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“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a [killer] red lipstick.” —Gwyneth Paltrow

No one can really go wrong with a rouge-colored lipstick.This month, Robanda is making this most popular of shades a symbol for heart health—and helping women in the process.

In an effort to encourage healthy living, the company is raising money for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign throughout the month of February.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of Bodyography’s Red China Lipstick and the Marilyn Monroe Signature Collection Hairbrushes will be donated to the cause.

Go Red for Women uses the color red as a symbol for heart disease, a leading killer of women around the world.

For more information or to purchase these products, visit robanda.com.

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) recently announced its new Board of Directors and Officers for 2009-2010. It includes:
• Chair: Bruce Selan, vice president of Zotos International
• Vice Chair: Josh Hafetz, president of Raylon Corporation
• Treasurer: Max Wexler, CEO of Beauty Craft Supply & Equipment
• Cary O’Brien, owner of Cary O’Brien’s Design & Color Spa in St. Charles, Missouri
• Scott Buchanan, owner of Scott J Salons & Spas in New York City
• John Galietti, owner of Xena’s Beauty Company in New York City
• John Heffner, president/CEO of Creative Nail Design
• Brian Graham, president of NIOXIN
• Sydney Berry, president of Salon Services & Supplies, Inc.
This group will continue promoting the work of the PBA, including Beauty Week, government outreach and a planned merger with the National Cosmetology Association. “It is a privilege to serve as chair of PBA and, along with the board, I look forward to fostering continued industry growth and the overall unification of the professional beauty industry like never before,” Selan says.

Here we present DAYSPA’s first foray into the video blogosphere with a report from the floor of the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. Be gentle! We’re still figuring this out.

—Allison Rost, DAYSPA associate editor

In today’s rollercoaster economy, we’re all experiencing financial challenges—professionally and personally. However, I remember that post-9/11 holiday gift certificate sales increased, while the economy, especially retail, took a hit. Day spas created a safe, comforting escape from the changing world around us.

Today’s fluctuating economy challenges our financial security, whereas 9/11 threatened our homeland security. People now want to feel like someone cares about them and that they have control over their lives. Day spas are in business to make people feel good, and we’re needed more than ever in troubled times.

The good news is that clients are still coming in—maybe not as often, but they continue to book appointments. A day spa visit offers the guest a truly personal experience. We provide “it’s all about you” service, so it’s no surprise that we’re able to maintain a more stable business in troubled times. A client may compromise home care, but she’ll rarely sacrifice the level of service she’s accustomed to.

But what about gift certificate sales this holiday season? I predict people will purchase them later than past seasons at lower dollar increments, but a higher volume will be sold nonetheless. The beauty of a gift certificate is that it allows the recipient the luxury of how she’s going to use it even if it differs from the intention of the giver, which makes them the perfect gift.

Keep in mind, people will wait until the last minute for any changes (good or bad) in the economy to plan their holiday budget. They’ll also be likely to give more small or less-expensive gifts.

I’ll take these thoughts into consideration when planning my holiday gift certificate marketing strategies. Please let us know your ideas for having a successful holiday season. Feel free to email them to Rhonda J. Wilson, DAYSPA executive editor, at rwilson@creativeage.com.

Frank  Shipman
Owner, TC Salon Spa
www.tcsalonspa.com
DAYSPA Advisory Board

I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner two years ago when I was eight months pregnant. I decided to try three new dishes from a gourmet cooking magazine, even though I lacked the two ovens needed and an ability to knead dough. Fortunately, several of my guests offered to bring their own signature holiday dishes and my husband, who’s a much better host than a cook, conceded to let us purchase a precooked turkey.

When my back started aching early that morning, I learned quickly that dinner would be a total flop unless I called for some help. My first SOS went to my best friend, an event planner, who stopped by and created a schedule for what needed to be baked and when. As the rest of our guests arrived, they asked what they could do to help. I let them mash the potatoes, load the dishwasher and cork the wine. Before too long, we were all sitting at the table, laughing and sharing a communal sense of accomplishment about the meal.

Putting good use to other people’s talents isn’t just a sign of graciousness, it’s a necessity for any successful business owner. “Our policy is that employees present two possible solutions every time they come to me with a problem,” says Tamara Friedman, DAYSPA Advisory Board member and owner of Tamara Spa (www.tamaraspa.com) in Farmington Hills, Michigan. “If you don’t involve your staff members, they’re unlikely to take an interest.”

This year, more than ever, it’s important to work together to prevent economic hardship. One thing I admire about Friedman’s managerial style is her ability to nurture the best in her staff. She does more than make her employees accountable; she allows them to flourish.

Are you underestimating any of your employees? Talk to them, and more importantly, listen to their ideas. Like my first Thanksgiving as a hostess, I’m sure you’ll find the results impressive and delightful.

Sarah Colombo
Web Editor, DAYSPA

There are a number of ways to get the most out of your retail area. For spas, the two best sales aids are choosing highly publicized and trend setting products that sell themselves, and in-store marketing and promotions to support them.

Before you consider offering a line, determine if the brand has selling power. What sets this product apart from the rest? What creative ideas does the manufacturer have to support sales and get attention for its offerings? Are your manufacturers driving traffic to your spa through their website?

Top manufacturers retain national public relations firms. While vendors churn out publicity to build their brands, they also look for local opportunities to generate sales. Become a part of the PR process and vendors will start to include you in their national efforts. Developing cross-promotional ideas encourages them to share their national PR services with your spa.

Make your vendors your marketing partners. What do you need to sell this product or service to your spa customer, and is this vendor capable of providing it? Does it offer suggestions and ideas to help promote its offerings? Can it provide your staff with the right tools, such as marketing materials.

Work with manufacturers to turn your retail area into a local hot spot. Here are some suggestions:

• Host demos, sessions or events around their products.
• Use your in-house experts or invite manufacturers’ trainers to speak. Events like this will turn your facility into a source for media activity.
• Offer your employees as local experts on treatments and products for media opportunities.

Don’t lose out on marketing dollars that are earmarked for you. Use these strategies to effectively leverage your vendor partnerships to get the most from your retail area.

Nancy Trent
Owner/Founder
Trent & Company, Inc.
www.trentandcompany.com
DAYSPA Advisory Board

I’m starving. And I don’t think I’m the only one.

A few years ago, I remember reading about this crazy new trend: cuddle parties. Perfect strangers would get together for a completely platonic love fest. Outsiders found this odd and couldn’t quite understand why non-aquaintances would pay money to snuggle with each other. But it made perfect sense to me. People are starving—desperately lacking in our daily dose of physical touch.

There’ve been countless studies about babies, orphans mostly, whose development is stunted due to lack of physical touch. People actually volunteer time to simply hold these children for 5 or 10 minutes each day. They do the same thing at Humane Societies and such. It seems to be an innate need in many species.

Generation X and its younger counterparts have grown up in a world where virtual encounters and being plugged in 24/7 is the norm. But all of that can backfire, as our society increasingly uses text, IM, email and mobile phones. We now find ourselves yearning for real connections, weary of the virtual variety.

Aside from stress and therapeutic benefits, you may find clients coming to you for a hand out—literally. Whether it’s a haircut or a 60-minute massage, it may be the only physical touch that some people receive in a day, a week, a month or even longer.

Ever wonder what happened to traditional dating? My generation did away with it in its desperate quest for connections. We didn’t want to date, we just needed to feel the warmth of another body. We wanted the warm-fuzzies that come along with the two-armed embrace of our best friend’s bear hugs or that comfortably blissful feeling we used to get when mom or dad would tuck us into bed and kiss us on the forehead.

We just want to be touched.

Though cuddle parties never made it into the mainstream, day spas are certainly filling the void—something that shouldn’t be underestimated. While perhaps not the most noticeable of ways that you can give back to society, you can feel good knowing that you are, quite literally, touching someone’s life in one of the most positive ways.

Kimiko Martinez
Associate Editor, DAYSPA

Going back to the origin of spa, which literally means “health through water,â€� the wellness and well-being wave is now infiltrating the day spa industry. I see massage as a wellness and alternative medical treatment more than a pampering service–even a simple Swedish massage has a lot of health benefits.

Spa professionals have a wonderful opportunity to introduce their clients to services that increase their well-being. This can be accomplished through massages, body wraps that detox and purify their system, and relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga sessions. They can also partner with nutritionists to encourage healthy diets and more.

Don’t forget your staff. Employees practicing healthy principles are prone to pass along the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to clients, although they should never try to force these issues on anyone. You, as a day spa owner, can take the initiative to offer your employees healthy lifestyle choices. Options include learning about nutrition and supplements (the Day Spa Association has several members who offer education on this subject), smoking cessation programs, encouraging them to join a health club by offering employee discounts, implementing healthy lunches for workers and clients, conducting educational classes on how to detect melanoma (bring in a dermatologist you want to align yourself with), starting a referral program with a chiropractor in your neighbor and more.

The more your staff is conscious of what’s available to it, the more it can serve as an example to clients. Steps like these also go a long way in retaining employees. Statistics have shown that happiness on the job goes much farther than dollars earned.


Hannelore R. Leavy
Founder/Executive Director
Day Spa Association (www.dayspaassociation.com)
International Medical Spa Association (www.medicalspaassociation.org)
DAYSPA Advisory Board

Words have always held power. In the Bible, God spoke the world into existence by simply uttering a few words. In the Harry Potter books, magic is unleashed through a flick of the wand accompanied by a series of words spoken aloud. And study after study has shown the life-changing potential of affirmations and positive thinking (the words one speaks to herself).

People create their realities by the words they speak. Yet the language we use is often overlooked—thoughtless expressions that stream from brain to mouth (and sometimes foot to mouth!).

A few years ago, there was a movement to reprogram our society through words—“policeman� became “police officer� “fireman� became “fire fighter� and “illegal immigrant� became “undocumented citizen.� At the time, it all seemed like PC fluff. But looking back, the reasoning makes sense. It wasn’t some ambiguous political correctness, but an opportunity to change people’s perceptions in a subtle way.

Understanding this cultural shift, it was a pleasant surprise being introduced to Dermalogica’s view of language at their recent “Redefining the Future� event in Los Angeles Estheticians were “skin therapists,� and skin analysis became “FaceMapping� at the “Skin Bar,� not the tester counter. During the keynote speech, principal and founder Jane Wurwand spoke of the movement to reposition the industry, shifting the focus from beauty to wellness. One way it plans to do this? Words.

According to Wurwand’s philosophy and vision, the industry would focus on skin health, not beauty and pampering. “It’s a treatment, not a facial,� Wurwand says.

By changing the way people speak about Dermalogica, and the industry as a whole, Wurwand hopes to also transform the way they view the industry. Going to a “skin therapistâ€� for a treatment, rather than an “esthetician,â€� sounds more clinical, but it’s a shift that’s going to be needed for everyday folks to see those in the beauty industry as the highly trained professionals they are … and in accessible terms. (Just about everyone knows what a therapist does, but the word “esthetician” makes little sense to those who aren’t regular spa-goers or who are outside the industry.) Male or female, these gender-neutral terms will have mainstream America seeking out your staff for consultations and advice, much like they would a doctor. In time, they’ll be relying on your expertise to guide them through the ups and downs of skin health as a part of a larger overall wellness plan, not just because they want to look better.

It may not be the fastest transformation, but progress will come one word at a time. And it’s up to you to help it along. Consider your words, and help create the culture.

Kimiko Martinez
Associate Editor, DAYSPA