Is there an interest in joining up with a partner to manage your Spa ? The growing number of products on the market is forcing professionals to differentiate themselves. But then do you have to be different at all costs to please? And above all, how to stand out? If innovation and originality attract, we must also offer a standard offer that reassures.
Reminder steps to build your project
Carry out your market research // Finding SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, threats and opportunities). Benchmark catchment area. Definition of targets and customer expectations. Marketing position. Definition of the concept.
Plan your programming // Work with the architect and the client. Validation of the capacity of the project and the services and products to be included. Financial estimate of spa equipment. Choice of cosmetic partner, brand.
Carry out your financial study // Work on a detailed 5-year forecast P&L with: spa activity by customer segment – turnover generated by spa product and service – fixed operating costs – variable costs and payroll costs – the amount of investments.
Some figures to know
70-30 In a cabin 70% of the treatments performed are body treatments and 30% facial treatments.
30-70 On the contrary, in stores, 30% of the products sold are body products and 70% are face products.
40% This is the maximum percentage of sales of products in stores in a known spa in France. This requires very good involvement from the Spa teams.
250 000€ A well-managed Spa can generate € 250,000 per year per cabin in turnover.
How to choose a Spa brand ?
You have carried out a market study which reveals the needs to be satisfied by customer segments. You have determined a concept to meet these needs. The first question to ask yourself: is your concept solid and self-sufficient? You are an entrepreneur, you have an original idea and maybe you don’t need a brand. But before embarking on a spa with your brand, you must ask yourself if you have something unique, strong and innovative to do without the power of a brand (image and expertise).
Choose a brand or several brands ?
The experiments in the field of aesthetics, of institutes that have focused on a strong brand, have paid off immensely. On the other hand, the chosen brand must therefore meet all the needs of your customers because the Spa must function and ensure good attendance. If this is not the case, the question then arises of several brands. Above all, do not expand too much because the customer could be lost in his choice and favor each brand in a particular area of expertise. Example of the brand’s expertise in men’s and children’s care compared to other brands.
The choice of a brand must correspond to the expectations of your customers
This is obviously the heart of the matter. Choosing a good partner means first of all making sure that this partner will meet the expectations of your targeted customers. Moreover, the brand will ask the same question on its side. Will the Spa suit its customers? It is therefore a decision of both parties to ensure that we are in the same market and on the same customer segments.
The essential criteria to ask of a brand
- The existence of a pilot spa
The brand must already have an existing network or at least a pilot spa that will demonstrate that the concept works and that the expertise exists. You will be able to test the brand’s Spa to check its consistency with your project. Always go and test a Spa incognito to live the customer experience and understand the spirit of the brand with which you will be working. Then, discuss with the existing network to get their feedback and their opinion. - National notoriety
If you choose to work with a brand, it must be able to bring you customers and therefore have notoriety in its market. In your hotel customer segments, for example, you are targeting an international clientele, your brand should ideally also have international notoriety. The brand must be able to communicate about you as you will be able to communicate about the brand. - An integrated training service
If you choose to work with a single brand, this is a fundamental point to ensure the success of the Spa. Besides the fact that the teams must be regularly trained, this helps to ensure that protocols exist. You must meet the brand trainer who will take care of you and see her or his approach and skills. - A built-in care card, adapted products
A reliable brand must have a well thought out and comprehensive care card that meets 100% customer demand. You may need to personalize treatments, make sure the brand can provide “signature” treatments for your clients as well. It is especially important to ensure that the products offered in the cabin or in the shop are well suited to the Spa. Ask to test the cabin products that must be offered in large containers at reasonable prices for the treatment, different from boutique products. - Well-defined treatment protocols and a “turnkey” system The brand must master its protocols but you must verify that they are also different from the competition. As mentioned in the card, you can ask the brand for the possibility of creating new protocols for your Spa, in the spirit of the brand and which will also represent your establishment in its market. Always check that the brand offers slimming treatments, these treatments are essential today and are sold considerably in a Spa. The brand must also support you in the design, architecture, visuals so that you can focus on the rest.
- An annual activity plan
The success of a spa lies in the quality of its care (the result expected by the customer) but also the dynamism of the sale of the products. The brand must support you in the animation, that is to say promotional offers (financial support for product advantages), mailings, newsletters to animate your network with offers specific to the brand. Check the brand’s marketing plan, its communication and its offers.
In conclusion
A spa is profitable as much on the care products as on the boutique products. These are two complementary sources of turnover with distinct objectives and performances.
The choice of the brand is all the more strategic as most hoteliers embark on the construction of a spa more for reason than for passion. They arrive in a world that they know little or little about. The brand can therefore represent a partner likely to assist them, in exchange for it for a new setting to disseminate its products and improve its notoriety. The Spa must be considered as a real profit center : The choice of the brand is strategic. Everyone must find their account, it is a “Win-Win” partnership !
