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These days, it's easy to get distracted. The real trouble is, the distractions take our attention from the issues which really count-client service being key among these. We are such sensory beings, and barraged as we are with marketing messages, a simple trip to the store may turn into a phantasmagoric trip down the rabbit-hole. When I buy groceries, I will often see shoppers, apparently from other places, who cannot hide their amazement at the shampoo aisle of my local supermarket. Has washing your hair ever involved so many decisions? The same goes for purchasing a pair of blue jeans.
In 1983 I landed my first real job as a career aesthetician at a famous Union Square skin care salon in San Francisco, Calif. High on enthusiasm but lacking experience and clients I found myself positioned on the bottom rung of eight staff professionals that all received new customers ahead of me, leaving this new recruit with many an empty hour on his schedule. To help fill my time and, hopefully, earn a decent paycheck I proposed to the salon owner that we offer a complimentary make-up application to anyone following a facial treatment. I would do the work without compensation other than a commission on any product I sold.
In the 60s, the British were setting the style trends and the world followed. Twiggy, miniskirts, go go boots, and the Beatles were all the rage and the Mod Look was born. Today, 40 years later, the Mod Look is back with a new modern twist! The look is bold, but don’t be afraid to introduce your clients to the hottest trend in make-up this season. Modern Mod is an inspired vision; it is softer than the look of the 60s and can be easily achieved.
Technique. This is a sacred word to skin therapists. To begin with, it's French-more on that in a moment. For generations, technique has been the skin care profession's raison d'etre-oops, I mean entire reason for being. Mastering the traditional posture, movements, and protocol defined the very essence of being a skin therapist, similar, let's say, to the discipline of a classical ballerina or a Cordon Bleu chef faceting perfect, six-sided baby carrot nuggets. But here's the big news: technique is not enough.
Thanks to the popular television series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy a sudden wave of men are having their eyebrows waxed and shaped to improve their appearance. Men have increasingly become enthusiastic customers of many traditional spa services, particularly therapeutic massage. But now we are seeing more opportunity for spas to work with male clients. Men's health and fitness publications, travel magazines, and lifestyle television shows are routinely pitching the spa ritual to the male client, encouraging him to upgrade his level of personal care. Some spas dedicate specific time to men's treatments, and new spas are emerging that are designed to cater to men.
We live in a society that obsesses over the concept of staying young. However, spa clientele actually seek to do something about it, while most of society is simply obsessing over the concept of youthfulness. This educated, informed segment of the population constantly searches for new ways to improve themselves and to remain youthful in health and appearance. As spa professionals, we must consistently strive to offer services that meet the demands of our clients. Ironically, incorporating into the spa environment a practice that is centuries old creates a pathway for our clients to follow towards the fountain of youth.
Take a moment and think of someone you know who has a vibrant glow in their countenance and a life-giving gleam in their eye. Perhaps they’re not the fittest or even the hottest person you’ve ever met, but something about them sparkles with life. What sets them apart? Many people have a healthy glow at 30, but how do you stay shining at 50? You can pay big bucks for liposuction, butt lifts, face lifts, and any other lift that promises to defy gravity, but after a few years, your bank account will be sagging.
What will skin care look like in the future? This is the question I'll be exploring in my new series of ongoing columns for DERMASCOPE. After 30 years in this remarkable business, I've formed some strong opinions. But you already know that - otherwise you'd stop reading! And, I welcome your input - please be sure to check out the contact at the end of each column. Of course, the future is now. Are you ready? Just like comic book space invaders, skin therapists indeed have laser-guns-and that's not an intrinsically bad thing.
One of the greatest perplexities to any spa owner is advertising. When to do it? Where? What makes sense? How much should I budget? We all understand the business of skin and body care, but getting our spa-oriented mind into marketing mode takes a real push. Marketing and advertising is a vast field of possibilities-both good and bad. Every business needs to market itself, to get the word out about the availability, uniqueness, and quality of its goods and services. In the increasingly competitive day spa industry it's important to make potential customers aware of a company's distinctive qualities.