Change can be difficult to implement at a spa. New procedures are particularly hard because people are used to operating in a certain way.

I always begin my retail classes by asking therapists why they chose to work in the spa industry.  It helps me to understand their motivation or lack thereof. Some say money, others say they like to make people feel good. Some come from a family of therapists and others don’t have a reason. It just seemed the best thing to do at the time.

Knowing your “why” is important because it can make decisions simple in the long run.

I recently spoke with a spa manager whose group I trained. It seems that two therapists are resistant to doing anything different.  They are using  “family problems” as their excuse for not executing what they were taught in class. They say the new protocol of  customer engagement combined with their personal stress is too much to deal with. Bottom line, they are not interacting or making home care recommendations so guests are walking out with no retail products.

When I was a therapist at Rescue Spa, there was a brief period when my father was in the hospital. So I certainly understand that SOP’s are not top of mind when focused on a sick family member. I informed my spa owner what was happening and took time off. I was not receiving salary, only commission, so for the time my income stopped.

But my “why” for becoming a therapist was to ensure that my multi-cultural clientele received the of quality service that I wanted to receive. So knowing that I couldn’t give 100% I chose not to go in.

I am quite honestly perplexed as to why that wouldn’t be the first suggestion from the spa manager. When a therapist is under-performing, it is the customer who suffers. Most of us have seen the backlash that poor service can bring in today’s consumer focused environment. Is it really worth it? What am I missing?

Write to me at Moontide Consulting.com  and let me know.

By the way check out our YouTube channel where we discuss  spa issues in three minutes or less. Remember to”like” and “subscribe”.