, when I was managing the Car-
mel Forest Spa Resort in Israel only 10 per cent of treatments were facials. Now, at the same hotel, this is close to 30 per cent. A woman who goes to a spa hotel will always have at least one facial during her stay. Both men and women are realising that taking care of their face is something that will make them look and feel better. When we opened Cramim Resort & Spa
in June, we did so with 10 facials by Israeli brand Christina Cosmeceuticals and Der- malogica. These makes up a quarter of our spa treatments. We offer so many facials because there’s more chance that a guest will fi nd something to suit their needs. I believe the unique vinotherapy treat- ments by Christina Cosmeceuticals – the first of their kind in Israel – will keep demand for facials strong as they connect very well with the story of the hotel, which is located in the wine region in Judea. Overall, facials are already very popu-
lar. Female customers who only come for one treatment tend to prefer facials over body massages, while most guests who take
Spa Business 3 2013 ©Cybertrek 2013
SYLVIE COHEN GABAY General manager, Cramim Resort & Spa
packages will choose those with a combi- nation of facial and body treatments rather than focused just on the body. We also encourage clients to have more than one facial by offering competitively priced courses. These consist of four to seven treatments, with discounts of around 15-20 per cent off a la carte prices depend- ing on how many facials are included. But treatments won’t sell themselves. So before we opened, we trained all spa staff on all the treatments we offer, including demonstrations from both Christina Cos- meceuticals and Dermalogica. The hotel reservation department also received gen- eral training. Having this knowledge means they’re far more confi dent in selling facials and that they also offer customers a treat- ment that can really meet their needs. To sell as many products as possible, we encourage therapists to talk to the client
about what they’re using and to suggest which ones would work best at home. At the end, each customer is given a brochure with product suggestions marked on it and they get a 10 per cent reduction on all prod- ucts in the hotel shop.
Cramim Resort & Spa only opened just
over a month ago, but I can already see that it will go the same way as Carmel Forest Spa Resort (see SB09/1 p54). This is great because, of course, you can sell more products off facials than body treatments. Thirty per cent of our hotel shop’s retail sales are currently for facial products; this is much higher than for body products.
Prior to Cramim, Cohen Gabay managed two other spa resorts in Israel: Hotel Beresheet and Carmel Forest Spa Resort. Details:
www.isrotelexclusivecollection.com or
www.christina-cosmeceuticals.com
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