INDUSTRY SURVEY: THERAPIST PAY
There’s no correlation between education and pay... but by hiring unlicensed therapists a spa may develop a bad reputation or incur additional in-house training costs
Twenty-one to 28 days paid holiday is standard, although six-day workweeks or longer aren’t uncommon
benefi ts that its expected to pay in addition to service provider salaries. There’s no correlation between a thera-
pist’s education and pay. Some countries require licensing for beauty therapy which typically involves up to two year’s of study. Meanwhile, in the US an aesthetics licence can be earned in many states in four months of full-time schooling; and there are still many countries, such as China, South Africa, Cambodia, the Philippines and Brazil, where no licence is required at all. However, the countries with the highest education costs are not those that pay the most. This could be a false economy – while an operator could potentially save money by hiring unli- censed therapists, the spa may develop a less desirable reputation, and incur additional in-house training costs as a result. Something that is standard internationally
is workers typically receiving 21 to 28 days of paid holiday a year. In China and Hong Kong, staff get an extra months’ pay for Chinese New Year, along with two weeks off. That said, many global workers put in a lot of time and effort to earn such benefi ts – regularly putting in a six-day workweek, and in some resorts or on cruise ships working daily for two to three weeks before taking a day off. In the US, paid time off is less generous:
small spas will provide no paid leave, while spas that are part of larger brands will offer a week off after a year of employment, and that may increase to two weeks after two or three years of steady employment. Therapist sched- ules are also becoming shorter, often three to four days per week, and part-time shifts are becoming more frequent as mandated health- care costs for full-time workers increase.
GROWING CONCERNS Staff pay is, in most markets, the single big- gest expense in spa business operations. This makes sense, as the inherent strength of spas is a labour-intensive product. But as companies continue to expand, and brands proliferate across country regions and bor- ders, spa management teams should be
aware of the differing pay, benefi t and tax conventions. It’s not safe to assume that “what you’ve always done” in one country will be accepted in another, and this makes pro- jecting turnover and profi ts more complex. It’s no surprise that countries which pay
the least in direct salary also have the low- est cost of living, however, this may also be a refl ection of the importance of personal care to a specifi c locale or region, or the value placed on overall health and appearance. Spa services sit right at the crossroads of beauty services and healthcare, and in most coun-
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tries spas are attracting increasing numbers of practitioners, who deserve the right to a fair living wage. But in situations where the desired pay is outsized compared to other overheads, it can make the ability for a busi- ness to earn a profi t almost impossible, and negatively impact the growth potential for the industry as a whole. ●
On top of her role at Wynne Business, Lisa Starr is a guest editor for the GSWS Weekender newsletter.
Email:
lstarr@wynnebusiness.com Spa Business 3 2013 ©Cybertrek 2013
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MILA SUPINSKAYA
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